Surviving the Cut

A five week course designed to weed out the weak with pool confidence events, punishing beach runs, obstacle courses and a non-stop 50 hour pain session in chilling waters. 75 percent will not survive the cut.

The best soldiers learn the craft of shooting from extreme distances and are put to the test to see if they can make the critical kill shot. Miss by an inch and they're shipped home. 50% will not survive the cut.

Students are pushed to the limit as they struggle to learn the art of staying calm in adverse underwater conditions. 1 in 3 will not survive the cut.

To earn the sapper tab, soldiers suffer through weeks of demolitions testing and physical torment, then fight through a week of non-stop missions with less than 10 minutes of sleep a night. Half will not survive the cut.

For six weeks, students are pushed through a barrage of mental and physical stress testing: escape and evasion, long-distance land navigation, hand-to-hand combat, special weapons, and emergency medical response skills. 1 in 3 will not survive the cut.

These students face hostile water rescue tests, brutal team building events, and small boat operations in extreme conditions, with hopes of becoming Special Boat Operators combating maritime terrorism and piracy.