During my Royal Navy Clearance Diver course, one of the more demanding exercises was learning how to climb from the water onto a ship during simulated night attacks. It was a vital skill, as we also trained in underwater hull searches for mines and other covert operations. A thick rope would be lowered from the focsle of the ship, hanging around 30 to 40 feet down the side. Starting in the water, you had to climb it using the old locked-leg technique wrap the rope with your legs, stand up on the lock, reach as high as you could, grab, then sit back into the lock and repeat. It sounds simple, but it was exhausting. Most of the time you could only manage it once before your arms and legs were completely finished.The hardest part came near the top. The rope would be tight against the ship’s hull, making it impossible to continue climbing normally. At that point, you had to make a leap of faith—push yourself away from the rope, reach up, and try to grab the ship’s stanchion or guard rail. If you managed to get one hand on, you had to quickly get the other hand up and haul yourself onto the deck.Not everyone made it. But there was one piece of advice the instructors drilled into us: if you miss, just let go and fall into the water. Never try to grab the rope on the way down. It wouldn’t stop your fall; it would only strip the skin from your hands as you slid back down. As tough as it was, I actually loved it. There was a real sense of achievement when you made it onto the deck after such a demanding climb.We also carried out night attacks and underwater hull searches for training mines on the same ships. At the time, there were Saudi divers training alongside us, but they refused to go into the water at night. For us, though, operating in darkness was all part of becoming a Royal Navy Clearance Diver.