From Rolf Koksvik
rkoksvik@estec.esa.nl
Your article on the possibility of overheating causing anxiousness while
diving in a wet suit was interesting as accidents due to panic attacks are well
known but not well understood (This Week, 5 July, p 5).
However, one should be aware that hypothermia is also a dangerous situation
to get into. There are many thicknesses of wet suits and it is obviously
necessary to choose the right amount of insulation. I have seen divers in a wet
suit as thin as 3 millimetres frozen to the bone after one hour in water as warm
as 27 °C.
Some form of protection is always advisable in tropical waters due to a whole
range of beasties that can cause nasty injuries, even death, on contact with the
skin.
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