Something that really helped me get faster in the water was using a kick board and alternating with hand paddles. It helps to really strengthen your stroke/kick.

Fins if you are in the ocean for sure.

Sometimes people will have the option to be discharged unless the Air Force is in need of manning then you will be reclassified. The majority of the time though it is your choice. It also depends on why you wash out.

As long as you are able to swim 100m at a time then that is fine. All I ask is that you complete the distance or reps however long it takes you. It is part of building resilience. I know you can get to that point in less than a month if you are willing to spend the time in the pool.

Strong team mentality and complete dedication to the mission.

Be willing to sacrifice time, money, and everything you have, in order to bring someone home to their families.

Ice baths help with recovery in the first 10 min after a workout. Think of it like saving your body the energy of getting back to normal temp. It will help with muscle tissue breakdown and slowing inflammation.

No

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Happens all the time, there are always going to be times when you don't want to do something. That is when you have to realize you have to sacrifice short term comfort for long term goals. No one is perfect, and that doesn’t change when you become a PJ.

Absolutely, as long as you are trained up to the old grad standards prior to your arrival and focus on your recovery throughout the course you will be able to pass. In fact, the older candidates are the least likely to quit. 

I would recommend just reading up on basic anatomy and physiology then maybe something like the ranger med handbook.

The old grad standard was 2 min 30 sec with wrists and ears out of the water.

Your pace should be 2 min per 100m and I would recommend being able to swim 4000m. So it would be 4000m in 80 min.

Anywhere from 400m to 1 mile depending on the workout.

You will be able to have your phone at some points even through basic, but you will always have it after duty hours at selection. You will have an opportunity to spend time with your family after you graduate basic. But you need to get your mind right, YES talking with family is very important, however you need to not worry about that. Focus on passing and getting through.

It is meant to do both. After seeing all the students come through Indoc, I noticed too many people just doing a substandard pushup to try and get grad standards. So I incorporated a lot of exercises in the Get Selected program that have helped me throughout my time as a PJ and instructor to get guys through. There are also days where you will get a gut check, which helps people prepare for the long days so they can figure out nutrition and rest. The workouts I designed use sandbags and a weight vest to help guys increase their numbers.

Simply stated, for the retraining process, you will go TDY to do Phase 2 which is a mini selection given that you are selected for phase one which is just a resume pretty much. Then if you are accepted at phase 2, you will start the retraining process and get a date to attend A&S. 

It would only be a couple months depending on how many are in front of you.

The criteria for the PAST (Pushups, pullups, situps, and a run) is very similar to the other Special Warfare fields as far as cals go. You can look at that criteria here. My the Pass the PAST program has swimming included, which I would recommend to anyone anyway as an alternative cardio exercise in between run days in order to lessen the impact of running on your legs and prevent shin splints. The only thing the PAST program does not include is rucking which is huge in SERE. So if you can already pass the PAST and would like a bigger challenge you could go for the Get Selected program.