Shayetet 13שייטת 13
How to get into Shayetet 13, and what its training looks like
The Navy's commando. Its fighters carry out strategic operations behind enemy lines, in enemy ports and against enemy facilities, and gather intelligence.
Profile 82+about 20 monthsMenDark blue
Shayetet 13 asks for a medical profile of 82 and up, a Dapar of 50 and up and a Hebrew score of 8.
The medical profile runs from 21 to 97.
The Dapar, the reasoning test of the first call-up, is scored from 10 to 90.
The Hebrew score runs from 1 to 9.
- Open to
- Men
- Medical profile
- 82 and up
- Dapar
- 50 and up
- Hebrew score
- 8
- Training
- about 20 months
- Where it serves
- The Navy's base in Atlit, south of Haifa.
The course runs about 20 months. It opens with 5 months of infantry basic and advanced training at the Golani training base, to the level the IDF calls Rifleman 05, and goes on at the Navy's base in Atlit.
After a preparatory stage the fighters learn combat diving, attack craft and the taking over of vessels. The flotilla's bat wings are pinned on after a year and 8 months.
The way into Shayetet 13 runs through 4 steps.
- 1A diving Gadna week, or Yom Sayarot with the Shayetet result.
- 2An online screening.
- 3A five-day try-out at the flotilla's base.
- 4A security check and naval medical checks.
Training at Shayetet 13 lasts about 20 months.
- Infantry basic and advanced training, at the Golani training base
- The preparatory stage, then combat diving, attack craft and taking over vessels, at Atlit
About 20 months in all; the bat wings after a year and 8 months.
The IDF's guides say what to train for before the screening.
The naval fighters' try-out lasts two days at the Navy's training base in Haifa. The IDF's fitness guide builds the running and strength it asks for over weeks, with 3 to 5 aerobic and 2 to 3 strength sessions a week.
- AerobicSun
- StrengthMon
- AerobicTue
- StrengthWed
- AerobicThu
- RestFri
- RestSat
An example week at the lowest the IDF's guide suggests: 3 aerobic sessions and 2 of strength, the kind changing from day to day.
The full guide to preparing: profile, Dapar, Yom Sayarot and a training routine
The role has its own page on the IDF's site for future soldiers.
- Shayetet 13 combat soldierNavy
Units to read about alongside Shayetet 13.
Sayeret Matkalסיירת מטכ״לThe General Staff's reconnaissance unit. Its missions are classified, it takes one draft a year and its fighters train for 16 months.Profile 97+about 16 monthsMenOlive green
Submarine Flotillaשייטת הצוללותThe Navy's submarine flotilla, Shayetet 7, based in Haifa. Its crews train for about 14 months.Profile 82+about 14 monthsMenDark blue- Naval Officers Courseקורס חובליםThe Navy's officers' course: two and a half years that end with the rank of lieutenant, a first degree and the naval officer's pin.Profile 82+about 30 monthsMen and womenDark blue
Frequently asked questions
What does Shayetet 13 ask for?
The IDF's page asks for a profile of 82 and up, a Dapar of 50 and up and a Hebrew score of 8.
How do you get into Shayetet 13?
A diving Gadna week, or Yom Sayarot with the Shayetet result. An online screening. A five-day try-out at the flotilla's base. A security check and naval medical checks.
How long is training at Shayetet 13?
About 20 months: Infantry basic and advanced training, at the Golani training base; The preparatory stage, then combat diving, attack craft and taking over vessels, at Atlit.
Can women serve in Shayetet 13?
The IDF's page names men only. Women fighters can choose other units, and the IDF commits to give a woman fighter one of her first three choices.
This page was written from the IDF's pages for future soldiers, read on 6 November 2026.
- The IDF's page for the role: Shayetet 13 combat soldier
- The IDF's full guide to Yom Sayarot
- Preparing the body for Yom Sayarot
- Try-outs
- The medical profile
The requirements and screenings change from time to time, and the IDF's page for each role is the one that counts.
Photo credits
- IDF Spokesperson's Unit photographer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- IDF Spokesperson's Unit photographer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photographers of the Israeli Navy and IDF Spokesman: Shay Wagner, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons