Navy SEAL Museum Brings Elite History Home to San Diego

On October 4th 2025, the Navy SEAL Museum opened its doors in Downtown San Diego. This location is an expansion of the Fort Pierce, Florida National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum that has been open since 1985. 

San Diego has been intertwined with the SEAL community for generations. All candidates for Naval Special Warfare must complete Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training at nearby Naval Amphibious Base Coronado before earning the coveted trident. The region’s deep ties to the Navy mean that countless active-duty operators, retired SEALs, Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen (SWCC), and their families call the area home.

With that heritage, the new museum feels less like an addition and more like a return. It offers visitors an immersive look at the evolution, sacrifice, and spirit of the Naval Special Warfare community.

The museum also intends to serve as a bridge between the military and the wider community. School outreach programs and rotating exhibits will introduce younger visitors to themes of leadership, ethics, and civic responsibility drawn from Naval Special Warfare’s core principles.

As soon as one moves past the ticketing area, they enter the “SEAL Mindset Surround Theater”, a 360 degree theater featuring Jocko Willink discussing SEAL ethos. The first floor is a solemn experience, with both an interactive SEAL memorial wall and a wall honoring NSW personnel who have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Together, they frame the museum’s mission: to convey what it truly means to serve in this elite community.

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The second floor is more historically immersive. There are exhibits demonstrating exactly what the training entails for SEALS and SWCC, as well as what purpose they serve in defending our nation. The historical galleries trace missions from D-Day to Mogadishu to the War on Terror with a level of detail that immerses visitors in decades of elite military operations. Interactive displays pair maps, operational overviews, and period-accurate uniforms with multimedia timelines that explain each conflict’s broader geopolitical context. Artifacts such as fins, early rebreathers, and weapons used by SEALs since World War II line the cases. A SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) sits at the center of one gallery, underscoring the precision and ingenuity of undersea missions.There is also an exhibition on Operation Neptune Spear narrated by Admiral McRaven.  A virtual reality experience allows patrons to embark on a high-stakes hostage rescue mission. 

The second floor concludes with A Cause Higher Than Oneself, an exhibit encouraging guests to consider service and purpose in their own lives.

For San Diego, the museum is more than a new attraction; it is a recognition of a community that has long shaped the region’s identity. The city’s shipyards, training beaches, and naval bases have launched generations of sailors and special operators who carried their skills worldwide. Now, their stories are permanently anchored here.

The Navy SEAL Museum stands as both a tribute and a teaching space — a reminder that the strength of Naval Special Warfare lies not only in its missions, but in the enduring values of service, integrity, and sacrifice. For residents and visitors alike, it offers a rare, in-depth glimpse into the world of the Navy SEALs and the legacy that continues to define San Diego’s military heritage.

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