# Navy SEAL training--do they really drown them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 2, 2005, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670 "2005-09-02T01:32:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/21 "2005-09-02T15:22:03Z")
> [@picker](#): > > But if you know their class number, you can find their picture [here](http://www.benning.army.mil/rtb/RANGER/photo/photo.htm#FY_1990). Nice haircut, **picker**. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/22 "2005-09-02T15:34:23Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > Nice haircut, **picker**. 😉 Yea - one thing I don’t miss is that good old high 'n tight. But who’s gonna tell a group of 100 guys who’ve just finished several months of hyper-intensive leadership and combat training without seeing a woman, a beer, a real bunk or a hot meal that their haircuts are stupid? Rangers Lead The Way! ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/23 "2005-09-02T16:06:33Z")
> [@Hilarity N. Suze](#): > > It just means _floating?_ A Seal or anyone else in the physical condition required for special ops training doesn’t float. Not even buck naked with thier lungs full to bursting. Certainly not with fatigues, combat boots. And then consider that they try to hang on to some degree of weapons. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/24 "2005-09-02T16:13:20Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > A Seal or anyone else in the physical condition required for special ops training doesn’t float. > > Not even buck naked with thier lungs full to bursting. Certainly not with fatigues, combat boots. And then consider that they try to hang on to some degree of weapons. Plus, I would imagine they all have a pretty low body fat ratio, which also reduces buoyancy. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/25 "2005-09-02T16:29:09Z")
I met a guy at a wedding who was Air Force Special Forces who talked to me about it for a while, one of those things where both your girlfriends are friends so you end up hanging out. He told me that he was going to do some dive training with some Navy SEALs in a week or so, and among the things they would be doing was experiencing a controlled shallow water blackout under observation as part of drownproofing training. He said the SEALs called this “seeing the wizard.” ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/26 "2005-09-02T18:44:49Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > Plus, I would imagine they all have a pretty low body fat ratio, which also reduces buoyancy. You know, I thought that too, but you would be surprised at the number of SEALs that have a beer gut. Doesn’t seem to slow them down though… ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2005, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/27 "2005-09-03T02:25:43Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Navy Seals typically don’t talk about their training or even the fact that they are Seals. To anyone. They are constrained from talking about any aspect by their DOD clearances. > > One usually hears this tripe from wannabes. Bull pucky, I lived with a seal who was _actively_ a seal when I was living with him, and he was very open about being a seal. I even have 2 beaches named after me, one in Lebanon, one in Lybia [well, named for my D&D characters=)] Though I would have loved it if a few of his teammates _had_ been drowned, they were serious assholes. Pity the one really nice one died in training just after I left Don=(. ---
**Author:** ![jcv151](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@jcv151](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jcv151)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/28 "2012-04-02T19:34:52Z")
down proofing step 1 float step2 bob step 3 swim 100 meters step 4 front and back flip step 5 grab scuba mask with teeth ---
**Author:** ![jcv151](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@jcv151](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jcv151)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/29 "2012-04-02T19:35:56Z")
also your hands are tied behind your back and your feet are tied together. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/30 "2012-04-02T19:42:57Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > I know the Marines have some pretty nasty water training during boot camp. The last time my ex bf and I were at a hotel in a swimming pool, he decided to show me just what the training was like (of course, he was probably exaggerating to make himself sound more bad ass): > > I’ve heard similar accounts from various other marines, although I’m sure my ex was being overly dramatic. Crap. Unless the Marine Corps has _radically_ altered its swim training, then this is nowhere near factual. Boot camp swim training is…swim training. After boot camp, swim training is…swim training. With a few exceptions, Marines aren’t expected to actually fight _in_ the water, so training in hand-to-hand water combat as a matter of course would be a waste of time. Yes, he was exaggerating to make himself sound more bad ass. ---
**Author:** ![isaiahrobinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@isaiahrobinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/isaiahrobinson)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/31 "2012-04-02T20:12:43Z")
Saw a documentary on Navy SEALS which said there was a lot of “drown proof” type stuff during Hell Week. They have their arms tied behind their back and their legs tied together and are told to bounce off the bed of a swimming pool or in the sea, take a gasp of air, then sink and bounce again. I think there was other stuff involving wrestling in water, etc. The point was to push them past the instinctual panic in a “near drowning” type situation and get them to react and function effectively in such a situation. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/32 "2012-04-02T20:19:17Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > A coworker told me that Navy SEAL trainees are actually drowned, then revived, as part of their training. I heard that the most elite fighting units are actually the SEALs that fail this test and drown, and are then brought back as zombie SEALs. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/33 "2012-04-02T20:24:54Z")
This is a 7 year old thread, just bumped. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/34 "2012-04-02T20:43:28Z")
> [@Cerowyn](#): > > Drown-proofing does not include drowning the person, although that’s a pretty amusing concept. [HowStuffWorks](http://science.howstuffworks.com/navy-seal6.htm) has a useful description of what it involves. > > The vast majority of people who _say_ they are/were Navy SEALS (or Army Rangers, Green Berets, SAS, Spetnatz, etc.) aren’t/weren’t. Army Rangers? There are thousands in the 75th Regiments at any given time, and that’s not counting everyone that graduates Ranger school. I think you can take that one off the list. (And yes, I realize this is 7 years old now). > [@picker](#): > > Rangers Lead The Way! Then why don’t they perform the first task of an army: to find, know and never lose the enemy? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/35 "2012-04-02T20:55:31Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > With a few exceptions, Marines aren’t expected to actually fight _in_ the water… That’s not what the Marine’s Hymn says: We fight our country’s battles In the air, on land, **and sea** ; 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/36 "2012-04-02T21:15:16Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > A couple of points. Drowning results in death. If you didn’t die, you didn’t drown. You may come back from a _near_ drowning, but not a drowning. Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your SEAL friend was only MOSTLY drowned. ---
**Author:** ![jcv151](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@jcv151](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jcv151)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/37 "2012-04-02T21:19:31Z")
that drowning shit is a myth ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/38 "2012-04-02T21:36:55Z")
> [@jcv151](#): > > down proofing > > step 1 float > step2 bob > step 3 swim 100 meters > step 4 front and back flip > step 5 grab scuba mask with teeth And your source of information is…? ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/39 "2012-04-02T21:46:46Z")
> [@isaiahrobinson](#): > > Saw a documentary on Navy SEALS which said there was a lot of “drown proof” type stuff during Hell Week. They have their arms tied behind their back and their legs tied together and are told to bounce off the bed of a swimming pool or in the sea, take a gasp of air, then sink and bounce again. I think there was other stuff involving wrestling in water, etc. The point was to push them past the instinctual panic in a “near drowning” type situation and get them to react and function effectively in such a situation. The tough part is that they push off the bottom of the pool, reach the surface, take a breath, then exhale it so they will sink back to the bottom and be able to push off again. If they don’t exhale, they will float enough to be helplessly stuck somewhere in the middle of the water and a diver will have to rescue them. Spending 20 seconds under water with no air in your lungs is excruciating to most people. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670/40 "2012-04-02T23:33:51Z")
One of the things they do is 50 meter underwater swims where they cannot come up for air. It isn’t uncommon for people to black out and have to be pulled out of the water. I am pretty sure that is the goal though. It helps people overcome their fear of drowning, overcome their fear of death and trust their team mates. There is also water boarding at SERE school. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-seal-training-do-they-really-drown-them/319670.md?page=3)