Surfman Badge



The Surfman Badge is a military badge of the United States Coast Guard, issued to enlisted personnel who qualify as Coxswains authorized to operate surf boats in heavy surf. Surf boats are boats that are designed to operate under extreme weather and sea conditions. Some surf boats that the Coast Guard operates are the 47-foot Motor Lifeboat (MLB), the (now decommissioned) 44-foot MLB and the 52-foot MLB (the only "Boats" in the Coast Guard to be given names) such as the VICTORY at Station Yaquina Bay, Oregon, the oldest steel motor lifeboat in the U. S. Coast Guard.

To be awarded the Surfman Badge, a service member must undergo training in actual surf and breaking bar conditions, accumulate a minimum amount of hours operating in these conditions, while conducting practical exercises and undergo a rigorous underway check ride as well as an oral review board. Coast Guard regulations do not permit the wearing of both Surfman and Coxswain insignia simultaneously.