• Question: would you say living underwater is better than on shore? :)

    Asked by guesswho to Sean on 20 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Sean Clement

      Sean Clement answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      Haha, give me some Gills and I’d be able to tell you!

      Well, to be able to survive underwater for very long, we need a lot of technology to help us out! Breathing apparatus for one. We lose heat 20x faster in water than we do in air so we need a second skin (i.e. a wetsuit) to try and slow this down in all but the very warmest of waters. Our body isn’t designed for underwater propulsion so we need to attach fins to our feet to be able to swim anywhere and our eyes can’t see properly without a layer of air in front of them to help us focus though so we need a mask or goggle to see!

      In other words, to quote The Little Mermaid, it may very well be better down where it’s wetter but we humans aren’t best suited to it so maybe we’re better off leaving it to the Fishes…

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