Helicopters and ships

On the way to pick up Ken today I noticed some activity down at the sea. We went for a walk on the boardwalk and oggled at the Helicopters with long guns coming out the front as they hovered over the water (5 miles off the coast?). They also had planes flying over head. Often we will hear the fighter jets go by... but I can never see them (already out of sight once you hear them coming). Anyway, no one else at the beach seemed remotely interested in what was going on in the water so we finally decided they were either doing a search and rescue or practicing their hovering skills. It was interesting.