Man Underwater

Thermal Evolution

The steady march of under-water progress has seen some different concepts for man underwater. An early prediction was that the entire body should be encased in heavy material to protect from the conductivity of water. Later this changed with recreational diving as neoprene wetsuits became popular. With the 1980s heralding the introduction of the drysuit into the mainstream dive community things stayed as they were until the 21st century.

A hybrid of the wetsuit/drysuit is seen by many as the next step in the evolution of thermal protection. It is often a complaint that splendid though the drysuit is at keeping a diver warm in cold water, the air-space problems, boyancy considerations and other nuances can detract from its value. Likewise a wetsuit can be extremely versitile and user-friendly to use but suffers from loss of thermal insulation at depth and lacks the warmth of a dry-suit.

A brilliant idea now taking form commercially is the mainstream introduction of battery heated 'Jackets'. This thermal material operates similar to a radiator and wraps around the torso over the wetsuit. Commercial divers have and continue to use 'hot water suits' which operate on a similar principle. But these 'heat jackets' which are smaller and umbilical-independant make fusion of drysuit warmth with wetsuit ease is a reality. Currently the only limitations on this evolution are battery power and that the arms, legs and head are not covered by the 'Heat Jacket'. It is predicted that in the near-future wetsuits will come with these 'built-in'. With advances in battery life hours of warm diving in freezing conditions will be feasible.

Article Written by Rick Archer Chief Editor of Diving Lore.

For a full description of Future diving & the Underwater Realm follow this link Future Diving

Underwater Cities

Brave New World

Some development and research has gone into the concept of having underwater living complexes. During the 1960s through to the mid-1980s the USA began investigating this possibility through its underwater habitation program. Headed by the US Navy several divers lived in underwater buildings in the shallows at depths of around 10m. They proved that it could be done and the divers themselves lived under water for weeks at a time. So why hasn't the concept gone further? Some futurists and experts argue a compelling case for taking the concept further.

On paper having cities underwater would certainly go a long way into dealing with the over-population concerns now taking shape across the world. Many in the space agencies and the corridors of power look to the stars to seek answers from soaring numbers in cities and towns, but some reason that it is the below the surface the answer truly lies. Over 70% of the world is covered by water so making use of it would certainly make sense in proportion to the land mass available. Indeed many sections of continental shelves close to land would prove ideal sites. At depths of 100m or more from the surface a good sized city anchored into the earths crust would give excellent protection from hurricanes, storms and even meteorites! With water processing plants providing clean water for the inhabitants and power being provided by a relay of tidal wave generators the city would be to a certain extent self-sufficient from the outside world.

Even though we are in the dawn of the 21st Century, cities underwater still has the ring of science-fiction to it. From the practical aspect the massive amounts of spending required to build and maintain an underwater complex would mean that it would undoubtedly require a massive joint effort from several countries. Unless there is a breakthrough in hydroponics most of the food supplies would have to be imported via supply subs as no sunlight equals no photosynthesis to grow foodstuffs. Living underwater is in some ways like living under a hostile environment, an accident, rogue action or sabotage could easily lead to catastrophe among the inhabitants.

Another avenue for the underwater population concept is in the industrial sector. Valuble resources such as diamonds and rare minerals are known to exist underwater, if an area were to be found where they were concentrated in abundance it would prove a strong case for development of underwater mining operations. The cost in running such an operation would likely be exceeded by the bounty reaped from the depths.

Currently there are some small self-contained under water habitats in operation but these are purely for scientific and research use. Only time will tell if they are the cornerstone of mankinds progression into the depths...

Article Written by Rick Archer Chief Editor of Diving Lore.

For a full description of future diving follow this link Future Diving

Underwater Realm & The Future of Diving

"Its AD 2050 - Underwater cities bustle with activity in the ocean depths, mighty submarines the size of cruise liners travelling between them delivering passengers and cargo, all the while vast underwater mining complexes extracted untold mineral resources. Divers venture forth with fail-safe breathing gear and hazard free gas mixes allowing the boldest of independant exploration and adventure."

A bold and accurate future vision of the future? Next generation technology and mankinds advancement taking us to the next level? Or is it a far fetched fantasy and out-of-reach to us?

Over the next few posts these distant visions will be considered and explained.

Article Written by Rick Archer Chief Editor of Diving Lore.