Experimental Hydrodynamic Drag Studies of Scuba Divers

The phrases "...low profile,...less drag," and "...streamlined design" have all recently been used to describe the hydrodynamic characteristics of new SCUBA diving equipment. The manufacturers are responding to the diving community's plea for ergonomic considerations by producing equipment which will allow the diver to perform underwater tasks more safely and efficiently. However the analyses generally utilized in the diving industry for determining drag forces yield qualitative results which do not effectively lend themselves to meaningful comparison. The present investigation considers a unique methodology for experimentally determining the drag forces induced by various configurations of underwater diving equipment. Drag measurements have been made using the Department of Ocean Engineering's tow tank facility at the University of Rhode Island, Repeatable results were obtained due to the stability of the full-size diver in a specialy designed tow-frame dynamometer.