I understand that gases compress under pressure, unlike liquids and solids. So, when you are at deep levels, the gases in your lungs are compressed by the pressure, and the lungs become smaller. But how exactly does the water pressure “reach” the lungs, given that there is so much in between, such as ribs, tissues, skin, etc.? So, the gases inside your lungs are compressed because the lungs shrink. What makes the lungs shrink?
Do I understand it correctly that the water pressure pushes on your suit, which pushes on your skin, which pushes on your bones and all the way through? Does this mean that you become physically smaller deep underwater?
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liquids and solids compress under pressure, just generally it doesn’t add sufficient inaccuracy to be worth considering in calculations. It becomes very important when high pressures make substances act in different ways, eg exotic forms of ice that are denser than ice I, diamond formation.
Your lungs sit behind a wall of muscle, bone and tissue all of which have plenty of give in them which allows the water pressure outside them to squish your lungs smaller. Once they are compressed as far as they can go elastically the pressure will build until it can collapse your ribcage or push your abdominal organs into your chest in order to collapse your lungs further.
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