Thermal Protection and Diver Performance in Special Operations Forces Combat Swimmers (Over-The-Beach Phase)

Abstract

Special operations requirements often involve mission scenarios in cold environments. Optimal thermal protection is necessary for the successful completion of these missions. This study compared three different thermal protection garments for Naval Special Warfare (NSW) combat swimmers for use in an over-the-beach (OTB) mission scenario. The subjects were 7 U.S. Navy SEAL operators from the NSW Development Group (NSWDG). Each subject participated in a standardized exposure routine 3 times and therefore served as his own control by wearing each of 3 different garment ensembles one time. An extensive market survey conducted by the NSWDG determined the 3 ensembles that were tested: (1) Bare(TM) dry suit ensemble, (2) Trek(TM) dry suit ensemble, (3) Typhoon(TM) dry suit ensemble.