Top 10 Reasons BUD/S Trainees DOR & Quit

Why So Many BUD/S Candidates Ring the Bell and Walk Away

Becoming A Navy SEAL: Navy Boot Camp, NSW Prep School, BUD/S, And SQT

The top 10 reasons BUD/S trainees quit or DOR (Drop On Request) come down to one brutal truth: most candidates are physically ready but mentally unprepared for what awaits them at the Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado, California.

Here is a quick overview of the most common reasons candidates ring the bell:

1. Extreme cold and surf torture - prolonged exposure to the Pacific Ocean breaks candidates faster than almost anything else
2. Sleep deprivation - Hell Week delivers only 4-5 hours of total sleep over 5.5 days, triggering hallucinations and mental collapse
3. Physical injuries and medical drops - stress fractures, pneumonia, and soft tissue injuries end many careers before they start
4. Lack of mental preparation - candidates overestimate their readiness and underestimate the psychological demand
5. Water confidence failures - aquatic panic during drown-proofing and underwater swims catches many off guard
6. Inability to work as a team - ego-driven candidates get cut or quit when peer pressure mounts
7. Weak or absent motivation - without a deep personal "why," the pain simply isn't worth it
8. Muscle fatigue and running deficiency - many candidates never built the specific endurance BUD/S demands
9. Instructor mind games - psychological pressure from instructors breaks candidates who take it personally
10. Unrealistic expectations - Hollywood and social media paint a distorted picture of what training actually feels like

The attrition rate at BUD/S sits between 70% and 85% for first-time candidates. Most quit during First Phase or Hell Week. By the time candidates reach Second and Third Phase, the dropout rate drops to just 5% and 3% respectively. In other words, if you survive the first few weeks, your odds improve dramatically.

The decision to DOR is almost always made in a single moment — cold, exhausted, sleep-deprived, and convinced the body has nothing left. Understanding what drives that moment is the first step to surviving it.

I'm Larry Fowler, publisher of USMilitary.com, and I've spent nearly two decades helping service members and aspiring candidates navigate the path into and through military service — including understanding what separates those who make it through the toughest selection pipelines from those who don't. The top 10 reasons BUD/S trainees quit or DOR (Drop On Request) is a topic I've researched extensively using official Navy reports, peer-reviewed studies, and accounts from graduates and instructors. Let's break down each one so you know exactly what you're up against.

Important Top 10 Reasons BUD/S Trainees Quit or DOR (Drop On Request) terms:

• Navy SEALs BUD/S Training Requirements
• What is Navy SEAL Training 3 Phases And WHy is it so tough
• 7 Big-Time Questions Every Navy SEAL Prospect Should Ask Before Signing Up For BUD/S

Understanding the High Attrition Rates in Navy SEAL Selection

To truly understand why candidates walk away, we have to look at the numbers. Historically, the attrition rate for first-time participants in Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, or BUD/S, hovers between 70% and 85%. In recent years leading up to June 2026, we have witnessed spikes where First Phase attrition surged even higher.

During BUD/S Training, candidates face a gauntlet designed to find their breaking points. The training is structured into three distinct phases: Physical Conditioning (First Phase), Combat Diving (Second Phase), and Land Warfare (Third Phase).

In an extensive Navy study tracking 380 candidates, the breakdown of those who did not finish revealed a telling story:

• 158 candidates (41.57%) voluntarily dropped out by requesting a DOR (Drop On Request).
• 39 candidates were dropped due to performance failures.
• 32 candidates were dropped for medical reasons or rolled back to a later class.

Only 36% of successful candidates completed the entire pipeline with their original starting class. The remaining 64% who graduated had to be rolled back at least once due to injury or performance recycles, highlighting that persistence is often more important than a perfect run.

When we look at who completes this grueling process, we also see a stark contrast between officers and enlisted personnel. According to historical Navy data, officers maintain a significantly lower attrition rate compared to their enlisted counterparts.

BUD/S Attrition Rates: Officers vs. Enlisted (5-Year Average)

This gap isn't because officers are inherently stronger; rather, it is because they typically undergo a much longer, highly competitive screening process before they ever set foot in Coronado. They have more time to mature, build their physical baselines, and solidify their mental resolve.

To understand how these extreme physical demands impact the human body, we can look at scientific research on psychological and physiological changes during BUD/S. This research demonstrates that the sheer volume of physical work alters stress biomarkers and tests psychological hardiness to a degree rarely seen in any other military training.

If you want to survive Navy SEALs Training, you must prepare for a multi-month marathon of suffering where your primary opponent is your own mind.

Top 10 Reasons BUD/S Trainees Quit or DOR (Drop On Request)

The physical manifestation of quitting at the Naval Special Warfare Center is simple, public, and permanent. At the training compound, a brass ship's bell hangs next to a paved area. To officially quit, a trainee must walk up to the bell, ring it slowly three times, and place their green helmet liner on the ground beneath it.

This voluntary exit is known as a Drop On Request (DOR). While some candidates are removed via medical drops or performance failures, the vast majority of those who leave SEAL Training do so by choice. They choose to ring the bell.

Below, we explore the top ten reasons why these highly conditioned, highly motivated trainees make that fateful decision.

1. Extreme Cold and Surf Torture: Why It's One of the Top 10 Reasons BUD/S Trainees Quit or DOR (Drop On Request)

If you ask any Navy SEAL what they hated most about Coronado, they will almost certainly say the cold. The Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California is notoriously chilly, with water temperatures frequently dipping into the low 50s.

"Surf torture" is a standard training evolution where candidates are ordered to lie down at the water's edge, locking arms with their classmates as the freezing ocean waves crash over them. The instructors use this to strip away any remaining warmth from the trainees' bodies.

This constant exposure leads to mild hypothermia, uncontrollable shivering, and a state of being perpetually "wet and sandy." The sand gets inside training uniforms, acting like sandpaper against raw, chafed skin.

When your core temperature drops, your brain begins to scream at you to get warm. The instructors will often stand on the beach with hot coffee and donuts, telling the class that all they have to do to get warm is ring the bell. For many, the promise of immediate warmth is too tempting to resist during Navy SEAL Training Hell Week.

2. Sleep Deprivation and Hallucinations during Hell Week

Hell Week occurs during the fourth week of First Phase, and it is the ultimate test of human endurance. Over the course of five and a half days, candidates run, swim, paddle, and carry heavy logs for more than 20 hours a day.

During this entire time, trainees receive only about four hours of sleep total.

Sleep deprivation acts as a massive amplifier for every other stressor. By Wednesday of Hell Week, the human brain begins to misfire. Trainees experience vivid, waking hallucinations. They see cartoon characters in the surf, mistake rock formations for buildings, or fall asleep while actively paddling inflatable boats.

When sleep-deprived, your logical decision-making skills disintegrate. The voice in your head telling you to quit becomes deafening. Under this extreme cognitive fatigue, many candidates lose their grip on reality and their resolve, leading to a sudden, emotional decision to DOR during Hell Week Navy SEAL Training.

3. Severe Physical Injuries and Medical Drops

BUD/S is incredibly violent on the human body. The constant pounding of running miles on soft sand, carrying 150-pound logs, and wearing heavy rucks takes a massive toll.

Common physical injuries include:

• Stress fractures in the shins, feet, and hips.
• Severe tendonitis and ligament tears in the knees and ankles.
• Pneumonia and fluid in the lungs (frequently caused by inhaling cold saltwater during surf evolutions).
• Skin infections that turn septic due to constant exposure to sand, mud, and ocean bacteria.

While some injuries result in an automatic medical drop by the staff, others lead to what instructors call "quinjuries" — mental surrenders disguised as physical ailments. A candidate who is mentally defeated may use a minor strain or moderate pain as an honorable excuse to DOR.

For those who genuinely want to continue but are broken physically, the medical staff will "roll" them to the next class to heal. However, starting over from day one with a new class after weeks of suffering is a mental hurdle that many simply cannot clear. Proper Training for BUD/S must emphasize joint durability and bone density to prevent these structural failures.

4. Lack of Mental Preparation and the Dunning-Kruger Effect

Many candidates arrive in Coronado in peak physical condition. They can run a sub-9-minute mile and a half, swim like fish, and crush hundreds of push-ups. Yet, they quit within the first 72 hours.

This is often due to the Dunning-Kruger effect, a cognitive bias where individuals with limited real-world experience in extreme environments overestimate their own mental toughness. They believe that because they can handle a hard workout in a heated gym, they can handle being frozen and sleep-deprived for days on end.

Physical strength is merely the entry ticket to Coronado; mental preparation is what keeps you there. Candidates who rely solely on their physical attributes often crumble the moment they realize that their muscles cannot protect them from the psychological onslaught.

To survive Navy SEALs BUD/S Training, you must train your mind to compartmentalize pain, adapt to constant negative feedback, and focus entirely on the immediate task at hand rather than worrying about how much training is left.

5. Water Confidence and Aquatic Panic

You cannot hide from the water at the Naval Special Warfare Center. Water confidence is a non-negotiable requirement, and it is the undoing of many elite land athletes.

Evolutions like "drown-proofing" require candidates to enter a deep pool with their hands bound behind their backs and their feet tied together. They must bob for five minutes, float for two minutes, swim 100 meters, and perform front and back flips underwater — all without panicking.

When a human being is deprived of oxygen underwater, the primal brain triggers an intense survival instinct: panic. The moment a candidate panics, they lose control of their breathing, fail the evolution, and risk drowning.

Many candidates who are incredibly strong runners and lifters find themselves completely defeated by pool competency tests. If you cannot maintain total calm when your lungs are burning and you are disoriented underwater, you will not meet the Navy SEALs BUD/S Training Requirements.

6. Inability to Work as a Team and Peer Reviews

A common misconception is that the Navy SEAL selection process is an individual sport. In reality, it is entirely team-centric.

Candidates are assigned to boat crews, and they must carry heavy inflatable boats (IBS) on their heads everywhere they go. If one person in a seven-man crew slacks off or tries to protect themselves at the expense of others, the entire crew suffers. The boat becomes heavier, the runs become harder, and the instructors focus their wrath on that specific crew.

Furthermore, peer reviews are conducted regularly. Trainees are asked to rank their classmates from best to worst. If a candidate is selfish, arrogant, or fails to help their teammates when they are struggling, their peers will rate them poorly.

Those who cannot check their ego at the door or fail to integrate into the team dynamic are quickly identified. They are either weeded out by the instructors or frozen out by their classmates, leading to a swift departure from Navy SEALs BUD/S Training 2.

7. Lack of Motivation and Not Having a Strong "Why"

When you are shivering in 50-degree water at two in the morning, and your body is screaming in pain, your brain will naturally search for a reason to keep going. If your motivation is superficial, you will quit.

Candidates who want to become Navy SEALs because they think it looks cool, because they want to write a book, or because they want to prove something to someone else almost always DOR. Those external motivators evaporate when faced with real, physical suffering.

To survive, you must have an unshakeable, deeply personal "why." It must be an internal drive so profound that death is a more acceptable outcome than quitting. Without this level of commitment, the brass bell in the courtyard will inevitably draw you in.

Every prospect must consult a comprehensive Navy SEALs BUD/S Training Requirements Guide to understand the sheer depth of commitment required before they sign their contract.

8. Muscle Fatigue and the Running Man's Game

BUD/S is often described as a "running man's game." Trainees run everywhere they go — to the chow hall, to the beach, and back to the barracks. They must complete a weekly timed four-mile beach run in boots, and failing to meet the strict time limits will get you sent to the "goon squad" for extra physical punishment.

This constant running, combined with carrying heavy logs, boats, and rucksacks, leads to profound muscle fatigue. Your legs feel like lead, and your joints ache with every step.

Many candidates who focused primarily on powerlifting or building bulk muscle before arriving find that their bodies simply cannot sustain the cardiovascular load. High-repetition calisthenics and long-distance endurance running must be the foundation of any effective Navy SEAL Workout. When your muscles fatigue to the point of failure, keeping up with the class becomes physically impossible, leading to performance drops or voluntary quits.

9. Instructor Mind Games and Psychological Stress

The instructors at Coronado are masters of psychological warfare. Often referred to by trainees as the "Coronado gods," their job is to break your spirit.

They will tell you that you aren't good enough, that your class is the worst they have ever seen, and that you will never make it. They will punish the entire class for the mistake of one individual, creating intense peer pressure and guilt.

Instructors will also offer "deals" — telling the class that if just three people quit, the rest of the class can go inside and get warm. They deliberately create environments of extreme unfairness to see how you react to adversity.

If you take their feedback personally or look for fairness in Coronado, you will quickly lose your mind. You must learn How to Train Like a Navy SEAL by developing a thick skin, ignoring the negativity, and realizing that every harsh word is a test designed to see if you can be broken.

10. Unrealistic Expectations: Another of the Top 10 Reasons BUD/S Trainees Quit or DOR (Drop On Request)

Hollywood movies and books tend to romanticize the life of a Navy SEAL. They focus on the high-adrenaline operations, the cool gear, and the heroic moments. They rarely show the hours of wet, sandy misery, the mind-numbing repetition, and the absolute boredom of basic conditioning.

When candidates arrive with these unrealistic expectations, the daily grind of BUD/S hits them like a freight train. They realize that there is nothing glamorous about shivering on a beach in the dark while an instructor yells at them to do more push-ups.

This gap between expectation and reality causes immediate disillusionment. The candidate realizes that the actual day-to-day reality of training is not what they signed up for, leading them to ring the bell.

Before embarking on this journey, it is vital to read The Ultimate Guide to Navy SEAL Training 3 Phases and Why Is It So Tough to strip away the myths and understand the cold, hard reality of the selection process.

The Science of Stress: Physiological and Psychological Markers of Attrition

What actually happens inside the body of a trainee who is on the verge of quitting?

During high-stress military training, researchers have tracked specific physiological stress markers in candidates. When a human is subjected to prolonged physical exertion, cold, and sleep deprivation, their endocrine system goes into overdrive.

• Cortisol: The primary stress hormone spikes dramatically, preparing the body for fight-or-flight but suppressing immune function and muscle recovery over time.
• DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone): An anabolic hormone that helps protect the brain and body from the damaging effects of cortisol. Studies show that candidates who maintain a higher DHEA-to-cortisol ratio during training are far more resilient and less likely to quit.
• Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and BDNF: These chemical markers play a vital role in regulating anxiety, cognitive function, and stress adaptation. Higher baseline levels of these markers correlate directly with a candidate's ability to remain calm under pressure.

From a psychological perspective, researchers look at three key traits: resilience, hardiness, and grit. While grit (the passion and perseverance for long-term goals) remains relatively stable throughout training, resilience and hardiness actually show a dip during the first few weeks of training before growing stronger as the survivors adapt to the environment.

According to a landmark Military study on counterattrition in BUD/S, a candidate's composite personality and attitude score is the single strongest statistical predictor of whether they will graduate. Physical metrics are important, but the psychological capacity to endure prolonged discomfort is what ultimately determines success.

Understanding this science can help candidates prepare their minds and bodies for How BUD/S Navy SEAL Training Changes Your Life Forever.

What Happens to Candidates After They DOR?

Many candidates believe that if they quit BUD/S, they will simply go back to a normal life or choose a different, comfortable job in the Navy. This is a massive misconception, and the reality of what happens after you DOR serves as a major psychological deterrent during training.

If you are an enlisted sailor who volunteered for BUD/S and you choose to DOR, you do not get to go home. You are still bound by your Navy enlistment contract.

Once medically cleared, ex-candidates are typically sent to "Special Activities Training" or directly to the fleet as "undesignated sailors." This means you are sent to a surface ship to perform general, low-skill manual labor.

Instead of operating with an elite special operations unit, you may spend your days scraping rust, chipping paint, and cleaning the decks of a Navy destroyer. For many high-aptitude candidates who had dreams of glory, this sudden drop in status and morale can be incredibly difficult to handle.

Knowing this reality before you arrive is crucial. It forces you to ask yourself if you are truly willing to risk spending years in the fleet doing manual labor if you fail to make the cut. To learn more about what you are striving for, check out The Definitive Guide to a Day in the Life of a Navy SEAL Operator.

Frequently Asked Questions about BUD/S Attrition

Navigating the complex path of Navy SEAL selection requires clear, accurate information. Below are some of the most common questions regarding attrition and success rates throughout the 4 Phases of Navy SEAL Training.

What is the most common reason for quitting during Hell Week?

The most common reason for quitting during Hell Week is a voluntary Drop on Request (DOR) triggered by extreme cold and sleep deprivation. This typically occurs between Tuesday and Thursday of Hell Week, when the physical load, lack of sleep, and hallucinations become too overwhelming for the candidate's mind to process. At this point, the promise of warmth and sleep is what drives them to the bell. To understand what they are walking away from, see a Day in the Life of a Navy SEAL Operator.

Can you fail BUD/S if you are a great athlete but a poor swimmer?

Yes, absolutely. Many division-one runners and elite powerlifters fail out of BUD/S because they lack water confidence. If you suffer from aquatic panic or struggle with basic pool competency, you will not survive the drown-proofing and underwater swim tests, regardless of how fast you can run the Navy SEAL Training Obstacle Course.

What percentage of candidates complete BUD/S in their original class?

Only about 36% of successful BUD/S graduates complete the entire training pipeline with the original class they started with. The remaining 64% are rolled back to subsequent classes due to medical injuries or performance recycles. This shows that being rolled is incredibly common and that persistence through setbacks is a key trait of those who ultimately earn their Trident. You can read more about these journeys in Funny Navy SEAL Training Stories.

Conclusion

At USMilitary.com, we believe that understanding the brutal realities of special operations selection is the best way to prepare future candidates for success. The top 10 reasons BUD/S trainees quit or DOR (Drop On Request) prove that while physical preparation is the baseline, mental toughness, humility, and an unshakeable personal "why" are what ultimately carry you across the finish line.

If you are ready to take the first step toward testing your limits, or if you want to explore other career paths and benefits across all branches of the United States military, we are here to guide you.

For a deep dive into every phase of the special operations journey, check out our Navy SEALs Complete Guide.