Earthquake

[John Yaskowich]

We had a very minor quake in the area a while ago and that got me thinking: What would be the effect if a small to medium earthquake struck while you were underwater?

I think it would be relatively safe unless you were close enough to shore to be affected by any tsunami generated. You would probably hear something but I don’t think there is much of pressure wave to crush the diver. On the other hand, if you are diving along a wall there might be debris shaken loose to fall on you. Any thoughts?

[cruzan]

Originally Posted by John Yaskowich

We had a very minor quake in the area a while ago and that got me thinking: What would be the effect if a small to medium earthquake struck while you were underwater?

I think it would be relatively safe unless you were close enough to shore to be affected by any tsunami generated. You would probably hear something but I don’t think there is much of pressure wave to crush the diver. On the other hand, if you are diving along a wall there might be debris shaken loose to fall on you. Any thoughts?

If you remember during the Christmas tsunami a couple of years ago there was a couple who were diving at the time.If you search I'm sure you can find their story.

[chilly willy]

Originally Posted by John Yaskowich

We had a very minor quake in the area a while ago and that got me thinking: What would be the effect if a small to medium earthquake struck while you were underwater?

I think it would be relatively safe unless you were close enough to shore to be affected by any tsunami generated. You would probably hear something but I don’t think there is much of pressure wave to crush the diver. On the other hand, if you are diving along a wall there might be debris shaken loose to fall on you. Any thoughts?

I live in the land of earthquakes and have no reseverations whatsoever about being underwater when one hits. The only thing that might give me pause is if I were in an overhead environment when a LARGE one hit. My biggest gripe would be missing the quake while in the water because you don't feel them, I kinda like them.

[BubblesMcCoy]

[quote=chilly willy;300616]

Originally Posted by John Yaskowich

[font=Arial] My biggest gripe would be missing the quake while in the water because you don't feel them, I kinda like them.

You have some strange hobbies there Chilly.

[chilly willy]

[quote=BubblesMcCoy;300617]

Originally Posted by chilly willy

You have some strange hobbies there Chilly.

So I've been told. I seem to be a bit of an odd weather magnet, I've been through hurricane Wilma while I was in Ft. Lauderdale, the big quake a couple years ago in Kona, and most every quake in SoCal. While traveling in the central US every year I am usually fairly close to a tornado or two. It's a good thing things like that usually intrigue rather than scare me.

[chinacat46]

[quote=chilly willy;300622]

Originally Posted by BubblesMcCoy

So I've been told. I seem to be a bit of an odd weather magnet, I've been through hurricane Wilma while I was in Ft. Lauderdale, the big quake a couple years ago in Kona, and most every quake in SoCal. While traveling in the central US every year I am usually fairly close to a tornado or two. It's a good thing things like that usually intrigue rather than scare me.

Let me know when you plan to go to Indonesia so I'll make sure it's not when I'm there.

[chilly willy]

I think I'll draw the line at tsunamis, too much chop!
So far you're good until at least next year, I'm looking for a timeshare but haven't found anything to my liking yet.

Originally Posted by chinacat46

Let me know when you plan to go to Indonesia so I'll make sure it's not when I'm there.

[Travelnsj]

Originally Posted by chilly willy

I live in the land of earthquakes and have no reseverations whatsoever about being underwater when one hits. The only thing that might give me pause is if I were in an overhead environment when a LARGE one hit. My biggest gripe would be missing the quake while in the water because you don't feel them, I kinda like them.

You should of been in San Pedro last week.....I have relatives who had a few items broken.....In fact the Townhomes I live in here in Murrieta had to shut off the water the other day to fix a water main coming into our complex that cracked due to the Earthquake....glad you like em!!!!

[Quero]

I have just come back from a dive trip to the area in Indonesia where the big earthquake occurred at the end of 2004 (Aceh province in northern Sumatra where 230,000 souls were claimed by the hereafter--I was diving at Pulau Weh). I was there for a week so spent quite a lot of time talking with the dive staff of a couple of local ops about the earthquake/tsunami and can relate what they told me.

There were a lot of people in the water at the time. Divers didn't feel the earthquake itself, but marine life behaved in uncharacteristic ways. All coral-dwelling fish (like morays) swam out of their dens into the open water. Divers heard a loud roar, such as would be made by a cargo ship with its engines running in the immediate area. When the tsunami struck, divers experienced a massive, sudden current and did their best to shelter from it behind rocks. When the current passed, divers surfaced since they had most often become separated from their buddies and groups. There were no reports of loss of life among divers in the water.

Here in Thailand, no sound was heard, but the current was felt, and the same scattering of groups and buddy pairs took place. When people surfaced all over the area, boats began to pick up their divers. Again, the only loss of life among divers in Thailand was of those who were doing shore dives (students and instructors).

Given that evidence, it would seem that you're pretty safe in the water during an earthquake, with notable exceptions, such as overhead environments. In addition if you are diving near a lava shelf, such as you might find along the Big Island in Hawaii, there's a chance the shelf could collapse due the the earthquake. And of course, in the event of a tsunami, there's the likelihood of a strong current associated with the waves.

Hope that provides some insight and food for thought.

[UofTOrange]

It would seem (as evidence above shows) that it would be relatively safe in the water if you can handle the current changes. I'd actually rather be there than in a building