navy seal

Navy SEAL Prep: Are You Ready?

Unplug and put down that Xbox controller. You’ll need to bring your A-game if you want to be a part of the elite SEAL teams. Listen to lead instructor Pearson from the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Preparatory School in Great Lakes, Illinois, as he lays out the best plan of action to get you ready for BUD/S.

Don’t waste your time building those beach muscles; operators who are slow and can’t stack on a door need not apply. Core strength, agility, and cardiovascular fitness are the hallmarks needed to endure the stresses at this prep school. Strap on your fins and jump!

– Drew Dwyer for SOFREP.com

SEAL Leaps From Water, Lands as Patagonia’s CEO to MBA Professor

Want some humble pie? No? Well I’m going to give it to you anyway. I could always pick out the guys in the spec-ops community who were going to thrive after leaving the military. Some left for family, others to pen the next great American novel, and some to explore the great outdoors. For Michael Crooke, his journey took him from the SEALs to NASA, to teaching at Pepperdine University, to CEO of Patagonia outdoor gear.

Michael said that working as a team was the driving force that got him through SEAL training. “You learn how to think strategically in the teams. People want to be around you because you’re a team player.” Michael stresses the importance of teamwork in every aspect of personal and business life today.

Michael attributes his accomplishments to his four years in the SEAL teams. The leadership, camaraderie, and selflessness each man exhibits is second to none. Great patriots like Michael Crooke pave the way for the ambitious veteran who might need a little push. He continues to thrive, building his business and promoting climate awareness—all with charisma and a smile.

Now eat your pie!

– Drew Dwyer for SOFREP.com

Navy SEAL Training: Second Phase

Second Phase, the combat diving phase, lasts seven weeks. This phase introduces underwater skills that are unique to Navy SEALs. During this phase, candidates become basic combat swimmers and learn open and closed-circuit diving.

Successful Second Phase candidates demonstrate a high level of comfort in the water and the ability to perform in stressful and often uncomfortable environments. Candidates who are not completely comfortable in the water often struggle to succeed.

Emphasis is placed on long-distance underwater dives with the goal of training students to become basic combat divers, using swimming and diving techniques as a means of transportation from their launch point to their combat objective. This is what separates SEALs from all other US special operations forces.

Courtesy of Navy SEAL & SWCC Scout Team

– Drew Dwyer for SOFREP.com

Pass this as A Trainee, and You’ve Earned Your Navy SEAL Trident

SEAL Qualification Training (SQT) is a grueling 26-week course that takes basic skills already learned and refines them through high-pace tactical training. The point of SQT is to provide the trainee with the tactical skills needed before reaching the platoon.

Advanced weapons, small-unit tactics, land navigation, SERE, static-line and free-fall parachute operations, demolitions, cold-weather training, medical skills, and maritime operations make up this hefty core curriculum.

Once the trainee has completed these requirements, they’re presented with the SEAL trident, designating them as Navy SEALs.

Courtesy of Navy SEAL & SWCC Scout Teams

– Drew Dwyer for SOFREP.com

Brutal Navy SEAL Training: First Phase

You will lug a red-oak tree around as if it were your only source of oxygen. On the command “lift,” your shoulders will burn so badly, you’ll think molten lava is being poured down your anterior deltoids. That’s just the primer.

First Phase is comprised of seven long weeks of brutal training, and will tests a man’s commitment to becoming a Navy SEAL. These seven weeks stress physical training, water competency, and mental tenacity, all while building teamwork. Due to these rigorous tasks, an average of 50 percent of students drop on request in First Phase.

Week four of training is appropriately titled Hell Week. Hell Week takes place over a five-and-a-half day stretch. Nasty sand and freezing-wet conditions will be a welcomed sign after what you’re about to be violently thrust into.

If you can sleep a total of four hours, run over 200 miles, and physically train for more than 20 hours per day, you might have a small chance of passing this evolution and shortening the road to becoming a Navy SEAL.

Courtesy of the Navy SEAL and SWCC

– Drew Dwyer for SOFREP.com

Navy SWCC Water Rescue Test: Swim or Die

My least favorite part of Marine Corps boot camp was the swim evolution. Getting yelled at by a drill instructor while practically drowning is anything but cool.

Boat guys are the unsung heroes of the Naval Special Warfare community. Do you have what it takes to join these elite boat warriors? Find out by watching the Navy SWCC water rescue test below.

– Drew Dwyer for SOFREP.com

SEALs Strike Violently from Underwater

No, this isn’t an advertisement for the new “Call of Duty” game. Watch what keeps our enemy up at night as a SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) goes underwater to insert SEALs and their equipment onto an objective.

The SDV is used for secret missions into denied-access areas. It can carry up to six combat-equipped SEALs. The SDV’s chamber is flooded, then the men utilize an internal compressed-air supply, along with their personal SCUBA equipment, to remain stealthy.

“If you got any closer, you would have to enlist”—Navy SEAL Museum

– Drew Dwyer for SOFREP.com