Re: Teen wanting to be Navy SEAL, died trying to stay under water too long

"BlackBeard" <spk_gbv@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:5d69564d-9aff-468d-b615-edc4f5dc4337@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Feb 28, 7:34 pm, "La N" <nilita2004NOS...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
This is pretty sad.

- nil

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/ny-lidrown0229,0,7073174.story

Newsday.com
Greenlawn teen who tried to stay underwater dies
BY MATTHEW CHAYES
[ SNIP ]
It is sad, but it was also unwise. The SEALs have a website, they
tell you how to prepare for the placement test. There is nothing that
requires you to hold your breath over two minutes. It is like a guy
dying from trying to free fall to 100 ft. where that is no requirement
from anyone in their right mind. SEALs are bold and tough, but they
don't want stupid. Sorry if this sounds mean but it is an example of
Military Darwinism.

BB

***********************************
I took a look at the SEAL website - the advised competitive levels for the
PST (screening) events (500 yard swim in 10 min, 79 pushups in 2 min, 79
situps in 2 min, 11 dead hang pullups, a 1.5 mile run in 10:20 min) are
roughly equal to what a Marine scoring high in the PFT will make. IOW, not
exactly easy to do, but not superhuman.

Of course a candidate should toss the minimum PST requirements (not the
above) out the window, shoot for at least the scores above, and then assume
that after that the physical requirements will inexorably increase.

But as you point out, nowhere is anyone asking for candidates to hold their
breath for 2 minutes. The closest that anyone gets to that requirement (as
near as I can see) is for the burning oil swim (USN first class swim test:
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/navy/l/blnavyswim.htm or during USMC water
survival training) but even then it's more like 10-20 seconds underwater at
most.

My guess would be that if someone wanting to try out for SEALs maxed out a
USMC PFT (such that they would be close to the competitive levels for the
SEAL PST), plus they could comfortably do a USN First Class swim test and/or
one of the instructor levels USMC water survival tests, they'd have a pretty
decent starting base.

This website here
(http://faculty.deanza.edu/donahuemary/stories/storyReader$1943) offers some
very relevant advice, considering the topic of this thread.

One interesting point raised by that last cited website. It says, previous
SCUBA experience is not even recommended. The idea being, no bad habits to
unlearn, and anyway, civilian SCUBA is way different from combat diving.
True enough, and in fact it's the same philosophy as USMC marksmanship
training (students who know nothing have no bad habits, supposedly). I
myself am not entirely convinced - it seems to me that prior SCUBA
experience (or prior shooting experience) can only help, *provided* that you
accept that the new training is authoritative. If nothing else, a decent
civilian SCUBA class is going to tell you that you either are, or are not
going to, spazz when your mask is off your face underwater, or your tank
runs out and you have to buddy-breathe. Just my humble opinion.

AHS


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