ABSTRACT
The diver operates in a hostile environment which deprives and distorts his senses in various ways. The physiological and technical factors affecting man’s survival under water have been well described in many manuals. Much less attention has been paid to sensory and motor factors, though sections exist in some books (e.g., Woods & Lythgoe, 1971; Ross, 1974; Shilling et al., 1976; Drew et al., 1976), and a few books are largely devoted to the topic (e.g., Adolfson & Berghage, 1974; Kinney, 1985). The altered physical and sensory environment can give rise to misperceptions of bodily orientation and movement. There are many contributing factors, affecting the visual, auditory, vestibular and tactile-kinaesthetic systems—all of which interact in controlling posture and movement.
