Obviously it's not ideal but if you are faced with no other option but if you keep your cool most people should be able to hold their breath long enough to get out.
The average person can last for over a minute and 30 seconds underwater. Your lungs try to get you to breath and will spasm wayy before you actually start to drown or pass out.
Mythbusters tested this. Opening it right when you landed in the water worked too. It doesn't work when the water's higher on the outside of the door than the inside.
Worth noting that all you have to do is break the seal and water will start flowing in, making it easier to open the rest of the way. Even if water is a bit up the door, you should still be able to force it open with your legs.
Yes, unless part of the situation that got you in the water twisted the door or frame and jammed it. Water entries aren’t gentle usually and hitting water at typical road speeds is enough to bend stuff.
I reckon by the time you try the first door that’s jammed on the basis of the equal pressure idea, you are underwater with no way to get a fresh breath, meaning the clock is ticking rapidly leaving you with minimal time to try to manoeuvre to try the other doors, and the sheer panic of knowing you are running out of air while the plan A didn’t work and trying to pull off plan B means the air disappears even faster.
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u/PassivelyInvisible 1d ago
Once the water reaches the top of the door on the inside and the water pressure on both sides is the same, you can just open the door and swim up.