Last time I went to a beach, it was during southern winter (tropical climate, so temps never dropped under 20ºC). The only thing that kept me from going further out swimming was the amount of jellyfish being carried by the current.

It's not really about what you can see and clarity, but it's true that clearer water is much more psychologically inviting.

We'll bring a smooth granite pebble out with us, while waiting for the swell, drop it down and take turns bringing it back up. We've had dolphins join us in the game once before.

But definitely I don't feel the appeal of diving down and doing that when the sky or water is dark and unclear. It's less inviting.

Grok? All I see is it an AI chatbot. Contextually, I doubt that's what you're referring to lol. Is it a diving form?

In my younger years I was blessed with the ability to hold my breath for nearly five minutes. I used to stay down so long people would get worried. I never did anything other than take a full breath. Hyperventilating always shortened my dive times.

Haha, I just responded to another comment of having to pull myself up from shallow drowning. It's for real, but I think it's specific to people with good long capacities—doing a lot longer than the average. I can easily hold my breath for 60s, but 90% of people can't. Shallow drowning is not a situation 90% of people could find themselves facing.

I always remember brain damage can start occuring after 180s, so start questioning at 120. Nothing wrong with coming up for a couple mins of good fresh air before going down again.

I've never SCUBAd haha. I don't know why, it makes sense, but I've never been drawn to it and I can't really explain why. I love the freedom of movement and not having to think about other things.

Feediving I can't get enough of. But my record swimming underwater is around 2:10 and I enjoyed every second of it—relaxed, efficient, flowing—but I had to stop because it felt like I could do it forever. And that's the paradox of shallow drowning. When the euphoria of the ocean gets inexplicably more euphoric, the Sirens calling, it's time to surface. I guess like a diver checking their gauges.

I should try SCUBA, though. I'd love to go deeper. I'd love to find a spot and just hang there for a long time and take it all in.

The old man and the sea. Robinson Crusoe.

I wonder if you would like the Mars Trilogy books by Kim Stanley Robinson. Same deep details, but about geography (on Mars).

Like Melville, he takes you into another world, in depth.

OTOH, you may hate the dryness!

In any case, you got me thinking I'll take another pass at Moby Dick. Had the little kid's book as a child and loved it. Haven't read the novel for 30 years!

Check out the movie In The Heart of the Sea. Got moderate reviews, but you might find something about it you enjoy.

100%, gym showers are so much easier because i'm already warmed up from the workout and the water starts pretty warm too

When we return to lungfish, we can embrace our gills instead of coming on land and avoid this whole mess