Ever wondered what would happen if you got caught in a powerful earthquake while on a dive? It seems that it can be confusing but manageable, at least according to the recent experience of a group of scuba divers in Indonesia.
They have shared underwater footage of the effects of a major seismic disturbance that occurred as they finned over a remote coral reef on 8 November.
Their series of video clips show sand erupting from the seabed as shock-waves fling them around in the water.
Two quakes of 6.7 and 7.1 magnitude occurred about a minute apart, with another later in the day, in an area in the middle of the Banda Sea, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Its service classified them as the most significant recent earthquakes around the world.
Categorised as “strong shaking”, they originated at a depth of 10km, and were followed by a number of smaller aftershocks. The nearest island to the epicentre was Nila in Indonesia’s South-west Maluku regency, and the scuba divers are presumed to have been operating from a liveaboard.
The first of the video clips was posted on TikTok three days after the event by @redoyjoy9999, followed by two more over the next two days. The effects of the sudden shaking can be seen on fish as well as on the divers.
Also on Divernet: Diver describes earthquake effect under water, Whales shake up earthquake research, Turtle surprise at Indonesia’s tiny Gili Islands
