[thechat] sport and life?

Seb seb at members.evolt.org
Thu Dec 6 19:46:19 CST 2001


>>>Just a hunch, but wouldn't this essentially turn the diver into a depth 
>>>charge? How deep would you need to go before (theoretically / actually) 
>>>exploding?


Depends on the air mix... you need more nitrogen at greater depths or risk 
oxygen toxicity (really, really nasty seizures and death). WWII-era 
submarines that ended up on the ocean floor were known for exploding 
(imploding is when external forces induce catastrophic structural failure) 
due to electrical sparks, etc. Lighting a match in atmospheric air at 200 
metres would cause it to burn like an arc-welding torch, and combust the 
atmosphere.

Diving to 20 - 30 metres wouldn't be anywhere near as spectacular, though 
it would probably cause a cigarette to flash through, rather than 
smouldering. God alone knows what would happen with a butane lighter at 
that depth.

As martin says, anyone even joking about that kind of stunt near a dive 
would probably get fed to the nearest carnivorous fish.

Seb.






More information about the thechat mailing list