With grey clouds on the horizon, a crisp breeze and ocean temperatures of 14 °C, candidates across the Western Cape showed up in their droves for the SA Navy recruitment drive held in Simon’s Town on Tuesday last week.
And in true Cape Town fashion, the weather gods blessed candidates with choppy water and cold temperatures for the selection process, after a week of warm sunny beach days.
Dressed in shorts, candidates lined up at the SA Navy Diving School while receiving instructions for the first part of their test, which comprised a 300-metre swim in less than eight minutes, an underwater swim, a swim with weights attached to their hips and a swim with a snorkel.
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Commander Mojalefa Lebea, the officer in charge of the School, explained the selection process was open to candidates from age 18 to 22.
The process also targeted university graduates up to the age of 26.
“Our job is to place them in groups and then focus on the areas to develop them, for them to be at a level where we want them to be.”
Swimming capabilities
The selection process aimed to ascertain whether the candidates could actually swim, he added.
“They don’t do diving. The selection process takes place so that we can place them in a diving programme,” explained Lebea.
“This process is mainly to check if they can swim. Secondly, if they can swim within the right time frame such as 300 m in eight minutes.”
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Questioned whether it made a difference whether candidates were tested in the ocean or a swimming pool, such as in other provinces, Lebea said Western Cape candidates were at an advantage.
“If we could have all recruitment here (Simon’s Town) we would, but there are people who cannot afford to travel and it would make the recruitment exclusive,” he said.
“Those who do their selection process in the ocean are the ones who are more at an advantage because the water density between fresh water and seawater is not the same. It’s easier to swim in the ocean . . . we train in a controlled environment and yes, there is a tidal current, but really it is insignificant.”
The advantage for Western Cape candidates is that they are introduced to the environment in which they would be working, if successful.
The commander, who hails from Bloemfontein, joined the SA Navy in 2004 after going through the same process.
“I was lucky to come and do the course here and then to go on to work on ships and later at the school,” he said.
“The best time I ever had in the defence force was around divers because divers are a special kind of people, which is why not everyone manages to enter this sphere. Today, for example, the water is terribly cold and one has to have that mental capacity, resilience and, most importantly, the heart.”
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His lips trembling, eyes pink and bottom lip turning a dark shade of blue, candidate Adam Abdurahman (20) from Kensington said he loved the ocean, which is why he applied to be in the Navy.
“I really love water and wanted to be part of the SA Navy someday.”
‘Extremely cold’
Reflecting on the moment he jumped into the ocean for the first exercise, he said the water was extremely cold.
“I thought I needed to get done so I could get warm again.”
Chatting to People’s Post while waiting for the next part of the process, a 2,5 km run, Abdurahman said he loved to swim from the age of four.
“When I was much younger, I thought of being in the Navy, so when this opportunity came up I thought I had to apply.”
Robbie Hansen (18), a sea cadet from Hermanus, said he too always wanted to be part of the SA Navy.
“I want to be here.”
Commenting on how the first jump into the ocean felt, he jested: “The Warrant Officer doesn’t want us to say that it was cold, so I will say it was refreshing.”
Commenting on whether the swim was tough, Hansen said swimming in the ocean was something he simply had to get used to.
“I’m used to swimming in a pool, but not the ocean. So, on the first lap, I thought yes, I can do this and on the second lap I thought, wow how many laps are left?”
At the end of the swim, Hansen said he thought, “I want to get done now.”
Owabo Jika (20), who travelled from Mossel Bay to be at the recruitment day, said he simply loved the ocean.
“I spend most of my time in the ocean and I’m a lifeguard.” However, the water temperatures are different from those of Mossel Bay, he pointed out.
“The water is freezing this side, and I don’t like it.”
Confident
However, Jika said he felt confident in the water.
“I knew I was going to be fine. I just didn’t know it was going to be that cold and I’m still shaking from the water.”
While the three candidates carried on to the running part of the recruitment process, for others it took one jump into the ocean to scream “cold” and immediately be assisted out of the water after omitting to mention that they actually could not swim.
