Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2026

Wireless Electrophysiological Recording of Neurons by Movable Tetrodes in Freely Swimming Fish
Published on: November 26, 2019
How can humans, in air, hear sound generated underwater (and can goldfish hear their owners talking)?
1Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom. tgl@soton.ac.uk
Abstract:
The air/water interface at the top of a body of water is often treated from below as a pressure release boundary, which it closely matches. The small discrepancy in that match, however, is enough to enable humans in air to hear sounds generated underwater, which would not be possible across a pressure release boundary. A discussion of this phenomenon, designed for teaching purposes and using no more acoustics than would be contained in a first-year undergraduate syllabus in acoustics, leads to a discussion of whether goldfish can hear their owners speaking. The analysis is then used to illustrate the care needed when comparing sound levels in air and water, a process which continues to lead to erroneous statements in the media and some academic articles.
Related Concept Videos
Echo
Imagine the sound is reflected back to the ears. Assuming that the source is very close to the human, the difference between hearing the two sounds—the emitted sound and the reflected sound—may be more than the minimum time for perceiving distinct sounds. If this is the case, then the...
Hearing
The Cochlea
Sound Waves
Sound waves are longitudinal in most fluids because fluids cannot sustain any lateral pressure. In solids, however, shear forces help in propagating the disturbance in the lateral direction as well. Hence,...
Osmoregulation in Fishes
Hair Cells

