this post was submitted on 19 Apr 2024
463 points (97.9% liked)
Science Memes
10885 readers
3662 users here now
Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!
A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.
Rules
- Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
- Keep it rooted (on topic).
- No spam.
- Infographics welcome, get schooled.
This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.
Research Committee
Other Mander Communities
Science and Research
Biology and Life Sciences
- !abiogenesis@mander.xyz
- !animal-behavior@mander.xyz
- !anthropology@mander.xyz
- !arachnology@mander.xyz
- !balconygardening@slrpnk.net
- !biodiversity@mander.xyz
- !biology@mander.xyz
- !biophysics@mander.xyz
- !botany@mander.xyz
- !ecology@mander.xyz
- !entomology@mander.xyz
- !fermentation@mander.xyz
- !herpetology@mander.xyz
- !houseplants@mander.xyz
- !medicine@mander.xyz
- !microscopy@mander.xyz
- !mycology@mander.xyz
- !nudibranchs@mander.xyz
- !nutrition@mander.xyz
- !palaeoecology@mander.xyz
- !palaeontology@mander.xyz
- !photosynthesis@mander.xyz
- !plantid@mander.xyz
- !plants@mander.xyz
- !reptiles and amphibians@mander.xyz
Physical Sciences
- !astronomy@mander.xyz
- !chemistry@mander.xyz
- !earthscience@mander.xyz
- !geography@mander.xyz
- !geospatial@mander.xyz
- !nuclear@mander.xyz
- !physics@mander.xyz
- !quantum-computing@mander.xyz
- !spectroscopy@mander.xyz
Humanities and Social Sciences
Practical and Applied Sciences
- !exercise-and sports-science@mander.xyz
- !gardening@mander.xyz
- !self sufficiency@mander.xyz
- !soilscience@slrpnk.net
- !terrariums@mander.xyz
- !timelapse@mander.xyz
Memes
Miscellaneous
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
You can go much deeper than 10 fathoms without supplemental oxygen, half the people reading this right now could do it with some training.
The world record is 117 fathoms on a single breath.
Free divers are a bit crazy...
No, just brain damaged from oxygen deprivation
How do they go back to the surface without fainting from decompression?
They're only down there for a very short time and they don't have a lot of nitrogen stored in their lungs, so decompression sickness is usually not an issue. I think there have been a few cases, especially with repeated, very deep dives. But nothing you have to worry about as a normal hobby freediver.
Passing out at the surface is quite common though, but not due to decompression sickness. It's the lack of oxygen that can happen when you have learned to completely ignore your urge to breathe and then stay down for too long. The reason why you pass out at the surface and almost never at the bottom, is because the water pressure compresses the air in your lungs. At a depth of 10 meters (30 feet), four liters of air in your lungs are compressed down to two liters. This is basically "concentrated air", which contains "concentrated oxygen". If the air is compressed to half the volume, it's like having twice as much oxygen in it. Then, as you ascend to the surface, the air in your lungs expands again, turning the concentrated oxygen into regular oxygen and then it's just not enough anymore and you pass out.
That's why it's recommended to always have someone with you who stays at at the surface and who can step in if you pass out, keeping your head above the water. It has never happened to me, but I'm really a beginner and I still have an urge to breathe that forces me to go back to the surface after a short while.