How Deep Can a Human Go?
In short: From a single breath to a crewed bathyscaphe, how deep a human can go depends on what protects the body from the ocean's rising pressure.
A 2:06 short film in the series “The Ocean”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.
Sources used in this film: Frontiers in Physiology (article hosted by PubMed Central, US National Library of Medicine), “Breath-Hold Diving – The Physiology of Diving Deep and Returning”; National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “How does pressure change with ocean depth?”; NOAA Ocean Exploration (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce), “How does pressure impact animals in the ocean? - NOAA Ocean Exploration”; NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO), “Slide 1”; Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine journal (hosted on PubMed Central, US National Library of Medicine), “Extremely deep bounce dives: planning and physiological challenges based on the experiences of a sample of French-speaking technical divers”; Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine (journal), hosted on PubMed Central by the US National Library of Medicine (Gouin et al., 2025), “Diving practices in technical divers’ community and behaviour towards self-reported unusual symptoms”; Medical Gas Research (via PubMed Central, US National Library of Medicine), “Theoretical considerations on the ultimate depth that could be reached by saturation human divers”; StatPearls (hosted on NCBI Bookshelf, U.S. National Library of Medicine), “High-Pressure Neurological Syndrome”; Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine Journal (hosted on PubMed Central, US National Library of Medicine), “Review of saturation decompression procedures used in commercial diving - PMC”; NOAA Ocean Exploration (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), “What is the “deep” ocean? - NOAA Ocean Exploration”; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce – JetStream, “Layers of the Ocean”; NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL), “dzia4367.pdf”; Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, “Pressure Suit, Diver's, Mark V”; Australian National Maritime Museum, “Full ocean depth - from bathysphere to DEEPSEA CHALLENGER | Australian National Maritime Museum”; U.S. Naval Institute (Proceedings magazine), essay by Don Walsh, “Returning to the Ocean's Deepest Place”.
Sources used in this film
- Frontiers in Physiology (article hosted by PubMed Central, US National Library of Medicine) — Breath-Hold Diving – The Physiology of Diving Deep and Returning · View →
- National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — How does pressure change with ocean depth? · View →
- NOAA Ocean Exploration (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce) — How does pressure impact animals in the ocean? - NOAA Ocean Exploration · View →
- NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) — Slide 1 · View →
- Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine journal (hosted on PubMed Central, US National Library of Medicine) — Extremely deep bounce dives: planning and physiological challenges based on the experiences of a sample of French-speaking technical divers · View →
- Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine (journal), hosted on PubMed Central by the US National Library of Medicine (Gouin et al., 2025) — Diving practices in technical divers’ community and behaviour towards self-reported unusual symptoms · View →
- Medical Gas Research (via PubMed Central, US National Library of Medicine) — Theoretical considerations on the ultimate depth that could be reached by saturation human divers · View →
- StatPearls (hosted on NCBI Bookshelf, U.S. National Library of Medicine) — High-Pressure Neurological Syndrome · View →
- Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine Journal (hosted on PubMed Central, US National Library of Medicine) — Review of saturation decompression procedures used in commercial diving - PMC · View →
- NOAA Ocean Exploration (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) — What is the “deep” ocean? - NOAA Ocean Exploration · View →
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce – JetStream — Layers of the Ocean · View →
- NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) — dzia4367.pdf · View →
- Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum — Pressure Suit, Diver's, Mark V · View →
- Australian National Maritime Museum — Full ocean depth - from bathysphere to DEEPSEA CHALLENGER | Australian National Maritime Museum · View →
- U.S. Naval Institute (Proceedings magazine), essay by Don Walsh — Returning to the Ocean's Deepest Place · View →
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Frontiers in Physiology (via PubMed Central, U.S. National Library of Medicine): Breath-Hold Diving – The Physiology of Diving Deep and Returning
- Also: National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): How does pressure change with ocean depth?
- Also: NOAA Ocean Exploration (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce): How does pressure impact animals in the ocean? - NOAA Ocean Exploration
- Also: NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO): Slide 1
- Also: Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine journal (hosted on PubMed Central, US National Library of Medicine): Extremely deep bounce dives: planning and physiological challenges based on the experiences of a sample of French-speaking technical divers
- Also: Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine (journal), hosted on PubMed Central by the US National Library of Medicine (Gouin et al.,: Diving practices in technical divers’ community and behaviour towards self-reported unusual symptoms
- Also: Medical Gas Research (via PubMed Central, US National Library of Medicine): Theoretical considerations on the ultimate depth that could be reached by saturation human divers
- Also: StatPearls (hosted on NCBI Bookshelf, U.S. National Library of Medicine): High-Pressure Neurological Syndrome
- Also: Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine Journal (hosted on PubMed Central, US National Library of Medicine): Review of saturation decompression procedures used in commercial diving - PMC
- Also: NOAA Ocean Exploration (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce): What is the “deep” ocean? - NOAA Ocean Exploration
- Also: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce — JetStream: Layers of the Ocean
- Also: NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL): dzia4367.pdf
- Also: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: Pressure Suit, Diver's, Mark V
- Also: Australian National Maritime Museum: Full ocean depth - from bathysphere to DEEPSEA CHALLENGER | Australian National Maritime Museum
- Also: U.S. Naval Institute (Proceedings magazine), essay by Don Walsh: Returning to the Ocean's Deepest Place
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