PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES CAUSED BY SCUBA DIVING AT LANG HOVDE, ANTARCTICA IN FEBRUARY 1968

Abstract

One skin diving and four SCUBA divings were made by two members (a biologist and the author, the physiologist) of the 9th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition on 2 February in 1968 for surveying benthos. They dived about 10 metres at Lang Hovde, about 20km south from Syowa Station, Antarctica. Air and surface water temperatures were about 0℃ and it was calm. Neoprene double wetsuits of 5 mm and 6.5 mm in thickness, covering the whole body except face, were used. It took 49 minutes in total. The pulse at the end of skin diving recorded 130-140/min. One diver lost 2 kg weight after diving, but the other showed no change. Erythrocytosis, eosinopenia (91% and 72%) and lymphopenia caused by stress were observed. There were no remarkable physical changes except for mild epistaxis and light headache soon after diving.