Impact of a deep saturation dive on semen quality

The demonstration dive 'Aurora' has provided an opportunity to study the im pact of extreme hyperbaric conditions on male fertility. This operation inv olved a 33-day diving programme during which divers were exposed to a maxim um pressure of 4.6 Mega Pascals (Mpa) for 7 days. At days - 4, + 27, + 34, + 82 and + 263 relative to the initiation of the dive, semen samples were a nalysed to determine the quality of spermatogenesis and the functional comp etence of the spermatozoa. A dramatic fall in semen quality was observed in association with the dive and by day + 82 the potential fertility of the m en was seriously compromised as evidenced by oligoasthenoteratozoospermic s emen profiles and the poor fertilizing potential of the spermatozoa. These studies indicate, for the first time, that the severe hyperbaric conditions associated with deep saturation dives have a profound effect on male repro ductive function.