Implosion?

[Kutan]

I'm not sure if this relates to Earth Science but my question is.. When you reach a certain depth in the Ocean, it's inevitable that you'll eventually just be crushed by all of the pressure down there. When you reach that depth, what actually happens? Are you slowly crushed or automatically just turn into a speck of death? Are you pulled into that "pressure zone" or are you repelled?

[Tormod]

Since there is no way to reach this depth instantaneously, you would not get far below the surface before you were crushed. I don't think implosion is what happens - you simple get crushed by the massive weight of the water and the lack of pressure inside the body.

 

If you accidentally fell out of a submarine at extreme depths you might survive for a little while (until you drown), but I reckon you'd be crushed pretty fast.

[Kutan]

Well, let's just say, hypothetically, you swam from the top of the ocean all the way to that depth. What would exactly happen? Aside from drowning of course, I just can't logically see someone's entire body being crushed all at once instead of maybe a limb at a time. I assume that certain bodily functions and systems might be affected by the pressure.

[LaurieAG]

Well, let's just say, hypothetically, you swam from the top of the ocean all the way to that depth. What would exactly happen? Aside from drowning of course, I just can't logically see someone's entire body being crushed all at once instead of maybe a limb at a time. I assume that certain bodily functions and systems might be affected by the pressure.

 

It's probably the opposite to what happens when a fish is brought up from the depths very quickly.

[Tormod]

I just can't logically see someone's entire body being crushed all at once instead of maybe a limb at a time. I assume that certain bodily functions and systems might be affected by the pressure.

 

It's easy to test. Simply dive in and try to get very deep. It's very difficult to get below, say, 10 meters (30 feet), without scuba equipment, because the air in your body will cause you to float back up. People who do extreme diving (without breathing equipment) have to build up an arsenal of tricks to hold their breath and stay awake as they go deeper, and they need a rope and weight system to transport them to the depths.

 

It is actually less logical to think that one part of the body would suffer more than the body as a whole. An empty coke can would crush at less than 35 feet unless I got my figures wrong (I saw this very experiment on TV last Sunday). Your entire body is gradually suffering from the extreme weight of the water. Although conscience would probably go before your body, I wouldn't test it. :D

 

Although at depths less than 60 meters I think you're more likely to suffer from pressure related problems that will cause trouble for your blood system, for example the "bends" - Decompression Sickness: Diving and Compressed Air Injuries: Merck Manual Home Edition

[Boerseun]

Hypothetically, if you were to magically appear in the water 10,000 meters under the surface, your body would compress to the same density as the water surrounding you. And seeing as the biggest part of your body mass consists out of water, what will happen is the following:

 

Your sinuses contain air pockets, and the overlying bone will collapse to fill these pockets. This means the biggest part of your forehead will implode. Your chest contains your lungs, but seeing as your ribs are stronger than your gut, your diaphragm should tear and your chest cavity will be filled with your guts, leaving you with an imploded lower belly. Obviously, any air pockets in your intestines and stomach will be compressed, well, by simply being pressed flat against each other with overlying water pressing your belly flat. The pressure created by your skin (much weakened seeing as your cells are also experiencing the crushing pressure on their walls - but consisting mainly out of liquid, they shouldn't suffer too much) being stressed will slowly be relieved as water will enter your body through any orifice available. I would imagine your entire belly will eventually raise almost back to where it was originally, the inside being filled with water through your fundamental orifice.

 

Your whole body would almost instantly become floppy and unsupported by a sturdy and firm skeleton, seeing as almost all the long bones making up your skeleton is hollow. They will be crushed.

 

Sounds like fun, but count me out.

[Kutan]

Hypothetically, if you were to magically appear in the water 10,000 meters under the surface, your body would compress to the same density as the water surrounding you. And seeing as the biggest part of your body mass consists out of water, what will happen is the following:

 

Your sinuses contain air pockets, and the overlying bone will collapse to fill these pockets. This means the biggest part of your forehead will implode. Your chest contains your lungs, but seeing as your ribs are stronger than your gut, your diaphragm should tear and your chest cavity will be filled with your guts, leaving you with an imploded lower belly. Obviously, any air pockets in your intestines and stomach will be compressed, well, by simply being pressed flat against each other with overlying water pressing your belly flat. The pressure created by your skin (much weakened seeing as your cells are also experiencing the crushing pressure on their walls - but consisting mainly out of liquid, they shouldn't suffer too much) being stressed will slowly be relieved as water will enter your body through any orifice available. I would imagine your entire belly will eventually raise almost back to where it was originally, the inside being filled with water through your fundamental orifice.

 

Your whole body would almost instantly become floppy and unsupported by a sturdy and firm skeleton, seeing as almost all the long bones making up your skeleton is hollow. They will be crushed.

 

Sounds like fun, but count me out.

 

That.. Is... AWESOME! er.. Well, it sounds horrifyingly painful if you live long enough to experience a second of it. The part about your diaphragm tearing and your guts filling your chest cavity sounds pretty gruesome, especially that mental image I got.

 

People who do extreme diving (without breathing equipment) have to build up an arsenal of tricks to hold their breath and stay awake as they go deeper,

People do that? That sounds insanely dangerous, even more dangerous than base jumping or whatever it's called when you jump off of a really tall building and parachute like half-way.