Military "water confidence" training

[bwerb]

I have seen several "Discovery Channel/TLC/PBS" type shows recently and read a couple magazine articles regarding some of the "training" the US military puts their candidates through for various specialized forces (Rescue Swimmers, SEALS, Para-Rescue Jumpers etc.)

Part of the training which they sensationalized was the so called "water confidence" training. Where they seemed to basicly do everything they could to drown the candidates (ie, tie them up, hold them under, make them stay under for minutes at a time etc.) People were coming-up puking, and passing out in the water. The interviewees went on to pride themselves on how passing out in the water was so frequent that it lost it's terror. One of the shows also went on to show all the guys in the infirmary who were going to get kicked out or had to show just cause why they should continue

O.K. , here's my question(s). Is this in any way "safe"? I mean, I was always taught that water in the lungs was way serious and could cause major complications hours later. Do they really do this to the extent indicated? What is the purpose of making all your initiates experience near drowning? I can understand from a fear of water standpoint how you might want to really hone in water skills etc, but I don't need to be shot to understand it's something I want to avoid.

Inquiring minds want to know,

 

[rmediver2002]

The training you refer to in your post is in actuality several different phases.

The first is referred to as drown proofing; this is loosely (a loose knot around the divers limb) tying the divers hands together then requiring them to calmly perform a survival float. (This is when you conserve energy by floating without actively treading water) for five minutes.

The next event is conducting the same exercise with the feet loosely tied together instead of the hands.

The actual diving confidence training takes place in a large pool at 15 feet on a flat bottom. During training the divers are given problems to solve on the bottom. The first events are removal of fin or mask and taking the regulator out of the mouth. The problems continue to increase in difficulty until at the end of confidence training any of the divers equipment can be removed or fouled up to include securing the air source.

At all times during this training there is a safety diver (one to one ratio) observing the student and rendering assistance if the student requests it or the safety diver feels it is necessary and offers it.

The only time a student would be held underwater would be in the event they attempted to race or bolt to the surface. The safety diver would slow the rate of accent and ensure the diver was exhaling.

A diver passing out on the bottom is an exceedingly rare occurrence but one of the most prevalent myths propagated about military diving, the other myth being that they drown you during training so you know what it feels like.

Both are completely inaccurate…

The reason behind the training is development of confidence in ones abilities to handle problem arising underwater with a calm and rational thought process. The diver will consider all options before deciding on a solution. Most divers before receiving advanced training will attempt to reach the surface in the event of a problem underwater, this is more often than not a more dangerous course of action but due to panic or irrational decision-making is the course followed. This training breaks that cycle forcing the diver to consider all options before following a course of action.

The same concept (considering all options) is taught by many instructors and agencies involved in advanced dive training. Situations where divers are in confined spaces, have a decompression obligation, or access to the surface is restricted…

Any amount of fluid in the lungs can be extremely dangerous; it never has been a part of military dive training…

The programs you saw either intentionally or unintentionally mis-represented military dive training


Jeff Lane

 

[bwerb]

I get so mad when media sensationalizes "extreme" or unusual jobs and activities.

This is exactly the information I was looking for. I saw two different "documentaries" which both took the twist I mentioned in my first post.

Thank-you for putting the record straight and showing us all once again that most popular media is filled with inaccuracies.

 

[rmediver2002]

The worst by far is Hollywood, some fantastic stories have been butchered by melodramatic writers.

Men of honor was a prime example, the facts of the story alone are a testament to the achievements of Carl Bradshear. To add unrealistic characters and events to a true story that was an accomplishment in its own right was criminal.

People are able to sniff out the lies and unfortunately may assume some truths that sound unbelievable are also lies created by the stories writers…

The discovery channel has a habit of showing films by cinematographers who seem to feel the need to add their often ignorant two cents to the statements made by the subjects of the stories.

It just cheapens the story in my opinion, a documentary is supposed to be just that documenting the story…


Jeff Lane

 

[chickdiver]

This is a bit off-topic, but since we are talking about sensationalism.... Did any of you see the IMAX Documentary "Amazing Caves"? It was a really neat show, and as for the accuracy of the dry caving, I don't know anything about that. The section on Cave Diving however, well, now, that was interesting. If you saw the film, you noted that they showed Hazel Barton sqeezing through some really tight sh*** in Mexico, from the front (IE the camera was in FRONT of her, watching her as she came through). This was completely bogus, becasue the IMAX camera had to be in front of her, and have you seen the size of an IMAX camera? They are quite large, too large to go through tight sidemount areas. This kind of stuff really eats me up!

 

[ERP]

This kind of stuff really eats me up!

Even more off topic.
I always find it amusing when the media or worse hollywood portrays something that you have first hand experience of. It's about the only time you get to see just how inaccurate and how sensationalised the representations are.
Once you realise that this sort of misrepresentation is pretty much accross the board, it's pretty depressing.

 

[bwerb]

We should either make a new one or continue on here, anyone else want to move it around?

In addition to Scuba Diving, I also rock-climb and whitewater kayak. Here are a couple more sports which get totally blown out of proportion when Hollywood gets ahold of them.

Examples??? Cliffhanger, yeah right, most doubled back buckles with a shear strength of several thousand pounds bend like tinfoil when weighted by a 110lb woman. Of course, most rescues are done by free climbing by the rescuers. Almost all rock climbing is done in huge honkin' leather boots. I could go on...

How about that other crappy mountaineering movie which came out a few years ago about K2 I think. Yup, best way to conduct a rescue is to make sure you take lots of dynamite! It was hillarious that in one magazine article they mentioned that they had to rubber coat all the climbing hardware because it made too much noise and they changed the down stuffing in the jackets so that everyone looked more "buffed" and less like mountaineers.

Then there was that show "Worst Case Scenario" where they regularly had all sorts of disasters cooked-up with like 5 easy-to-remember steps to save your butt. Yup, all you need to know to run 20 foot waterfalls in a kayak can be easily taught in one ten minute lesson!

Too funny, don't get me started on historical films...

 

[rmediver2002]

Hey you forgot my favorite the bolt gun!!!! Very cute, by the way what was he using the bolts for???? Did not seem to be aid climbing and real men apparently do not need rope...

Mission impossible... Free solo and jumping from ledge to ledge (yup) (go ahead kids try this at home...)

Men of Honor ( whoops I am hooked on an enemy submarine...what should I do now?)

The Abyss ( my lungs are powerful enough to move fluid in and out indefinitely) high-pressure nervous psychosis???

Navy Seals ( I really don't want to write anything that long...but I am sure the explosives going of adjacent to you in the water are quite painful... what was the diagnosis? AGE?)

The crappy TV movie (can't remember the title but based on a story by John Krakower ) about the deaths on Everest ( on this subject has any one read Antoni Bokareve’s book about this story, it was fantastic)

I can say that one I really enjoyed was the Eiger sanction, perhaps my favorite climbing related movie… Clint Eastwood nailing those towers in the desert, 1970,s gear, they even worked in some elements of real accidents like the attempted rescue from the train-viewing tower…




I used to live in VA and was out at the New River Gorge or Seneca nearly every weekend!! Cool to see some other climbers on the board...


Good thread!!!

Jeff Lane

 

[chickdiver]

Count me in as climber #3. I knew there was a problem when I started buying as much diving stuff as climbing stuff in the climbing store (ie yesterday's purchase of a spool of 4mm black cord--- for stage bottles ). The guys in the rock gym think I am (really) nuts!

 

[Uncle Pug]

so you guys don't believe the crapumentaries and Holly Would stuff....

But I'll bet you've swallowed all that the guvmint propaganda machine (mainstream media) has fed you.