Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'

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Pool Observation Bubble
Chill and watch the divers...
  (+12, -2)(+12, -2)
(+12, -2)
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Build a pool with a sort of observation bubble. It would consist of a clear plastic or glass dome placed in the deep end. Some sort of steady bubbling oxygen source would be rigged underneath it in a way that would provide a constant bubble of breathable air trapped underneath the dome. Swimmers could then dive down to the bubble, swim under it, and sit or stand with a panoramic underwater view of the pool.

npinn, Oct 02 2006

NOAA dive table http://www.ndc.noaa...ecoAirDiveTable.pdf
[Shz, Oct 03 2006]

History of the diving bell http://library.thin....org/28170/221.html
Alexander's was glass [ldischler, Nov 17 2006]

[link]






       Why is this a non-invention (category). It's just as much as an invention as many other ideas here. However, if you don't remove the first eight words you may find yourself in some deep water (pun intended) with zealous 'bakers.   

       Aside from that, I expect that some kind of pressure problem would cause the viewers' heads to explode, or something similar, but never mind.

dbmag9, Oct 02 2006
  

       I happened to catch an airing of the movie "Domino" over the weekend wherein one of the Mafia crimelords (Stanley Kamel as Anthony Cigliutti) utilized an underwater clear acrylic bubble in his home pool in which to conduct all of his sensitive phone conversations. By using a waterproof cordless phone inside this bubble he was apparently able to thwart all the electronic eavesdropping equipment that the FBI had trained on him. While the purpose of [npinn]'s bubble is obviously different, the end product sounds very similar.

jurist, Oct 02 2006
  

       Well yes, it's a diving bell built into a swimming pool. I like the idea. I can't see it catching on due to safety concerns but that doesn't stop me liking it. [+]

st3f, Oct 02 2006
  

       I don't forsee a lot of risks involved in using this idea. Most home pools are less than 8 feet deep, and unless the users are in a drysuit, their entire body will probably get all wrinkly before they get enough nitrogen compressed into their veins to cause the bends when they come up. Perhaps some real divers can examine the problem, and compute a solution to determine what the risk is.

ye_river_xiv, Oct 02 2006
  

       No risk of decompression sickness. [st3f] is likely thinking of other safety concerns, such as an accidental face-plant on the not-so-visible bell, someone drowning unnoticed because they're not necessarily expected to surface, et cetera, or at least those would be my concerns. But what better place for a lifeguard than inside the bubble?

Shz, Oct 02 2006
  

       For safety concerns, I dont think parents or lifeguards would like the idea of swimmers routinely going under and not coming up, regardless of how they were staying under. [-]

MoreCowbell, Oct 02 2006
  

       I wouldn't have thought you'd be risking any problems with dissolved nitrogen surfacing from a couple of metres. I would, as a caution, avoid flying, climbing a mountain or other low pressure activities for a day afterwards, though.   

       I'd be concerned about the breathability of the air. Since you've got a small quantity of air that is being 'topped up' rather than changed, you may get a build up of toxic gases as well as lowered oxygen. I'd recommend purging the bubble freqently and refilling it from empty.   

       Lastly there's the diving ontop of it/swimming into it and lifeguard issues. If this were a private pool, I'm sure that these could be addressed by good pool design and buddying up as per diving -- you only use the bubble when you're swimming with someone else who watches you (and you watch them). That way if you hit your head they can drag you out/raise the alarm.

st3f, Oct 03 2006
  

       Very cool.[+]

hidden truths, Oct 03 2006
  

       For the curious I've linked a (conservative) dive table. It lists all depths up to 20' (6.1m) as unlimited, meaning no decompression required regardless of how long you stay at that depth. It is common practice when sport diving to ascend slowly to 15' and stay there for 5 minutes before surfacing, as a safety precaution, in case you pushed the limits a bit while you were deep. In fact, the longer you stay at 15' the better (on the way up). For practical purposes, you are decompressed if you never went below 20'.

Shz, Oct 03 2006
  

       [marked-for-deletion] widely known to exist. Even Alexander the Great had one.

ldischler, Nov 17 2006
  

       I disagree with the mfd - this is for a permanent fixture in a pool, perhaps for social use; not for the predecessors of the (single person, portable) diving bell.

jutta, Nov 26 2006
  

       This would be a safety nightmare for a public pool, plus you would probably get all the pervos in it watching patrons tread water.   

       I don't think it would be all that helpful for a lifeguard due to its lack of mobility. Leisure pools frequently have a lot of nooks and curves in them, and this device would not allow you to see around walls, nor would it be much help in a crowded environment. In addition, outdoor pools have cloudy water due to sunscreen.

Cuit_au_Four, Nov 27 2006
  
      
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