What is one of the primary factors contributing to heat loss for divers?

Convection is one of the primary factors contributing to heat loss for divers due to the movement of water around the body. When a diver enters the water, their body heat warms the water immediately surrounding them. As this warm water is displaced by colder water, heat is carried away from the body. The process continues as the water continually flows past the diver, leading to a loss of warmth.

In underwater environments, water is generally much colder than the body temperature of a diver, which means that convection plays a significant role in how heat is exchanged. The quicker the water moves past the diver, the more heat is lost. This is particularly noticeable in scenarios where divers are in motion or in currents, amplifying the effect of heat loss through convection.

Although conduction, evaporation, and radiation all contribute to heat loss in different ways, convection is particularly effective at removing heat from the body because of the continuous flow of water that replaces the warmed water surrounding the diver, thereby enhancing heat transfer away from the body.