Human beings are naturally curious about everything that happens underwater; after having crossed the entire surface of the earth to draw the map, the explorers took a look underwater up to the maximum depths. Opening your eyes in the pool is tempting, despite the well-known stinging sensation caused by chlorine. There are ways to get used to this discomfort, but there are also legitimate health implications. For this reason, you should wear goggles or a mask when you want to satisfy your curiosity as an underwater explorer, be it in the pool, on the beach or in a lake.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Open the Underwater Eyes
Step 1. Look inside the pool
It sounds easy to say, but anyone who has tried it knows the stinging sensation that accompanies opening the eyes in chlorinated water. Fortunately, there are techniques that allow the eyes to get used to water. If these methods do not lead to satisfactory results, it is advisable to go back to wearing goggles or a mask to see safely in the pool.
- Practice at home by filling the sink or bathtub with water, plugging your nose and submerging your face, then opening your eyes. By starting with water without chlorine or residue, you are able to get used to the sensation of the water itself in your eyes without experiencing any other discomfort.
- Pools with chlorine typically have a safety-controlled pH of around 7.0-7.6. This can effectively kill bacteria, but doesn't get rid of the grease and sebum that people have. transfer to water; these body by-products are irritating to the eyes.
- Although exposure to normal doses of chlorine creates eye irritation, it is not responsible for permanent damage. However, it is able to eliminate the tear layer that protects the cornea, making the eye more vulnerable to bacteria that have survived the chlorinated environment of the pool.
- In case of inflammation, wash your eyes with fresh, clean water or use eye drops with a saline solution to relieve discomfort.
Step 2. Open your eyes in the sea
Swimming in natural waters avoids the risk of eye irritation from chlorine, but there is an important detail to underline: the absence of chlorine is equivalent to the presence of bacteria and pathogenic residues. In the waters near the beach, the waves constantly throw sand and rock debris onto the shore, which can consequently cause corneal abrasions. In the open sea you will have the opportunity to enjoy a more pleasant underwater experience.
Be careful not to open your mouth; While not as dangerous as it may seem, a sip of seawater contains millions of bacterial cells, tens of thousands of zooplankton organisms and hundreds of thousands of phytoplankton
Step 3. Open your eyes in the lake waters
In this case, bacteria are your first concern. While it is unlikely that any single-celled inhabitant of the lake will cause you problems, it is advisable to wear protection (a mask or goggles) when you want to observe the world underwater. In the shallow waters you can find dirt and other dangerous particles from the lake bottom that rise as you swim and can get into your eyes.
- Acanthamoeba is a particularly dangerous microorganism found in fresh water (including tap water, although rarely). In the event of an eye infection, a corneal transplant may be necessary.
- In the lakes it is possible to open your eyes underwater without experiencing the discomfort caused by the chlorine of the swimming pools or by the wave motion of the sea along the shore. If you feel like taking a risk, in these waters you can keep your eyes open for a longer time than in the others you can swim in! However, the bad visibility offered by the lake prevents you from enjoying a fascinating spectacle.
Step 4. Remove your contact lenses
You must remove them before opening your eyes underwater, in any environment described above. Although the risk of the lenses coming off is minimal (the water pressure should keep them in place), the greatest danger is represented by bacterial infections.
If you wear glasses or LACs, you can buy diving masks or graduated diving goggles. Wearing these devices is a much safer alternative to seeing underwater than opening your eyes without protection and is perfect for all people who don't have good eyesight without glasses
Method 2 of 3: Prepare for an Underwater Exploration
Step 1. Put on the goggles
This way you can see underwater without experiencing any eye irritation and the straps allow the device to stay firmly around your head while you swim. The goggles are easy to attach: place the lenses on your eyes and pull the silicone band, bringing it behind your head. The strap should fit snugly around the temples, as well as the goggles, without causing pain.
- A pair of goggles only works well if they allow a tight seal around the eyes. If water gets inside them, it means you need to try a different model. The band and shape of the lenses should do all the work to ensure the watertight seal; you shouldn't have to constantly reset the suction cup action by pressing the goggles around the eye sockets.
- These accessories are used by practically all swimmers at a competitive level who do not want to compromise their vision or their speed by using a little aerodynamic mask.
- Swimming goggles have evolved a lot from the early designs made in the fourteenth century by the Persians, who used polished tortoise shells to protect the eyes while diving and collecting pearls. Modern devices provide excellent visibility and are constructed of materials such as plastics, silicone and polycarbonate blends.
Step 2. Put on a diving mask
It represents an evolution of the goggles and also covers the nose. If you find yourself uncomfortable exhaling through your nostrils, this device allows you to stop using those weird nose tweezers to go underwater! Just like the goggles, the mask also attaches to the head thanks to a single thicker band that should keep the device stationary while you swim, without forcing you to constantly apply pressure with your hands.
- The masks work because the flat surface and the air gap that forms between the glass and the eyes allow you to focus underwater. In water, light refracts differently than in the external environment and the mask is designed to correct this deviation.
- It is possible to attach the snorkel tube to the mask band - this way you can float on the surface for a long time having unlimited access to the precious air.
- If you use prescription glasses, you can buy a graduated mask! It is also possible to dive with contact lenses, but you should only use soft ones if you plan to go out to sea; stiff ones can cause painful sucking at great depths.
Step 3. Go scuba diving
Scuba diving (a tank filled with a correct mixture of compressed gases) is an activity known as "scuba diving" or "scuba diving". Divers are equipped with masks, wetsuits, fins and buoyancy compensators that help them move as they explore the seabed, wrecks, coral reefs and underwater cave systems. Look for scuba diving schools or courses in your city if you are interested in this sport! You need to know special safety concepts to minimize the risks associated with diving, as the underwater environment is not intended for human life.
- The wetsuits absorb and retain a layer of water which is heated by the body and which in turn keeps the diver warm. Know that it is cold in the depths of the sea!
- The fins guarantee an indispensable rapid propulsion, considering all the equipment a diver has to carry.
- Buoyancy compensation devices work by inflating and deflating a special vest; in this way they allow the control of the immersion depth. To facilitate the descent, weights are also used.
- Coral reefs can be natural, such as those created by an intricate and large coral system, or artificial, i.e. structures created or sunk deliberately by man.
Method 3 of 3: Scan the Sea from Below or Above
Step 1. Take a trip in a glass bottom boat
These boats are designed to allow passengers to observe the water below. Generally, they are used for tours along coral reefs, above wrecks or in other areas of interest for water activities. Tours of this type are not overly expensive when compared to other underwater exploration methods, and are offered by many companies in coastal cities and close to natural springs.
Step 2. Climb aboard a submarine
Although this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many people (unless you buy a DVD of the "Hunt for Red October" movie), as the cost of observing the seabed in a private submarine starts at € 600,000, civilian and military vehicles constantly patrol the depths of the sea. It is possible to take tours with military submarines not on active duty that open a window on the underwater world; however, there are companies in tourist resorts that offer underwater excursions to vacationers.
When it comes to these vehicles, know that the English acronym HOV indicates submarines led by a pilot, while the term ROV is used for those remotely controlled vehicles. On the web you can find a lot of information about it, which allows you to know which submarines are currently in use, even the model named "Alvin" which has been in use since 1964
Step 3. Take a walk along the beach
Raking the shore for shells, clypeasteroids and shark teeth gives you a unique experience as a land dweller curious about underwater life. If you think about it, there is a bit of mystery to all of this, considering that most of what is pushed onto the shore is dead or dying, but almost everything that is known about the ocean derives from these finds.
- It was not possible to photograph a live giant squid until 2012. It was only known of its existence thanks to the remains found along the shore or inside the stomach of sperm whales, also beached. As exciting as they may be, the anecdotal clues presented by ancient sailors are unfortunately not considered evidence.
- While walking along any beach, you can find many remains of some marine being. Residents of Oxnard, California, and other towns along the Pacific coast of North America became acquainted with creatures they (and many others) were completely unknown to, when huge numbers of St. Peter's boats (scientific name Velella velella) poured onto their beaches.
