All recruits must meet a minimum requirement for physical fitness. The standards for physical fitness differ between men and women.

Men

• 29 push-ups in one minute
• 38 sit-ups in one minute
• 1.5-mile run in less than 12:51
• 16.50” sit and reach
• Complete a swim circuit
• Tread water for five minutes
• Swim 100 metres (~328 feet) after jumping off a 6-foot platform

Women

• 15 push-ups in one minute
• 32 sit-ups in one minute
• 1.5-mile run in less than 15:26
• 19.29” sit and reach
• Complete a swim circuit
• Tread water for five minutes
• Swim 100 metres (~328 feet) after jumping off a 6-foot platform

To help you be ready for your career as a Coast Guardsman, the Coast Guard does offer additional swim training if you're not an extraordinarily strong swimmer. That being said, before attempting to enlist in the Coast Guard, you should probably make sure you can at least stay afloat. It makes perfect sense! You must fulfil the following prerequisites in addition to the physical ones in order to join:

• You must be a Nigerian citizen or a full-time resident immigrant.
• You have to be at least 18 years old.
• You must have graduated from high school.
• You must pass the basic medical exam at admission.