Search and rescue uniform

Petty Officer 1st Class Justin Munk, an aviation survival technician, walks in full cold weather gear on the tarmac of Air Station Cape Cod in Massachusetts on Jan. 19, 2017. Munk went out on a training flight to help a crew member become a fully qualified flight mechanic. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Nicole J. Groll)

Huge swathes of the North of England, including parts of Manchester and Leeds and their satellite towns, were under up to 6ft of water after a month's rain fell in a single day.

I’m an underwater photographer, but you won’t find many macro images of coral or clownfish in my portfolio. I’m inspired by the people who connect most directly with the water: freedivers, researchers, filmmakers, and, above all, rescue swimmers of the U.S. Coast Guard.

The right clothes can save a life. Just ask Chris Padden of New York's Long Island Search and Rescue. Padden picks the ultimate outfitting for the conditions he's survived during 12 years on the job.

People may not realize that working Search and Rescue in Las Vegas could mean that one minute you’re facing a 120 degree desert, and within the hour helo’d up to the top Mt. Charleston, in an Alpine / Snow environment.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Diglio, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer stationed at Air Station Clearwater, Florida, is shown here in rescue gear in Air Station Clearwater's hangar, Sept. 30, 2019. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Matt Sprague)

Before dawn on March 23, 2008, the Alaska Ranger ship sank in America's deadliest waters. As 47 souls fought for survival, the Coast Guard launched one of the most daring and dramatic rescues in history.