Navy SEAL Trainees Face Health Risks from Polluted Ocean Water, IG Report Finds

A new report from the Defense Department Inspector General's Office shows that Navy SEAL candidates often train in ocean water contaminated with high amounts of fecal indicator bacteria, even though the government has warned them not to. The watchdog report says that Naval Special Warfare Command should always move or reschedule training drills when San Diego County warns that beaches will be closed.

The study found that between January 2019 and May 2023, at least 1,168 SEAL and Special Warfare Combat Crewman candidates training at Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Coronado got sick with stomach problems. Notably, 39% of those illnesses happened less than a week after people were exposed to water with more fecal bacteria than the state's standards.

In 76% of water samples taken north of NAB Coronado and 75% of those taken south of the base between February and September 2024, amounts of enterococcus bacteria, which show that feces are present, were higher than the state considers safe. Even though beaches were closed because of contamination, the Navy only changed 12 of the 265 planned water training events.

Even though the beaches were closed because of high bacteria levels during the challenging Hell Week part of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training from September 3–8, 2023, the command kept doing water exercises. As the report says, continuing to use polluted water could put trainees' health at significant risk and stop the Navy's strict unique battle training program.

Currently, Naval Special Warfare Command doesn't test the water quality itself; it relies on the Beach and Bay Water Quality Program in San Diego County. The study asks the Navy to review its training rules to ensure the safety of future SEAL candidates.

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