Xiaomeng Pool Adventure

Summer is, of course, the season for water play! Even Xiaomeng, who claims to be “not good with water,” couldn’t resist changing into cute swimsuits and jumping into the pool to splash around. Since she was already there, how could we not let Xiaomeng experience the perfect combination of breath control and underwater adventure?

First, a quick physics review: if a box full of water is lifted from underwater with its opening facing down, the water won’t flow out as long as the opening doesn’t leave the surface. This creates a perfect “underwater” environment that’s actually “above the surface”—a bit of a mouthful, but Xiaomeng’s head was right in that zone! Without needing to dive underwater, we could clearly see Xiaomeng’s various expressions and the bubbles she exhaled in the water, and the striking contrast of “being above the surface, yet still cut off from life-sustaining air by water” was truly captivating.

Xiaomeng, full of playful spirit, wanted to stay in this peculiar environment longer. So, I found a tube to give her as a breathing snorkel. “Being above the surface, yet still needing a breathing tube to breathe”—the contrast remained strong! Of course, I didn’t forget to block the open end with my finger to “test” the airtight and watertight seal, and Xiaomeng’s feigned annoyance was utterly adorable.

Since we played with “water above the surface,” it was natural to explore “air below the surface” too. I had Xiaomeng stay underwater, and then I used a box to push down a box of air, creating an air pocket for her to put her head into and breathe. Xiaomeng seemed to really enjoy this “aerobic diving,” constantly striking poses until oxygen deprivation finally made her stop. What, she wanted to stay underwater even longer? Then we’d occasionally swap in a fresh box of air! And so, by intermittently supplying fresh air, Xiaomeng played underwater for a good long while.

The fun part ended; now I couldn’t let her run wild. I directly tied her hand and foot on the same side together, then submerged her. I expected her to immediately begin struggling, but to my surprise, she remained remarkably calm, just slowly wriggling, trying to minimize oxygen consumption. However, such a state couldn’t last indefinitely, and struggles were bound to begin sooner or later. Yet, even with extreme efforts to survive, only her eyes broke the surface of the water, while her only means of breathing—her mouth—remained submerged... Incredibly, on one occasion, she managed to break free from the rope restraint on her left hand, despite the pain! Looking at the marks on her wrist and the back of her hand from the friction, even she found it somewhat unbelievable!

Do you like Xiaomeng staying underwater in her cute swimsuits?