depth and pressure limitations

[spacemanspiff1974]

I have a rather bizarre question regarding the pressure limits the human body can withstand.

Assuming that I had no time limit or air/gas limit, what is the maximum pressure/depth that the human body can withstand.

For instance, if I wanted to dive the Galapagos thermal vents (8,000 ft) and could slowly descend for a month or more, could this even be done? Is there a pressure at which HPNS is completely unavoidable?

I'm assuming that the navy has done some experiment like this using mice or rhesus monkeys, but am not sure where to find such info.

 

[DandyDon]

With over 3,500# of pressure, get a good reg and lots of HP tanks.

 

[Dave Zimmerly]

You'd be so narc'd at 8,000 that your brain would probably stop functioning.

Dave (aka "Squirt")

 

[spacemanspiff1974]

Forget narcosis at that depth. That is why I said air/gas. I figure I would be breathing mostly helium with only a tiny bit of oxygen. But I still haven't found out about the pressure limits on the human body even if done slowly.

Those rich guys have been flying baloons around the world for a while now, but if any of us had the time or money, how deep could we actually go before permanant damage or death?

 

[daniel f aleman]

I sure hope that the answer to your question stays hypothetical.

 

[spacemanspiff1974]

As much as I would love to explore the pacific thermal vents, yes this is completely hypothetical.

 

[spectrum]

I think someone who sounded smart once posted that around 2000 feet there is someting about the cell walls ability to function that breaks down.

That would be an answer setting aside the narcosis, gas volume, deco obligations and other practical nuisances.

Pete

 

[spacemanspiff1974]

Animal cells don't have a cell wall. But I am not trying to be rude to your response.

The photographs and videos of the thermal vents clearly show eukaryotic organisms - particularly tube worms. This would indicate that higher organisms can survive at this depth. By higher I mean multi-cellular animals. However the nervous system of a tube worm is just a wee bit different than that of a vertebrate...

If anybody knows the answer, please post. I'll keep searching on my own, but still want to know the answer.

 

[PaulChristenson]

So are we talking freediving...so you can avoid the deco obligation???

 

[RumBum]

I did some research and here is what I found:
Sperm whale = over 5,000 feet
Human = at 600 feet we confront signs of HPNS. This is suspected to be relative to Helium use and also rate of compression (descent rate.) http://scuba-doc.com/HPNS.html

So what do the whales have that we don't have? They aren't breathing at depth. If you can freedive it you'll be okay.