Hi all.
I'm looking to join the New Zealand Navy as a diver. Divers are often regarded as some of the fittest in our military besides special forces. There isn't much information on the swim tests involved but the level of fitness I want to get to is similar to what would be expected of a US Navy SEAL going into BUD/S with a decent chance of success.
I have a decent level of fitness on land - I can do 20+ pull ups, 50+ push ups, run 5km in less than 20 minutes, would probably get 12-13 on a beep test, and can run 15km without too much effort but wouldn't want to run much further.
However, I have not done a whole lot of swimming before. I can swim 1000m continuously in a pool freestyle without getting too tired but not at a very fast pace. My workouts currently go until I have done 1000-1200m.
If I were to train most days of the week, plus some land training, how long should I expect to take to reach my goal? I know it is highly variable between people etc. but I am just looking for a general indicator.
Note: They say to be competitive at BUD/S you should be able to do the combat swimmer sidestroke or breaststroke 500 yard swim in less than 8 minutes.
It is also noteworthy that I'm 19, about 66kg, 176cm tall.
