Featured Image Credit: BBC
Diving into the depths usually comes with a mountain of equipment and multiple safety checks.
Oxygen cylinders are strapped to backs, weights are used to keep our balance and to stop us from floating helplessly to the surface.
We put fins on our feet to emulate the way fish glide through the water.
Before the plunge, ‘buddy checks’ are standard practice to make sure everything, including the breathing regulator in our mouths, are all in place.
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But for one tribe, all of that goes out of the window, and footage of a man effortlessly swimming and even walking underwater has people baffled.
The Bajau tribe are ‘genetically mutated’ and that enables them to live an amphibious life.
For over 1,000 years, the tribe have lived off the coasts of Indonesia, living in houseboats and spending much of their time in the sea.
Over time, they’ve adapted to their lifestyle and have become highly skilled at free diving and fishing with spears.
They also possess extraordinary lung capacities and strong swimming skills.
The YouTube video shows a man descend 20m into the water to the sea floor where his heart rate slows to just 30 beats per minute.
He seems to casually stride along the bottom of the sea as though he’s hunting on land and manages to hold his breath for five minutes before returning to the surface for air.
The clip has wowed viewers and, taking to the YouTube comment section, one impressed user posted: “Imagine being a diver with all the gear and this chaps suddenly appears walking on the bottom of the sea waving like he's on a morning stroll LOL.”
While a second commented: “Amazing how well he has adapted to his environment to survive, a true inspiration.”
Another added: “Respect, I would've drowned like 10 times in that time.”
A fourth said: “This is seriously incredible , just to see him walking on the ground underwater like its nothing is just insane!”
And another person commented: “For those who are wondering how he’s able to train himself to do this, he has been doing this work ever since he was a child. Primitive fishing is one of the main source of livelihood and food for Badjaos and other tribes in our islands. This “basic” exercise for them is deadly but it puts food in their table.”
Unbelievably, members of the tribe can dive up to 230 feet with just a set of weights and a pair of wooden goggles.
They also have unusually large spleens that enable them to stay submerged for long periods of time.
When a body is underwater, the spleen contracts to release oxygenated red blood cells into the circulation. This increases the oxygen in the blood by nine percent. This genetic advantage allows the Bajau to have superior underwater endurance.
While we don't know exactly how long they can stay underwater, some have claimed to have spent as long as 13 minutes.
The incredible footage shows just how ‘superhuman’ the tribe have become.
