I can tread water for over 30 minutes, 30 seconds is nothing. Even if there is a storm, just hold your breath for 30s. Sure, unpleasant. Worth it.
Assuming it's always at the surface of course. Deep sea pressure would be a death sentence.
this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2025
268 points (93.5% liked)
Would You Rather
921 readers
184 users here now
Welcome to c/WouldYouRather, where we present you with the toughest, most ridiculous choices you never knew you had to make! Would you rather have a third arm that's only useful for picking your nose, or be able to talk to animals but only if they're wearing hats? Yeah, it's that kind of vibe. Come for the absurdity, stay because you've clearly got nothing better to do with your life.
Rules:
- Follow dbzer0 rules.
- Start posts off with "WYR:"
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
I once tread water in a sketchy public pool for two hours straight just to prove to the other lifeguards that I could. I was born for this
I got my scuba license more than 20 years ago, I’ve already tried all flavors of ocean. Fuck yes, PAY ME
Nah, I rather just sit on the couch and not be bothered.
I have a heart condition. Most the time Id probably be ok but all it takes is that one time where the change in temperature makes my blood vessels contract. I guess I wont drown in 30 seconds but fuck it sucks everytime.
Get a life!
Surface of the ocean? So, no chance of randomly arriving at submarine-crushing depths?
Hell yes. In fact I'd probably pay for the experience 🤣
What if a cruise ship happens to occupy the part of the ocean that I teleport to? Do we get Philadelphia experiment'd?
It depends on how "random" is decided. If any spot on the surface has an equal random chance to be chosen, you'd end up in the middle of nowhere pretty much all the time. Don't underestimate how vast the oceans are and how little space is actually occupied.
Yup. I'd stop losing weight though. Homie gotta float.
This is easy. Just be in a hospital or whatever every day so when you come back, even if you royally messed up and took a bunch of water in your lungs, they can easily get it out quickly. With 50 skip days? Yeah just take like the first 3 and get good swimming lessons and arrange for a hospital or doctor or whatever to be ready to revive you. This is all assuming we mean a random point on the surface of the ocean, not under it. The odds of ever being somewhere where something other than the water being the problem are so miniscule. The post even says you get a thermal suit.
You don't even need swimming lessons. Just ball up and hold your breath for 30s.
Yeah, honestly, I don't think you can die in 30 seconds if you're appearing in a hospital when you're done. It's just for risk mitigation and mitigating the psychological terror of being in the ocean for 30 seconds.
random part of the ocean
At 2000 meter depth...
I agree to these terms as long as my family can keep the money if I die
Random part of the ocean, including crushing depth? This needs some clarification.
they seem to imply that you have appropriate equipment for the environment that you're teleported to. but, yeah, before signing that shit..
Surface of the ocean or anywhere from the deepest trench up?
Surface, no brainer, I can swim for 30s. Below the surface, you'll be like the surfaced blob fish before the end of the first month.
You know what time it is so you could hyper oxygenate for a few minutes and be fine. 30 seconds isn’t that long and I don’t think it’s long enough to trigger the bends.
I’d do it at any survivable depths, especially since it said you’d have safety equipment, even though I’m not sure you’d need that either in 30 seconds.
I think bends only applies if you inhale compressed air at low depths and come up, because the 1L of air at -200m expands as you go up. Air you breath at sea level would compress down to nothing, which might mean that your chest cavity gets crushed, even at levels that are normally okay for divers. Rapid changes in either direction are what kills you.
load more comments
(10 replies)
No. That amount of transporting carries the risk of transport pox.
I knew there had to be a catch.
30s per day of mild-to-moderate discomfort for 5 years, or working an average of 6 hours per day for virtually my entire life.
This was clearly written by someone with an intense and irrational fear of the sea. Nothing's doing shit to you in 30 seconds. Most creatures wouldn't even register your presence quickly enough to even think about doing anything.
I personally think the stress over not knowing and having to do it every day and trying to keep it secret too would be way worse for me than just working.
You probably get used to it over time though.
load more comments
(1 replies)
load more comments
(6 replies)
Random part of the ocean: any day, you can arrive in the middle of a storm, get crushed by a massive wave on nearby rocks (or ice, or floating debris) and die in an instant.
You can arrive in a patch of human garbage and be stabbed by metal or wood, or swallow petrol or oil, and return wounded to death.
You can land in the spot where orcas are fighting, or a white whale is just splashing and be killed there and then.
You can land in front of a cruiseship as it arrives at full speed and be knocked dead on the spot.
I don't know why people aren't more terrified of the ocean.
You should be terrified of the ocean.
The ocean is fucking huge. With a truly random location there's a beyond minuscule chance that you'll be transported near any rocks or animals that even register your presence within 30 seconds. This one is a no brainer.
load more comments
(6 replies)
load more comments
(1 replies)
So, every day at a set time for five years, I get to experiment with a highly sophisticated novel technology in a repeatable experiment to figure out how it works?
Sounds like that alone is worth more than $100M
For those who take it, for what amount would you not take it
I'd do it for free. The ability to recreate the event at regular intervals for five years would be worth more than the money
load more comments
(1 replies)
load more comments
(2 replies)