Moment divers find man alive in sunken ship off Nigerian coast

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Would the surrounding water help to release oxygen back into the air? ( I honestly don't know- which is why I ask.)

It's a bit semantics but the issue would not have been lack of oxygen but rather too much carbon dioxide. In that regard the water would have helped as CO2 is more soluble in water than oxygen and nitrogen and would have helped to mitigate the rising CO2 levels each breath he took.

[CarlW]

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

It's a bit semantics but the issue would not have been lack of oxygen but rather too much carbon dioxide. In that regard the water would have helped as CO2 is more soluble in water than oxygen and nitrogen and would have helped to mitigate the rising CO2 levels each breath he took.

Wait so if you were in this situation, everytime you exhale you did it in the water (like mouth and nose under water) that would enable you to last longer?

[4X4]

Originally Posted by CarlW

Wait so if you were in this situation, everytime you exhale you did it in the water (like mouth and nose under water) that would enable you to last longer?

Yes. And if you fart in the water, you'll stay warmer as well.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by CarlW

Wait so if you were in this situation, everytime you exhale you did it in the water (like mouth and nose under water) that would enable you to last longer?

Not necessarily. In a normal environment we inhale about 20% oxygen and exhale about 15%. Only about 4% of what we exhale is carbon dioxide. So if you're exhaling in the water you might prevent/delay carbon dioxide poisoning but speed up suffocation. It would depend on how much air and it's make up is getting back into the bubble.

The excess energy expended doing so would probably cancel out any positive it might have especially once you factor in hypothermia.

[Hockeyguy15]

Carbon dioxide poisoning would not be the worst death in that situation.