CORONADO, Calif., 6:28 p.m. PST March 8, 2001 -- A New York man died Wednesday night while undergoing intensive training for the elite Navy SEAL team, authorities said.

Lt. John Anthony Skop Jr., 29, of Buffalo, N.Y., died during a swimming exercise at the Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado.

Medics at the scene pulled Skop (pictured, left) from the water and administered CPR when they saw he was having trouble staying afloat.

San Diego County paramedics arrived at the scene within minutes and transported Skop by ambulance to Sharp Coronado Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead at 8:13 p.m.

The cause of death was under investigation.

The exercise Skop was performing Wednesday evening was the "caterpillar swim," in which the trainees float on their backs in a line, with their legs linked around the other man's torso. The men then swim by moving their arms.

The men were wearing their camouflage uniforms, with no extra equipment, Navy spokeswoman Patricia O'Conner said.

Skop and his training class were in "Hell week," the third and most demanding week of their 25-week training to become Navy SEALs. During the week, the trainees sleep only occasionally, often for a total of about five hours.

The class had 79 members on Sunday, but had dropped to 52 by Wednesday, O'Conner said.

"These guys are at risk every day," she said. "What we do is a tough job and there is a risk. It's inherent in what they do. We ask them to put their lives on the line and the training has to reflect the seriousness of it."

Skop had been in the Navy six years and was the senior officer of his class.

Training was temporarily suspended Wednesday night for all SEAL students and was scheduled to resume after a 24-hour stand down.