While many mariners avoid the water during bad weather, U.S. Coast Guard Station Menemsha took advantage of high winds and some choppy seas Thursday night to conduct a training exercise.

Station Menemsha Senior Chief Rob Riemer said Thursday's conditions provided the crew with a chance to conduct a heavy weather person in the water training, which simulates recovery of a person in the water. The person in this case was a training aid called Oscar that is designed to float like a real person.

The exercise was documented with a GoPro camera on the helmet of MK3 Adam Struyk, who was joined in the recovery by MK3 Josh Hughes. Other crew members included BM1 Irving Purington, SA Jesse Cisernos, and Senior Chief Riemer.

Winds were up to 35 knots, Chief Riemer said in an email, with seas six to seven feet tall and occassional eight-foot waves.

"Hopefully we will never have to do this in real life, but if we have to we train to do it right and on the first attempt," Chief Riemer said in an email.