Navy Diving Requirements can be found here: https://www.navy.com/careers-benefits/careers/special-operations/navy-diver

No college degree is required which means someone could enlist out of high school and be a diver before 22.

Sounds like a cool job, but the reality is much different.

Only a tiny percentage become Seals or other combat divers. Most are land based and spend their time jumping off piers and docks to do repairs. It is VERY dangerous work, though if you come out and want to continue as a commercial diver it is very well compensated. Still dangerous, but well compensated.

I have a friend from high school swimming who was a navy diver. I know he was hardly the only high school swimmer in the navy diving program, but I don't know if they recruit for that specifically.

My FIL was a Navy diver. He didn’t join until his late 20s and he wasn’t a competitive swimmer. But he was always very athletic so he must have been able to pass whatever they threw at him.

It’s pretty rare for people who can’t swim to join the Navy. In the rare situation where a non-swimmer does join, they try to get them ip to speed quickly. Same with Marines.

The qualifying tests to be considered for special programs (diver, Seal, whatever) are usually not overly difficult. So, while many decently in-shape people can qualify to be considered, you would generally need to be in much better shape to be selected for training & to complete the training.

You would be amazed at some of the physical specimens who DON’T make it through the Seal training. In Eric Greitens’ book “The Heart and the Fist” he mentions how a there is not one particular type that makes it through the Seal training, but lots of chiseled workout kings & former college athletes try, & don’t make it.

You aren't going to be that good if you never swam

Navy divers are trained.

Anonymous wrote:Someone who says they were a Navy diver at 22 ... Do they recruit swimmers or train them in the navy to be swimmers?

Also why do I always see men as mounted police on horses when I only see girls and women at every riding / training facility I've ever been to over 20 years? I never see any boys.

Police and military are very different spaces.

Obviously any Navy diver was a a very good swimmer to begin with.

I don't see any correlation with military and those choosing to do mounted police on horses. But if that's what your daughter wants to do with her horse riding lessons, go for it.

Anonymous wrote:Someone who says they were a Navy diver at 22 ... Do they recruit swimmers or train them in the navy to be swimmers?

There is a former member of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), more commonly known by the public as SEAL Team Six (ST6), that was a water polo athlete at the Naval Academy. He failed the first treading water test in BUD/S.

^^ She’s in the Navy

I have a badass (female) in the friend who was selected for a diving program and undersea search and rescue. She trained in the Keys, I think.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone who says they were a Navy diver at 22 ... Do they recruit swimmers or train them in the navy to be swimmers?

Also why do I always see men as mounted police on horses when I only see girls and women at every riding / training facility I've ever been to over 20 years? I never see any boys.

Because cops are overwhelmingly male?

Mounted police are very rare.

There is a competitive test to get into the swimmer program. I don't know if they actively recruit college swimmers (maybe they do) but you are not going to get in as a non-swimmer and then get trained.

Anonymous wrote:Someone who says they were a Navy diver at 22 ... Do they recruit swimmers or train them in the navy to be swimmers?

Also why do I always see men as mounted police on horses when I only see girls and women at every riding / training facility I've ever been to over 20 years? I never see any boys.

Because cops are overwhelmingly male?

Someone who says they were a Navy diver at 22 ... Do they recruit swimmers or train them in the navy to be swimmers?

Also why do I always see men as mounted police on horses when I only see girls and women at every riding / training facility I've ever been to over 20 years? I never see any boys.