Navy SEAL candidate dies and a second is hospitalized after completing ‘Hell Week’ in San Diego: Five-day course sees recruits run 200 miles, work out for 20 hours a day and sleep fewer than four hours
- One Navy SEAL candidate died on Friday while completing Hell Week; another is hospitalized in San Diego
- The Navy said they were not actively training when they presented ‘symptoms’ and it unclear what symptoms they experienced
- Hell Week is five and a half days where candidates ‘run more than 200 miles and do physical training for more than 20 hours per day’
A Navy SEAL candidate died after completing ‘Hell Week,’ while a second was hospitalized in San Diego.
The SEAL candidate, whose name is being withheld for 24 hours to notify the family, was taken to Sharp Coronado Hospital in Coronado, California, after displaying ‘symptoms’ following his completion of the brutal training. His cause of death was not released.
Another candidate, whose name was also not released, was hospitalized in San Diego at the Navy Medical Center.
‘The Sailors were not actively training when they reported symptoms and were transported to receive emergency care,’ the Navy said in a press release. It is unclear what ‘symptoms’ the pair displayed.
They had both reportedly completed Hell Week, which takes place during the fourth week of part of Phase 1 of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training.
It is a grueling ‘five-and-a-half days of cold, wet, brutally difficult operational training on fewer than four hours of sleep,’ the Navy says, and candidates ‘run more than 200 miles and do physical training for more than 20 hours per day.’
The Navy produces around 200 to 250 SEALs a year. In the last two decades, 17 have died during training, NBC News reported.
SEAL candidates go through 24 weeks of training throughout five phases, including a physical training test, obstacle courses, extensive swimming and running, combat diving, land warfare training and other physically difficult tests.
Many candidates do not make it pasted Phase 1, also known as Stage 3, and a ‘significant’ number begin to drop out.
Hell Week, which takes place in the fourth week of Phase 1 of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training, is a grueling ‘five-and-a-half days of cold, wet, brutally difficult operational training on fewer than four hours of sleep,’ the Navy described, and candidates ‘run more than 200 miles and do physical training for more than 20 hours per day’
A Navy SEAL candidate died on Friday at Sharp Coronado Hospital (pictured) after completing Hell Week – a physically extensive week during training where trainees only get four hours of sleep. Another trainee was also hospitalized in San Diego
Several trainees have died throughout the years during the pool exercise (pictured), including Derek Lovelace in 2016, who died after becoming unconscious
‘Hell Week is the ultimate test of a man’s will and the class’s teamwork,’ the Navy said.
Although the exact number of candidates who have died during BUD/S is unknown, it is not unheard of for there to be fatalities during training.
The last big known case was Derek Lovelace in 2016, who drowned during the pool exercise. He was struggling to tread water in full gear and was reportedly pushed underwater at least twice. He lost consciousness and died.
Most of Navy SEAL training takes place at the naval base in Coronado, California. The injured solider was taken to the Naval Medical Center (top), while the the soldier who passed was taken to the Sharp Coronado Hospital (middle)
The Navy released a statement on Saturday, saying the men’s name will not be released for 24 hours and that they were not ‘actively training’ when they displayed ‘symptoms’
At the time, he was the fifth candidate to lose consciousness in four months during the pool exercise.
His death was initially ruled a homicide by the San Diego Medical Examiner, but after a year-long investigation, the Navy decided not the pursue criminal charges.
An autopsy report showed he had an enlarged heart and an abnormal coronary artery that could have contributed to his death, The Washington Post reported. His abnormal artery is associated with sudden cardiac death.
A Navy SEAL commander recently died after he suffered injuries during training in Virginia. Brian Bourgeois, 43, died after he fast-roped down from a helicopter. He passed away several days later from his injuries, according to The Post.
The Navy SEALs came into existence after World World II and there are currently 10 Seal Teams. The Navy SEALS, was notoriously all men until 2021 when the first woman completed the training.
The most notorious team is SEAL Team 6, which killed Osama Bin Laden, is known as the most highly trained and elite force in the US military. To be a part of SEAL Team 6, a candidate must be selected from the existing SEAL teams.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Navy for comment.
Derek Lovelace, 21, (right) died in 2016 during SEAL training after he became unconscious during the pool exercised and drown. Commander Brian Bourgeois, 43, (left) died after he fast-roped down from a helicopter. He died several days later from his injuries
A breakdown of ‘Hell Week’ and the other stages of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training
Hell Week
Hell Week is the fourth week in Phase 1 – which takes place in Stage 3 – and is a brutal week of physical activity and very little sleep.
‘Hell Week is the defining event of BUD/S training,’ the Navy says.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=3ef61ISaA0g%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1
Hell Week consists of five-and-a-half days of cold, wet, brutally difficult operational training on fewer than four hours of sleep. It tests ‘physical endurance, mental toughness, pain and cold tolerance, teamwork, attitude, and your ability to perform work under high physical and mental stress, and sleep deprivation.’
It starts on a Sunday and runs to Friday.
Trainees are constantly in motion. They are running, swimming, paddling, carrying boats on their heads, doing log PT, sit-ups, push-ups, rolling in the sand, slogging through mud, paddling boats and doing surf passage, the Navy said.
On average, only 25 percent of candidates make it through Hell Week, which is the toughest training offered in the military.
Throughout the week, there will be medical personnel on site to help exhausted or injured candidates.
Candidates will also experience brutal nagging, enticing them to quit and mimicking their inner voices, highlighting their pain.
The Other Stages
Stage 1: Prep School
Trainees start in Illinois for two months to prepare for BUD/S.
Candidates will go through a modified physical fitness test to prepare them for the rigorous activity they will endure during BUD/S.
The test includes:
- 1000-meter swim – with fins (20 minutes or under)
- Push-ups: at least 70 (Two-minute time limit)
- Pull-ups: at least 10 (No time limit)
- Sit-ups: at least 60 (Two-minute time limit)
- Four-mile run – with shoes + pants (31 minutes or under)
Candidates who do not pass will be moved to different jobs of the Navy.
Stage 2: Basic Orientation
Basic orientation lasts for three weeks and takes place in Coronado, California, at the Naval Special Warfare Center.
Candidates will be introduced to ‘BUD/S physical training, the obstacle course and other unique training aspects’ in this stage.
Stage 3: First Phase (includes Hell Week)
This phase – which includes Hell Week at Week 4 – lasts seven weeks.
It is used to further develop ‘physical training, water competency and mental tenacity while continuing to build teamwork.’
Each week, trainees will experience harder conditions, such as longer runs, swims, and workouts.
They will also learn how to conduct hydrographic survey operations.
This phase sees a significant drop in candidates.
Stage 4: Phase Two – Combat Diving
This phase also lasts seven weeks and introduces underwater skills that are unique to Navy SEALs.
Trainees become ‘basic combat swimmers and learn open and closed-circuit diving.’
Candidates need to feel comfortable in the water and demonstrate a high level of comfort there.
Stage 5: Land Warfare Training
The final stage last seven weeks and develops skills in ‘basic weapons, demolitions, land navigation, patrolling, rappelling, marksmanship and small-unit tactics.’
Half of this training will take place on San Clemente Island – roughly 60 miles from base and they will practice the skills they learned in Stage 3.
Source: Navy
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