The purpose of the knots are not the knots themselves, but rather fine motor skills while in a hypoxic state. Controlling panic and relaxing while executing a slow, smooth task is the requirement. When I did my pool training (different school, same umbrella), our knots were square, Girth hitch with an extra turn, Bowline, Clove hitch, and Double Fisherman’s knots.

Every dive team learns knots that are important for their specific mission (i.e. rescue vs demo vs salvage/repair). Also, the reason it is difficult to make it happen is because you are treading water with your hands over your head to “show your ropes” prior to being “allowed” to go subsurface and execute the knots. I never had the benefit of a mask, and DID have the benefit of some MilSpec chlorine pool water.

Did anyone else wonder why the Crossfit shirt guy was so skinny? Maybe less kipping pullups and more meat would help. SN

I am pretty sure I could do all these on one breath underwater (and blindfolded and behind my back) on my own, and I’ve also done them under the (relatively mild) stress of sailing competition. But I suspect it would take several tries, if at all, to do even one under the stress described.

Thanks for the new name for the Right Angle; I learned it as Rolling Hitch but also as the Taught Line hitch where it is used to tie a line back along itself. It is used when the strain is along the trunk. Also, it is more secure when the second wrap (hitch) is wedged between the first hitch and the standing part.

The Becket Bend and the Bowline are the same knot: a loop (where the line crosses itself) and a bight (where the line reverses direction but does not cross itself). The Square Knot is two bights. I learned the name Carrick Bend for joining two loops.

A Double Sheet Bend has the loop do a second wrap around the bight, similar to the difference between the Clove Hitch and the Right Angle.

The Square Knot should be used only when the two lines are the same. The Becket (or Sheet) Bend can be used when they are the same but must be used when they differ; the bight should be stiffer (typically larger diameter) line of the two and the loop the less stiff line.

Minor nit: the six-inch tails don’t keep water from getting into the cord (it must get into the card at the ends of the tails). It keeps water from getting to the *functional* part of the assembly i.e. to the knot that is part of what will burn.

As Beenthere said, it’s not as simple as it may sound. there’s a lot more happening leading up to that type of evalution. The primary goal is to maintain your composure under stress while doing an otherwise simple task. Any 8 y/o can be taught to tie a knot. Being able to do it when the instructors artificially jack up the stress levels is where the difference lies.

I was not a SEAL or SF member. I did some tough training, but nothing compared to those guys. I have had the priviledge to call several of them friends, and my son is training to be among them (God willing). I have the utmost respect for those guys.

If you want to spend a day with a rope and a good book, I suggest Ashley’s Book of Knots. ~3000 knots, their history, their uses, and how to tie them.

I think we all probably know that IF you led a “premiere combat team” (instead of just teaching people how to tie knots), the knot tying test in the basic course would be infinitely more difficult than this.

I’m almost certain that you would “drop” a guy who could run, shoot, swim, and paddle with the best of them if couldn’t execute a perfect jury mast knot (and no, I don’t care what the English would call that) on one breath, and that’s after braiding his own line out of filament threads.

Talk about “knot” being able to see the forest for the trees…(eyeroll and walk away).