Evaluation of Physiological Stress Experienced by Divers Maintaining an Upright Position on the Water Surface Depending on the Buoyancy Control Device

The knowledge of physiological reactions enabling a diver increasing the functional reserve in a life-threatening situation is not yet complete. It is suggested that the ability to adapt to prolonged stress experienced by divers maintaining an upright position on the water surface is associated with the diver’s individual characteristics and the type of the buoyancy control device. The purpose of this study was to perform a preliminary evaluation of physiological variables in divers wearing two different types of buoyancy control device and floating upright at the surface to determine the level of safety offered by each of them. The physiological variables were measured while participants wearing a classical dive vest and a wing dive vest. The oxygen uptake and heart rate measured after 30 minutes of experiment were significantly greater in participants using wing dive vest than classical dive vest. The results confirm the possibility of using physiological indicators to compare the fatigue and rescue function in divers depending on the buoyancy control device type.