Name
#86 Keeping our Divers Warm: U.S. Navy Progress on the Ideal Cold Water Suit
Content Presented On Behalf Of:
Navy
Session Type
Poster
Date
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Start Time
5:00 PM
End Time
7:00 PM
Location
Prince Georges Expo Hall E
Focus Areas/Topics
Clinical Care, Technology
Learning Outcomes
1. Recognize the physiological impacts of cold water exposure on the performance and health of divers, and consider the long-term effects on military readiness of the diving community if these challenges are not addressed
2. Understand the evolution of the US Navy wetsuit and appreciate the current challenges related to the further advancement of the wetsuit
3. Consider the long term physiological impacts on military readiness of the diving community if these challenges are not addressed
Session Currently Live
Description
For the U.S. Navy diver, cold water is a relentless adversary. It not only threatens mission success by degrading physical performance but also poses significant, often overlooked, physiological risks, including disruptive hormonal imbalances. Our presentation, "Keeping our Divers Warm," delves into the critical challenge of balancing thermal protection with the operational ergonomics essential for complex underwater tasks. We review recent breakthroughs from the Naval Postgraduate School, focusing on the innovative "K-suit." This next-generation wetsuit employs a novel composite material—hollow glass microspheres embedded in polymer—applied to key anatomical areas. This design provides a remarkable 4°C improvement in insulation without compromising the flexibility divers need. Furthermore, its depth-incompressible nature ensures consistent thermal integrity, a critical failure point in traditional neoprene suits. By mitigating cold stress, these advancements directly enhance diver efficiency and safety. They also potentially reduce the long-term health consequences associated with prolonged cold water immersion. This poster highlights a crucial step forward in wetsuit technology, exploring how material science innovations are helping to preserve the long-term health and maintain the mission readiness of the Navy's elite diving community.