# Person falls 40 feet into a 10' deep pool filled with set jello or water. Which is safer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2014, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725 "2014-08-17T00:56:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/1 "2014-08-17T00:56:32Z")
Assume the person is 200 lbs and jumps off a 40 foot ledge into 10 foot deep swimming pool filed with water or alternatively, a pool filled with fully set Jello gelatin at normal dessert consistency. Which is more or less dangerous for the falling person? Will the Jello being set impact protect him more or less overall than the less viscous water? ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/2 "2014-08-17T01:00:02Z")
Need answer fast? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/3 "2014-08-17T01:10:18Z")
Surfacing through multiple feet of jello doesn’t sound like an easy task. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/4 "2014-08-17T01:29:24Z")
What flavor? Surely teh water is “softer” and so is going to absorb the impact better. People dive from a height into water all the time without ill effects. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/5 "2014-08-17T01:52:23Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Surfacing through multiple feet of jello doesn’t sound like an easy task. Homer out of it. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/6 "2014-08-17T02:01:35Z")
Does it have to be Jello brand or can I use generic? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/7 "2014-08-17T02:08:03Z")
I don’t know about the impact itself, but I highly doubt drowning is an issue if you use Jello[sup][sup]TM[/sup][/sup] brand gelatin. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/8 "2014-08-17T02:23:57Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > What flavor? > > Surely teh water is “softer” and so is going to absorb the impact better. People dive from a height into water all the time without ill effects. Yes but we’re only talking 10 feet to take the impact. In diving into water from 40 feet I’m guessing you’re going to go deeper than 10 feet down if you weigh 200 lbs. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/9 "2014-08-17T02:29:12Z")
Belly flop I would say water is safer, feet first or head first I would have to say jello. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/10 "2014-08-17T02:35:07Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Yes but we’re only talking 10 feet to take the impact. In diving into water from 40 feet I’m guessing you’re going to go deeper than 10 feet down if you weigh 200 lbs. Depends on how you land and enter. Of course, I wouldn’t want to be the guy to bellyflop from that height. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/11 "2014-08-17T02:41:48Z")
[Obligatory Homestar Runner link.](http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail187.html) ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/12 "2014-08-17T04:32:02Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Surely teh water is “softer” and so is going to absorb the impact better. People dive from a height into water all the time without ill effects. But it’s only 10’ deep. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/13 "2014-08-17T06:15:47Z")
If, rather than 10’ you made it 11 wouldn’t that make it deeper? like, 1 deeper? ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/14 "2014-08-17T06:48:27Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > If, rather than 10’ you made it 11 wouldn’t that make it deeper? like, 1 deeper? Why don’t you just make ten deeper and make ten be the top number and make that a little deeper? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/15 "2014-08-17T08:57:39Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > What flavor? > > Surely teh water is “softer” and so is going to absorb the impact better. People dive from a height into water all the time without ill effects. Actually, water is quite hard - you can displace it, but unlike jello, you can’t compress it. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/16 "2014-08-17T09:46:44Z")
The world record for High [Diving is 177 feet.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_diving), there have been higher dives, but with injury. With a parachute, well 400,000 km is the record. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/17 "2014-08-17T15:08:48Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > What flavor? Not pineapple. > [@Alessan](#): > > Actually, water is quite hard - you can displace it, but unlike jello, you can’t compress it. Not the definition of “hard,” but it’s true that water is essentially incompressible. But what makes you think you can compress Jell-O? It’s still water in its original volume, with just some dissolved sugar and gelatin. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/18 "2014-08-17T15:12:57Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I don’t know about the impact itself, but I highly doubt drowning is an issue if you use Jello[sup][sup]TM[/sup][/sup] brand gelatin. Suffocation may be a problem. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/19 "2014-08-17T15:30:53Z")
This sounds like an **excellent** question to send to the Mythbusters! ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725/20 "2014-08-17T15:46:42Z")
Or _The Cosby Mysteries_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-falls-40-feet-into-a-10-deep-pool-filled-with-set-jello-or-water-which-is-safer/695725.md?page=2)