Watch: MythBusters Pig in Diving Suit Video, What Happened to the Pig in the Diving Suit?
MythBusters Pig in Diving Suit Video:- Have you ever wondered what would happen to a human body if it was exposed to the extreme pressure of the deep sea? Well, you are not alone. The popular TV show MythBusters has conducted a gruesome experiment to test this scenario, using a pig carcass as a stand-in for a human diver.
What is deep sea implosion?
Deep sea implosion is a phenomenon that occurs when an object or a person is subjected to a sudden and drastic change in pressure due to the depth of the water. The deeper you go, the higher the pressure becomes. For example, at sea level, the atmospheric pressure is about 14.7 pounds per square inch (psi). But at 300 feet underwater, the pressure is about 135 psi, which is nine times greater than at sea level. And at 12,000 feet underwater, where the Titanic wreck lies, the pressure is about 5,600 psi, which is 380 times greater than at sea level.
When an object or a person is designed to withstand a certain pressure level, such as a diving suit or a submarine, and that pressure level is suddenly exceeded, the object or person can implode, meaning collapse inward due to the external force. This can result in severe damage or death.
MythBusters Pig in Diving Suit Video
How did MythBusters test the Pig Diving Experiment?
In season 7, episode 19 of MythBusters, titled “Dive to Survive”, the hosts Jessi Combs, Kari Byron, Tory Belleci, and Grant Imahara wanted to test the myth that an old-fashioned diving suit could implode if the air supply was cut off during a deep sea dive. The myth claimed that the rapid change in pressure would be so great that the diver’s body would be squeezed into the helmet.
To test this myth, they created a human-shaped mannequin from pig parts, including bones, muscles, fat, skin, and organs. They dressed the mannequin in an old diving suit and lowered it to 300 feet underwater. Then they cut off the air supply line that was pumping air into the suit to counteract the water pressure. They recorded what happened with an underwater camera.
The result was horrifying. The suit imploded almost instantly, and most of the pig’s flesh was forced into the helmet, leaving behind a mangled mess of bones and fabric. The video clip of this experiment has gone viral on Twitter recently, following the news that five passengers on board the Titan submersible have died after their vessel suffered a catastrophic implosion during its descent to the Titanic wreck site.
What does this mean for human divers?
The MythBusters experiment shows what could happen to a human diver if their diving suit failed at 300 feet underwater. However, this is not a realistic scenario for most divers today, as modern diving suits are much more advanced and reliable than the old ones used in the experiment. Moreover, most recreational divers do not go deeper than 130 feet underwater, which is considered the limit for safe diving.
However, there are some situations where human divers may face the risk of deep-sea implosion. For example, some professional divers use atmospheric diving suits (ADS), which are rigid metal suits that allow them to dive deeper than 1,000 feet underwater without decompression. These suits are pressurized to match the atmospheric pressure at sea level, so they protect the diver from the effects of water pressure. But if these suits were damaged or breached during a dive, they could implode and crush the diver inside.
Another example is submarine accidents. Submarines are also pressurized to maintain a comfortable environment for their crew and passengers. But if they encounter a mechanical failure or a collision that compromises their hull integrity, they could implode under immense water pressure. This is what likely happened to the Titan submersible, which was carrying five people on an expedition to explore the Titanic wreck site. The submersible reportedly imploded at about 12,000 feet underwater, where the pressure is so high that it would have killed them instantly.
Deep sea implosion is a terrifying phenomenon that shows how powerful and unforgiving nature can be. The MythBusters experiment with the pig in a diving suit demonstrates what could happen to a human body if it was exposed to a sudden and drastic change in pressure due to depth. However, this experiment does not reflect what most divers experience today, as modern diving suits and submarines are designed to withstand high-pressure levels. Nevertheless, deep sea implosion remains a potential hazard for anyone who ventures into the depths of the ocean, and it should be respected and avoided at all costs.
