Plunging Diving

No doubt the organs of the human body are capable- of being educated by continued practice to endurance of abnormal condi tions, and of adaptation to such conditions ; to those of extreme heat, for instance, if gradually applied. I could, therefore, under stand a man who commenced a diver's life 'sound in wind and limb' obtaining gradually the power of remaining under and repressing inspiration and respiration for two minutes, or at the very utmost two and a half. But those who know that the blood is the life, and that it must as it circulates be aerated, or lungs and heart will cease to act, will be slow to believe in staying power under water of three minutes, far less six.

If

such dives have ever been really made, the record being accurately kefit, the conclusion must be that in such cases the respiratory organs were in an abnormal condition, or that some means of obtaining fresh air were adopted. It is not obvious how the use of a nose-compressor made of horn could have aided the man who made the dive. I have Captain Donnan's authority to say that the period under water now observed by him is the longest on record in the annals of the Ceylon pearl fishery. Captain James Stewart, so long the Inspector of the Pearl Banks, and who collected much information regarding them, never knew a diver to remain at the bottom longer than eighty-seven seconds, or to attain a greater depth than thirteen fathoms ; while on ordinary occasions they seldom exceeded fifty-five seconds in nine fathoms of water.

The statements we have quoted are those of trustworthy eye-witnesses, and their observations leave no room for doubt that the marvellous feats of pearl-divers recorded and copied by many writers are purely mythical. So long ago as 1863 the Hon. Vane, in his Report to the Governor, Sir Henry Ward, said that when regularly at work the divers remain under water 'from 6o to 7o seconds, and that the greatest stay he had ever timed was 95 seconds. This he believed to be a

quite exceptional case.

Sponge-fishing, especially for the finer qualities, is also undertaken by natural divers in different parts of the world, and this system of finding coral was also at one time much practised. It is now falling into desuetude. Ordinary fishing is often conducted in the same manner, and divers even have the temerity to tackle sharks in their own domain with only a small stick, pointed at both ends, as a weapon. This is thrust into the jaws of the monster in such a position that when at tempting to seize the diver the jaws close upon the sharp points. The divers then hasten to escape, for a slight lash from a shark's tail is sufficient to break a limb.

For the purposes of pastime the other forms of diving, such as ' headers," skimming plunge,' low diving,' high diving,' and plunging,' &c., are preferable to deep diving.' The best method of learning to dive is to stand on the side of the bath or on the bank of a river, then stoop down until the body is nearly double, stretch out the arms in front of the head, sink the head between them, and gradually tumble over into the water. The great difficulty is to make the first plunge. Once that is accomplished proficiency will soon come with practice. Most beginners are nervous, and afraid to enter head first. Their trials are often very amusing. They will start for a dive, but change it into a jump ; or they will keep their head back and arms up, thus coming down on the water in eccentric style, with much noise and splash. A very good plan with a beginner who is learning to dive is to get two other swimmers to hold a towel stretched in front of him. This gives him an idea as to the throwing up of the legs, and as he goes over, if the legs are not thrown up, the swimmers should raise the towel so as to force the learner to make a clean dive. At his next attempt he will probably get his legs up properly.