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BRIDGEPORT, Calif. (Feb. 23, 2026) Military medical students, enrolled in Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Center’s Mountain Medicine course, participate in Naval Health Research Center’s (NHRC) cold-water immersion study. For the next 10 minutes these students will endure 34-degree water and below freezing air temperatures while their instructors watch and instruct them to do finger dexterity exercises; giving the students a chance to test their dexterity and cognitive response abilities in real time. In the final two minutes, students remove their masks & portable spirometer and answer a series of questions related to their current stress levels, body temperature and shivering. Through its cold-water immersion studies, NHRC develops life-saving strategies that enable the warfighter to overcome the initial, lethal shock of entering frigid water. This vital research provides U.S. Naval, Marine Corps, and joint forces with the tools to maintain cognitive function and enhance survivability in the most extreme maritime environments. (U.S. Navy photo by Matthew Reyes/released)
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery 7700 Arlington Blvd. Ste. 5113 Falls Church, VA 22042-5113 This is an official U.S. Navy website This is a Department of Defense (DoD) Internet computer system. General Navy Medical Inquiries (to Bureau of Medicine and Surgery): usn.ncr.bumedfchva.list.bumed---pao@health.mil