Styrofoam Cup at 3,100ft and the Perils of the Deep
What happens to a Styrofoam cup when its 3,100ft underwater? Click here for the pics.
I often get asked about the maximum depth SCUBA divers can go. They are usually surprised to find out that the maximum depth is about 250m. 250m is with all the insanely sophisticated equiptment and gas mixtures. The most I have ever been down is about 42m and PADI puts the limit at 40m for recreational diving.
Why is it so shallow? A lot of reasons. Firstly and most importantly every 33ft you go down adds another atmosphere of pressure on you. As the pressure increases it plays havoc with the air that you breath. If you get too much Nitrogen then you really really high. Imagine getting the drunkest you have ever been suddenly and without warning in a environment where you really need to be paying attention (ie driving). The other danger is when Oxygen gets compressed it becomes toxic. I am sure that you heard that too much oxygen can kill you, like lets say is you breathed the oxygen that they give you at a hospital for too long. As you get more and more atmospheres of pressure you are inhaling more and more compressed breaths of air that contain more and more oxygen.
Despite these limitations of nature, the actual record for a deep diver is 2000 ft under water, but this was with a ADS hardshell suit. The ADS suit looks like the Elementals from from Battletech or something out of Bioshock. Personally I do not count this as SCUBA (Self Contain Breathing Apparatus) but it was really interesting to research.
I often get asked about the maximum depth SCUBA divers can go. They are usually surprised to find out that the maximum depth is about 250m. 250m is with all the insanely sophisticated equiptment and gas mixtures. The most I have ever been down is about 42m and PADI puts the limit at 40m for recreational diving.
Why is it so shallow? A lot of reasons. Firstly and most importantly every 33ft you go down adds another atmosphere of pressure on you. As the pressure increases it plays havoc with the air that you breath. If you get too much Nitrogen then you really really high. Imagine getting the drunkest you have ever been suddenly and without warning in a environment where you really need to be paying attention (ie driving). The other danger is when Oxygen gets compressed it becomes toxic. I am sure that you heard that too much oxygen can kill you, like lets say is you breathed the oxygen that they give you at a hospital for too long. As you get more and more atmospheres of pressure you are inhaling more and more compressed breaths of air that contain more and more oxygen.
Despite these limitations of nature, the actual record for a deep diver is 2000 ft under water, but this was with a ADS hardshell suit. The ADS suit looks like the Elementals from from Battletech or something out of Bioshock. Personally I do not count this as SCUBA (Self Contain Breathing Apparatus) but it was really interesting to research.
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