Diver Performance in Cold Water

Twelve experienced divers repeatedly performed several representative underwater work tasks for 90-min. sessions at water temperatures of 50°, 60°, and 70° F. Time to complete the task was the primary performance measure; choice reaction time, with mental arithmetic as loading task, and four physiological measurements were also recorded. The subjects worked in 6 1/2 ft. of water wearing full 3/16-in.-thick wet suits and SCUBA equipment. Performance on all tasks except mental arithmetic tended to decrease as water temperature decreased. Most performance measures also showed a significant decrement over time and a significant time-by-temperature interaction. The general trend in performance measures was also reflected in several of the physiological measurements.

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