Dolphins and decompression. Are we not the only ones?

As it turns out, homo sapiens is not the only species that needs to decompress after a long stay underwater and get rid of excess gases from its body. According to a recent study published by The Royal Society Publishing, dolphins also decompress! The results of recent ultrasound examinations of these marine mammals, during a

ByTomasz Andrukajtis

Published: November 5, 2011 - 14:20

Updated: July 22, 2023 - 06:46

Dolphins and decompression. Are we not the only ones?

Delfiindeko

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The results of recent ultrasound examinations of these marine mammals, during a standstill at considerable depth for several minutes, showed an accumulation of bubbles in their bodies. This completely changes the belief that marine mammals do not have the problems that humans have when diving.

“It was a bit naive of us to think that marine mammals don’t have to face the laws of chemistry, ” said Michael Moore, a scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

“We finally have evidence that if a dolphin ascends too quickly, it takes a gulp of air and returns to greater depth. This happens in a very similar way to a diver doing what is called Delayed Decompression,” Moore added in conclusion.

When 30 dolphins of two different species were scanned using ultrasound, it was found that below the fat layer in their bodies, small blisters accumulated.

Source: royalsocietypublishing.org
Photo: wikipedia.org

About author

Tomasz Andrukajtis

Editor-in-chief of the DIVERS24 portal and magazine. Responsible for obtaining, translating and developing content. He also supervises all publications. Achived his first diving certification – P1 CMAS, in 2000. Has a degree in journalism and social communication. In the diving industry since 2008.