"Holding your breath wouldn't fix it"- Redditor diver breaks down Juliette’s ascent in Silo, highlighting the risks of the bends

In the second season's seventh episode of Silo, viewers watched a tense scene where Juliette, the main character, faces a life-threatening decision underwater. She's deep below the surface when her oxygen cuts off, and she has to choose between ascending too quickly, which could cause decompression sickness or drowning. It's a gripping moment that showcases her fight to survive.

The urgency of the situation forces Juliette to surface faster than safety allows. This kind of quick rise can lead to serious health issues known as the bends, where nitrogen bubbles form in the bloodstream and tissues because of rapid pressure changes. Despite the dangers, the show speeds past the consequences of her rapid ascent, focusing more on the drama than the real-world diving protocols.

On Reddit, a user who claimed to be a certified nitrox diver chimed in on the scene, pointing out that simply holding your breath in such a scenario isn’t enough to prevent the bends.

"Holding your breath wouldn't fix it," the user said.

The advice cuts through the usual dramatization seen in TV shows, highlighting how serious and technical managing air pressure and nitrogen levels in the body is during a dive.

According to the diver, proper decompression steps are vital after deep dives, and the show missed a chance to realistically portray these safety measures, opting instead for tension and quick resolution. The diver also said:

"You need to recompress the nitrogen by teaching an appropriate depth, and then breathe to give it a chance to escape. The amount of, depths of stops, and time spent at each is dependent on the cumulative effects of time spent underwater and at what depths (like an integral)"

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What happened in the scene of Silo season 2 episode 7?

Silo season 2 (Image via AppleTV+)

In season 2 episode 7 of Silo, a critical and suspenseful underwater sequence unfolds, featuring Juliette, the protagonist. After seeking refuge in a neighboring silo, Juliette finds herself trapped deep underwater due to a series of catastrophic events that have left the silo partially submerged. Her mission is to restore power to a crucial water pump located eight stories below the surface in order to prevent further flooding.

The episode begins with Juliette and Solo, a fellow survivor and the only other person left in the silo, strategizing on how to access the submerged pump. The situation is dire as their oxygen supply is limited, and the structural integrity of the silo is compromised.

Solo, erratic yet knowledgeable, instructs Juliette on using a makeshift diving rig made from scavenged materials, emphasizing the importance of a slow ascent to avoid the bends—a condition caused by rapid decompression.

As Juliette dives into the murky depths, the tension escalates. Viewers see her navigate through dark, flooded corridors, her headlamp barely cutting through the gloom. Her progress is slow and laborious as she contends with the physical challenges of the dive and the psychological terror of being alone in the deep.

Upon reaching the pump, Juliette struggles with the machinery, and her every move is critical as she works to re-establish power. She succeeds after a tense and prolonged effort, but her triumph is short-lived. As she begins her ascent, it becomes apparent that her oxygen supply is dwindling far faster than anticipated.

In a desperate bid for survival, Juliette is forced to ascend much quicker than planned. Ignoring Solo’s earlier warnings, she risks decompression sickness to avoid drowning.

The episode ends with her breaking the surface and gasping for air, her fate uncertain as she deals with the immediate relief of breathing and the looming threat of the bends.

Silo season 2 (Image via AppleTV+)

When Juliette had to quickly rise to the surface after diving deep underwater, she risked decompression sickness, known as "the bends." This condition can happen when divers come up too fast, and nitrogen bubbles form in their bloodstream, which can be dangerous and even life-threatening.

The Redditor diver weighed in on this scene, explaining that the way Juliette managed her ascent was risky. The diver highlighted that simply holding your breath, which some might think helps prevent the bends, doesn't actually solve the problem. Instead, divers are taught to rise slowly, stopping at intervals to allow nitrogen to safely leave their bodies. The controlled ascent wasn't shown in Juliette's rapid climb to the surface, which ignored essential safety steps like decompression stops.

In the same Reddit post, the diver said:

"Realistically, if Juliette doesn't get back under pressure and spend a couple hours there (not sure what's an adequate depth) pretty quickly, she could experience a host of ills, from minor pain to death from an embolism / stroke"

The diver's critique pointed out that for an ascent from the depth Juliette was at, which appeared to be quite significant, she would normally need to make multiple stops, possibly over a few hours, to adjust safely to the pressure at the surface.

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Silo Season 2 is available on AppleTV+.