The second 7-week phase of BUD/S focuses on diving, which is at the heart of being a SEAL. This video gives you an idea of what that training is like, both in the Combat Tank and in the open ocean. There are two things I’d like to share with you: First, the handheld navigation board shown at the beginning of the video is pretty simple, comprised of just a compass, watch and depth gauge. It’s used to teach the basics of underwater navigation. The board used on missions, however, is extremely sophisticated. Known as “The Navigator,” it uses sonar to allow SEALs to “see” up to 250 meters away in zero visibility. The sonar image is displayed on the main digital display. Secondary screens provide data on heading, depth, diving time, pitch, roll, etc. A tracking screen also shows the SEALs’ position and route on a map or satellite overlay. Like I said: sophisticated! And second, the image of SEALs wearing what appears to be a black turtle shell on their chest is the Mk-25 rebreather. It’s a totally contained system, meaning each breath taken by a diver is re-circulated after the carbon dioxide is scrubbed internally by soda lime and refreshed with a hit of pure oxygen. Unlike SCUBA, no bubbles are released in the process. Using the Mk-25 a diver can swim underwater for 4-hours at depths of 25-feet. (Although efforts are now underway to double this time.) For deep dives, SEALs rely on the Mk-16 rebreather, which uses Nitrox (up to 190 feet) and Heliox (up to 300 feet). - SFT
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 19:55:28 +0000
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