Nick Maggi’s Reviews > The Warrior Elite: The Forging of SEAL Class 228 > Status Update

Now that the trainees have begun third phase, they focus primarily on weapons training, and learning to shoot.

In this section the trainees are well into Second Phase, and have to pass Pool Competency. This is just a fancy title for getting beat-up while 30 feet underwater. At the end of this phase they make a simulated attack on a boat, and finish with a five mile ocean swim.

The trainees begin to learn FSAs, which is when they have to swim without their scuba gear from the bottom of the pool (50ft) to the surface. They also learn to remove their scuba gear while kneeling on the bottom 30ft under water.

The few remaining members of the class have entered second phase, where they continue physical training, yet also have classroom sessions where they learn about diving and other skills that they will need.

The trainees are done with Hell Week, but they still aren't even halfway done with training. It is still very difficult and the class has gotten much stronger.

The 19 remaining trainees have finally completed Hell Week, and many are too sore to even move. After this week was over, they all ate two pizzas then slept for 12-16 hours.

Hell Week is almost over, and the men are so tired they can barley function. Some even doze off while paddling the IBS boats. They have also begun to hallucinate, and the instructors began messing with their minds by telling the, it was a different day them it really was.

The trainees are now halfway through Hell Week, and their class size has bee. Cut in half. Class 228 started with 62 members and decreased to 42 by the time Hell Week came. However the intensity of this week has brought the class down to just 19 members.

In this part the trainees have begun to go through Hell Week, which s the most difficult part of SEAL training. Over the course of five days and nights, begining Sunday evening, the men are put through constant drills and get a total of about four hours of sleep, while constantly being wet, cold, and covered in sand.

The author describes the weeks leading up to 'hell week' which is the most brutal part of training. For now, they are 'just' doing two mile ocean swims and carrying massive logs.