SINGAPORE - It takes five gruelling months of combat diver training, culminating in a "hell week", before trainees can become elite frogmen in the Naval Diving Unit.

During hell week, trainees are put through intensive physical training on very little sleep.

On Wednesday night (March 14), in a video on his Facebook page, Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen shared a snippet of what it takes to achieve that sweet success as a combat diver in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

"For those who wonder how SAF combat divers are trained, the 20-week course tests even the fittest and strongest till their breaking point," he wrote.

"And if you do graduate, you get to do it underwater!"

The 48-second video shows the divers gearing up, before it cuts to an underwater graduation ceremony, where they will receive their combat diver badges in front of proud family members.

To earn their spot among the elite, combat diving trainees have to first sit written tests on dive theory and pass practical water-based tests, such as drown-proofing, pool competency and survival skills.

But to graduate, they will have to pass five key tests called "vetoes".

These include swimming 2km in 50 minutes, running 6km in 27 minutes, and completing the Diver Fitness Test and a Sea Circuit, which involves jumping off a 5m-tall tower.