While the ocean can seem like a beautiful and calming place, it can also prove to be terrifying. There is much we still don't know about the great blue expanse that covers the majority of our planet. One thing that many people are unaware of is how certain depths affect the human body. Well, one man is determined to prove the frightening reality of the ocean and what it does to the human body. Watch as this man dives 65 feet into the sea and shows us just what happens to him down there as well as explaining why people sink.
The Frightening Reality Of The Ocean: It's Not All Peaceful Waves
Although free diving is growing in popularity, it is not a sport for the fainthearted. This sport requires the person to dive under the water without the use of a breathing apparatus. Particularly in the case of deep water. To further elaborate on this sport, a man shared a video of himself free diving on Reddit.
Why do we sink with air in our lungs? 20 meters is quite terrifying.
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Free divers often talk about how taxing the sport is on their bodies and how getting back to the surface is no easy task. In his Reddit video, this man shared the frightening reality of the ocean and showed how people sink with air in their lungs. The video starts off with him waving up at the camera, nothing but blue ocean beneath him. A note over the video reads "At what depth do I start sinking underwater?"
The video then shows him diving to different depths and gauging his ability to float. At 16 feet deep, he still easily floated back upwards. Then, at 32 feet he tried again. Here, he still floated back up towards the surface, but at a much slower pace. At 40 feet below the surface, he remained neutral. This means he neither sank deeper in the water or floated back towards the surface, he just remained perfectly in place.
At 50 feet, he began to sink. Then, he took it a step further. The free diver dove down to 65 feet, where he sank again, but much more quickly.
Why Do People Sink?
Pexels image by Baran Haznedaro?lu
How can this frightening reality of the ocean be true? If our lungs are full of air shouldn't we remain buoyant? Why is it that we sink with air still in our lungs and why does it happen faster when 65 feet down. The Ladbible shares some of the science behind this interesting question. They shared, "It's all to do with physics - basically, when a diver reaches - 10m [approximately 33 feet], the pressure is double what it is at the surface." They continue by explaining, "This increases by one atmosphere every 10 meters, meaning that at the average ocean depth of 3,800m [12,467 feet] the pressure on the sea floor is 380 times greater than at the surface."
The term for this change in pressure is called hydrostatic pressure and it plays a huge part in why free diving is so dangerous. It also explains why divers need to take their time returning to the surface. Furthermore, the weight or our muscles and fat contribute to us being more dense in the water. Additionally, the air in our lungs gets more compressed the deeper we go into the water. This in turn not only makes us less buoyant but we actually "become more negatively buoyant ...meaning we descend quicker."
Viewers Online Were Terrified
Screenshot from Pexels by Orfeas Tim
While many people may never consider going free diving themselves, it was still a terrifying video to watch. To understand the frightening reality of the ocean and just how dangerous it can be. Whether you are diving 65 feet down or not, it is important to understand how it works so you can avoid sinking down.
Unilad shared some reactions of viewers who were spooked after watching the video. One viewer was horrified at the video and they commented, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU SINK WHEN YOU GO DEEPER."
Another shared, "I had no idea this was a thing and I just became slightly more afraid of the ocean."
A third chimed in, " Such a simple thing to give me nightmares."
While the truth may be daunting it is important to understand why people sink as well as at what depths. So, unless you are a trained professional or with professionals avoiding free diving, particularly to depths of 65 feet down.
