I Attempted the SOCOM Dive Screener... again.

Good shit, bro. I’m so happy for you. Such an amazing accomplishment. I think overcoming mental obstacles can be more challenging than physical obstacles. Way to go. I knew you could do it.

In 1971 at Army dive school I drowned 2 times. I finished the school, went to war in South East Asia as a USAF Pararescueman and nearly drowned in the South China Sea rescuing a downed Navy pilot. I still get chills in the pool and the ocean. I have a love/hate relationship with water. You did well and pushed thru the hell of water confidence.

“The more we retreat in our minds, the weaker we become.” “What’s something you’re afraid of, and when the last time you trained for it?” Those two phrases really resonate with me. I think I needed to hear that today.

Tough times don’t last, tough people do 👍well done mate

Man you are inspiring me on a level I can’t put into words. As someone who failed in 2014 and is getting the opportunity in the next few months. This almost feels like a sign that I have to make it.

I honestly REALLY appreciate this episode and the vulnerability. You are in such great shape and I've always struggled with fear, but the fact that you are vulnerable with the fact that you were afraid, but that you would keep trying, helps me. Because even if I don't get it the first time, it's okay. Just keep going back and trying. Train and really grow in it.

I’m a competitive swimmer and we do drills just like that all the time to train lung health and mental fortitude. It never gets easy.

From all tests in the military, this one must be the hardest. It is not only physical but greatly psychological. Lots of people who fail water tests lack the necessary mental discipline to stay calm and use the appropriate techniques leveraging the physical capabilities they already have. It takes lots of training to most people. Congrats to all that pass the test also to the ones who keep challenging themselves to improve their performances.

I was traumatized throughout my 21 years of life about swimming. This coming May, I will do my best to learn how to overcome my fear of water by learning how to swim.

Love the mental block aspect of this and getting over it Austen!

I've failed swim tests in the military. That type of fear is almost incomparable to anything else. I went from being able to stay at the bottom of the 15 foot deep end in any pool to struggling to go all the way under 5 feet of water. I did make it back to the bottom of the pool, however, I know that I need to get my swimming fish sense before any test. If I am uncomfortable in the water during a swim test, I am going through hell.

Incredible to watch… made me a bit emotional and almost teary-eyed to watch. So proud of you and thankful for your vulnerability and persistence.. was a definite encouragement to me and I’m sure to many others. ❤

Dude. Really appreciate you being real and showing the great stuff along with the tough stuff. Thank you for not shying away from showing the journey and not editing out your learning moments. I absolutely have those anxious moments and mental barriers that sometimes feel insurmountable. Way to keep hammering and way to overcome!! You should be very proud of pushing past that mental edge. Outstanding work.

During swim week for Marine BootCamp, I failed for 3 days because I couldn’t breakthrough the uncontrollable weight of having boots on and full utilities. I was able to find a rhythm on the fourth day. I still have a problem floating, I’ve never been a good swimmer but I do see progress with the more times I do floating exercises.

Growing up in Hawaii before the tech revolution, about the only thing we could do for fun was go to the beach, swimming, surfing, spearfishing even at night. I'm Asian but for my entire life up to HS, I was literally a brown turd from going to the beach so much...I can see how hard it can be for people who didn't have a chance to grow up learning how to be a fish. I feel very fortunate to have grown up near the ocean and enjoying and learning as much as it had to offer. I imagine the Hawaii boys have a much easier time with military water training.

I absolutely loved this, Austen!! One of your best videos. So proud of you for pushing through and succeeding and taking us along with you. There are so many great takeaways from this that I know I’ll start applying to my life. Congratulations and thank you so much for this! 💪🏻☺️

I’m so proud of you brother not just for doing this test but for everything! I’m proud to have served with you and I’m proud of what you have accomplished created and overcome! Love you brother

Good for you man. As someone who has done a number of the "cool-guy" schools, much of the mental toughness soldiers get comes through the day to day life and training. So when they get to these schools and tests, they would have an advantage over folks that were never combat military. For me, the individual tests like this wasn't the hard part. The hard part was everything between all these types of tests. The sitting in cold water for a few hours, being in the woods or swamps for 2 or 3 weeks, Being made to stay awake for nights on end. I would just get bored and being bored literally drives me crazy. I remember one school I went too, we were in the woods, below freezing at night, rainy all day, no fires, no cold weather gear, only one meal a day if we were lucky. I looked over after day 14 in the woods and one of the toughtest dudes just broke down in tears sobbing. It lasted a minute or two, then he wiped his face and carried on.

It’s an awesome feeling breaking that fear with water and entering a comfort that feels so unbelievable you wish you never had to surface. The peace and strength of your environment.

This really got my heart beating, the feeling of having your hands and feet stuck together can get you fear. It has this feeling of being unable to swim, but somehow still doing it. Really good job!