ENERGY EXPENDITURE AND WORK STRESS OF DIVERS PERFORMING A VARIETY OF UNDERWATER WORK TASKS

The energy expenditure of forty-four students training to become commercial divers was determined for a variety of underwater work tasks.  Energy expenditures were predicted from heart rate produced during the work task.  Heart rates ranged from 80 beats min 1(-) (resting) to 151 beats min 1(-) (working).  Depending on the labelling of the task as arm or leg work, the mean heart rate generated was substituted into one of two equations used for predicting oxygen consumption.