The Power of Water

Building on fieldwork with the Danish Frogman Corps and the Ghana Navy Special Boat Squadron (Ghana Navy SBS), this article discusses how naval special warfare operators train for combat by learning to maneuver in water. The article argues that operators familiarize themselves with underwater work through “water habituation.” It presents unique ethnographic data from sessions, where operators learn to perform edgework by navigating the space between uncertainty and control. The article contributes to discussions about professional edgework and socialization, analyzing how operators learn to control their emotions when preparing for combat. In understanding naval special warfare, it holds, we need to study the trained, controlled response to emotions of fear. Thus, the learned ability to enter “a state of calmness” during extreme situations makes these operators an efficient political tool able to conduct high-risk operations worldwide.