at what depth can the human body with oxygen survive under the sea?

Question

how deep can we go with oxygen with out being severely crippled by pressure, in other words no special suit or submersible

Answer 1

On 100% oxygen, the maximum "safe" operating depth is about 19 feet. See this link for more details:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_operating_depth

However.... the blue whale, which takes a breath at the surface, has been recorded diving to a depth of 1,640 feet. Assuming someone could hold their breath long enough, it is theoretically possible for a human to go that far or more. Our bodies are mostly water, which is not affected by pressure - it can not be crushed. The small pockets of gas in our ear, nose, stomach, etc., could be crushed - giving someone a severe discomfort, but it would "probably" not be fatal.

Answer 2

Yes, drinking only water, the average well-nourished adult can survive approximately two months. But after the first 4 weeks, s/he will start to become weaker and develop symptoms of starvation. For approximately the first 4 weeks, the body can survive in good condition by using up the fat stored in the body. The first 4-5 days are the hardest, because your body is expecting to be fed. After that, the body starts to conserve energy by making the digestive system slow down [it doesn't have much to do anyway). The person will start to have little bits of diarrhea, but this is more an inconvenience than anything to worry about; it's just the gut getting rid of what little remains in there. After the 4th or 5th day, hunger will gradually fade away to nothing. After approximately 4 weeks, depending on the individual, a ravenous hunger will return suddenly. This is the signal that the body has used up all its reserves. The person will now need to eat or else there will be some damage to the body, though not necessarily permanent.

Answer 3

At certain pressures, breathig 100% oxygen can be toxic. Divers are not allowed to go below 99 feet of sea water (fsw) beathing 100% oxygen.

Partial pressures are something different. you can cut the oxygen with nitrogen to produce a lower partial pressure of oxygen... if you were breathing 1% of oxygen in a mixed gas at 660 fsw (20 ATM), it would be the same as breathing 20% O2 at the surface. (33 fsw=1 Atmosphere or ATM).

The pressure itself would not hurt you, because as you breath in the pressurized gas, it will equalize with the pressure around you to create a net force of 0. Our only limitations is mixing a safe breathing gas mixture that allows you to get a non-lethal dose of oxygen and nitrogen.

The deepest we've gone was 1500 fsw, I believe.

Answer 4

The deepest dive with scuba gear recorded is 313 meters by Mark Ellyatt in 2003

According to the "open water sport diver manual" : "No one knows exactly how much pressure the human body can withstand, but it is deeper than 1,500 feet."

Diving wise, noone is going to reach that depth because of various physiological factors that prevent them from functioning. These include impaired intellectual functioning and tremors.

Answer 5

with pure oxygen beyond i think 20 feet is toxic.

Divers can use a helium oxygen and somethin else mixture to go as deep as 300 feet. as far as how much pressure it would take for a person to be in serious trouble im not sure

Answer 6

If you can invent a device that takes O2 from the salt water, similar to a fish's gill, then you can travel very deeply indeed into the sea.

Answer 7

with pure oxygen, you will die of oxide poisoning somewhere between 300-1000 ft. With a HelOx mix, you can go down 1-2 miles.

Answer 8

I think that some folks have gone to 1200 meters without a problem
but I am not 100 % sure. You have to use a snorkel or something similar.

Answer 9

It somewhat depends on an individual's skeletal frame, and how how much fat and muscle they have. Try drawing a free-body diagram, and work at it from there.