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Neoprene wet-suit hood affects low-frequency underwater hearing thresholds
David M Fothergill1, John R Sims, Michael D Curley
1Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory, Box 900, Groton, CT 06349-5900, USA. fothergill@nsmrl.navy.mil
Introduction:
Psychophysical measures of wet-suit hood sound attenuation are needed to provide the diving community with guidance on protection from underwater sound.
Methods:
Underwater hearing thresholds were obtained from 15 male and 5 female recreational divers with and without a 3-mm thick wet-suit hood. Dives were conducted at a depth of 1 m in a large quiet anechoic pool. Thresholds were determined using a two-interval forced-choice procedure with a 0.71 probability of positive response at convergence. A 1-s pure tone was presented with a 20-ms rise and fall time at 100, 200, 250, 300, 400, and 500 Hz.
Results:
Without a wet-suit hood, mean thresholds decreased from 99 dB re 1 microPa at 100 Hz to 85 dB at 500 Hz. Thresholds were statistically similar at 100 to 300 Hz with and without the wet-suit hood, but were significantly increased at 400 and 500 Hz with the hood (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
In conclusion, at shallow depths, a 3-mm neoprene wet-suit hood attenuates underwater sound by approximately 10 dB for frequencies between 400 Hz and 500 Hz. At frequencies below 400 Hz, a 3-mm neoprene wet-suit hood offers no sound protection.
