80 WONDERS OF THE DEEP 



Ceylon pearl fishing grounds, in the Mediterranean 

 sponge fisheries, and in the Bahama waters. 



Deep-sea diving is, as one would expect, exceed- 

 ingly exhausting and trying work. Sometimes the 

 strain on the diver is so severe that blood oozes from 

 the nose, the ears, and the mouth, and when this hap- 

 pens the diver is not infrequently dragged back to the 

 boat in an insensible condition. Slight men of 

 muscular build, with good circulation, sound hearts, 

 steady nerves, and temperate habits, make the best 

 divers. " How long can a diver remain under 

 water?" is a question often asked. Well, this, of 

 course, depends on each individual diver, some 

 divers being able to stand a greater strain on their 

 system than others. So far as authentic records 

 are available, the longest time that a diver has 

 been known to remain below the surface of the 

 water is three minutes. 



Many different expedients for diving have been 

 tried or adopted at various times ; in fact, the history 

 of deep-sea diving is intensely interesting. One 

 method commonly employed in connection with 

 pearl fishing and sponge fishing is for the diver's 

 body to be well rubbed with oil, and the ears 

 protected by the insertion of a plug of wool 

 saturated with oil. 



The number of times that the Ceylon pearl 

 divers will descend into the water in a single 

 day is not more than thirty or forty. The means 

 taken to descend is to lay hold of a rope with 

 one hand, and to insert a foot in a loop 



