For the first time ever the Royal Australian Navy has provided exclusive access to the Navy’s most intense training program for its Clearance Diver Branch – an elite unit at the frontline of national security. Over the course of nine months, it will take them to the limits of their mental and physical endurance. Only the toughest will make it.

From terrifying long distance swims across shark-infested waters to nerve-shredding bomb disposals at depths of up to 60 metres, the candidates will be pushed to their absolute limit. Each day presents a new and increasingly difficult challenge. Only the strongest and fittest will survive. As the course progresses, we witness these ambitious, testosterone-charged men at their most vulnerable. Yet despite their physical and mental exhaustion, they somehow summon the strength of character to face the cameras and give us deeply personal insights into their background and motivation. We cheer their successes, are devastated by their failures and marvel at their levels of bravery and endurance.

Of the twenty-seven young, fit, athletic men who sign up for the course, only thirteen will graduate. Some leave of their own free will. Injury will account for others. And some will be asked to leave and to possibly reconsider their position in the Navy. It’s a brutal, unforgiving “make or break” training program that provides a deep understanding of the demands placed on those who choose to defend their country.