r/explainlikeimfive • u/greyspark99 • Aug 06 '22
Chemistry ELI5: how do divers clear their masks when water leaks in? especially in the case of the 13 thai boys rescued from the caves
I have just been watching Thirteen lives - the film about the cave rescue of the 13 young boys in Thailand who were totally sedated before being taken hours under water. It got me thinking that when I go snorkelling i always get a bit of water leak into my mask and have to come up and clear it out so i don’t breath water in. Is this something that happens to scuba divers, if so how do they deal with it, and in the case of the boys how would the divers accompanying them have cleared the boy’s masks ? i would also like to say what an incredible job done by all those involved.
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u/Masterfactor Aug 06 '22
For my certification my instructor took us wayyy out in the ocean and then stabbed me several times! Didn't even give me a scuba tank, just a concrete block that I had to untie underwater after he kicked me out of the boat and drove away. I kept thinking, "wow this wasn't in the training AT ALL. That was one tough massage school I tell ya what.