Why does a diver need a heating system?
Modern
SCUBA equipment has led to a large increase in the dive times. Only 30
years ago, a dive longer than 40 minutes was considered exceptional, but
today, if you carry plenty of gas, dives exceeding 2 hours are not
unusual. The cold, however, remains a problem. While drysuits and
undersuits have improved over the years, after an hour or so even the
hardiest of divers will start to cool down. More layers will help will
help, but the resulting increased buoyancy can cause more problems. A
solution is to use a heated undervest.
When the temperature of
the environment around us decreases, the body initiates a series of
mechanisms to reduce heat loss: peripheral vasoconstriction occurs,
reducing blood flow to the extremities and concentrating it in vital
areas such as the head and trunk. For this reason, when it's cold, the
first things that get cold are your feet and hands. If the cooling
persists, a series of mechanisms occur that lead to hypothermia (urge to
urinate, shivering, etc.). It is important to never reach severe
extremes of hypothermia as we can run a great risk. To avoid this
cooling, it will be enough to keep our outside temperature as close to
our body temperature (approximately: 36-37ºC). If it is not possible to
do it throughout the body, it will be enough to do it in the areas where
the body's thermal regulation occurs. like the spine.
Scuba
diving is a beautiful and exciting sport. We need to be warm to maximize
our enjoyment. There are sometimes rough seas, cold water, strong
currents, bad visibility, and gloomy weather and sometimes you get cold.
There is not much we can do about the diving conditions, but you can
always dive warm. The new technology is here and it is for everyone.
