580 California St., Suite 400
San Francisco, CA, 94104
Key research themes
1. How have physiological adaptations and energy optimization strategies shaped the evolution and performance of breath-hold diving in humans and animals?
This theme investigates the environmental physiology underlying diving, focusing on the biomechanical and metabolic energy costs of breath-hold diving. It examines how buoyancy, body composition, and physiological control optimize dive duration and energy expenditure. Understanding these factors is pivotal for both evolutionary biology and training practices in diving medicine and breath-hold sports.
Key finding: Provides a comprehensive review of physiological changes induced by immersion, swimming, breath-hold diving, and equipment use, emphasizing cardiac, circulatory and pulmonary adaptations critical for survival and performance... Read more
Key finding: Introduces a refined mechanical and physiological model that quantitatively predicts optimal swimming speed and energy costs in breath-hold divers by accounting for depth-dependent buoyancy changes and active vs. passive drag... Read more
Key finding: This empirical study identifies significant predictors of static apnea performance (Apnea Indoor) in divers, including vital capacity, blood volume, lean body mass, and physiological responses such as reduced heart rate and... Read more
2. What challenges and approaches define the practice and regulation of scientific diving in emerging programs and multi-disciplinary research contexts?
This research theme examines the organization, recognition, and standardization challenges encountered by scientific divers in nascent or fragmented regulatory environments. It regards how scientific diving intersects with research methodology, safety protocols, training, career development, and legal frameworks, with implications for fostering collaborative ocean science and sustainable aquatic research practice.
Key finding: Analyzes the heterogeneous landscape of scientific diving training, professional recognition, safety, and legal contexts across regions, highlighting the fragmented nature that hampers career clarity. It advances the... Read more
Key finding: Presents standardized record forms and protocols (Daily SciDive Log, SCUBA & surface-supplied LogSheets, SciDiver’s Digital LogBook) tailored for countries with emerging scientific diving programs, underlining the critical... Read more
Key finding: Documents the legislative and regulatory vacuum for scientific diving in Poland post-2014, outlining the establishment of the Polish Scientific Diving Committee aiming to unify scientific diving practices, enhance safety... Read more
3. How do historical technological innovations and socio-cultural practices inform the development of diving technologies and underwater activities from antiquity to early modern times?
This theme explores the evolution of diving apparatus, underwater exploration techniques, and occupational diving practices from classical antiquity through the Renaissance and Early Modern periods. It addresses archaeological, historical, and biographical evidence to illuminate the origins of diving helmets, diving machines, early underwater salvage, and the socio-economic roles of divers, contributing key insights into the technological and cultural foundations of diving history.
Key finding: Proposes a novel interpretation of the 1535 Lake Nemi dives by Francesco De Marchi, hypothesizing he used a bellows/hose air-supply system rather than the traditionally accepted methods. This challenges existing assumptions... Read more
Key finding: Identifies Maestro Gulielmo da Lorena as Etienne Guillery, credited with designing the open diving helmet used in Lake Nemi in 1535, linking historical figures and artifacts. This paper contextualizes early diving helmet... Read more
Key finding: Documents the first known diving machine privilege granted to Gabriel de Guzman in 1549, providing evidence of early patenting and mechanization attempts in diving technology. This work situates the emergence of diving... Read more
Key finding: Reveals the socio-economic history of sponge-gathering diving in the 19th-century Ottoman Empire as a precursor to modern recreational diving, emphasizing occupational knowledge accumulation, environmental impacts, and... Read more
Key finding: Presents newly rediscovered authentic underwater sketches by Eugen von Ransonnet-Villez, utilizing a diving bell in 1864/65, thus demonstrating one of the earliest documented artistic attempts to represent underwater... Read more