One of the lecturers made the point today that we as humans were not designed to exist in the oceans. Contrast that with some other mammals such as the elephant seal which spends 90% of its life at sea, diving while holding its breath for up to 2 hours at a time. Although technology has allowed us to venture into the sea from time to time, our physiology has not changed. The field of dive and hyperbaric medicine has the goal of understanding the limitations of our physiology, council those who are interested in pursuing this endeavor, and to treat those who are injured in these adventures. The lectures today were very informative, but at the same time highlighted how little we know with certainly about diving on the extreme end.

I’ve continued to enjoy the “lab” component of this course. We dived to beautiful sites today, Bullen and Bachelors Bay. The sun was shining and the water was warm. The diving in Curacao centers on the tiny and small. Within a few square meters, there is a world of life that is so easily missed if you move too quickly.