How loud is a pistol shrimp snap?
A pistol shrimp snap is about 190 dB, with a typical range of 183–210 dB. A collapsing cavitation bubble, underwater (dB re 1 µPa at 1 m, peak-to-peak). Snapping shrimp colonies are a major source of ocean background noise.
Underwater sound levels use a different reference pressure (1 µPa instead of 20 µPa) and water has a much higher acoustic impedance than air, so underwater decibels are roughly 61–62 dB higher than in-air decibels for the same sound intensity. In air-equivalent terms, a pistol shrimp snap would be around 128 dB.
How sound level changes with distance
Decibel figures always depend on distance. For a small source in open air, every doubling of distance lowers the level by about 6 dB; indoors, reflections reduce that drop. Use the sound-vs-distance calculator to estimate the level where you are.
More recordings elsewhere
- Hydrophone 1 Filtered.mp3 by digifishmusic – CC BY 4.0 (freesound)
- Hydrophone at boatramp 1.wav by digifishmusic – CC BY 4.0 (freesound)
- underwaterCreature1.wav by xinaesthete – CC BY 4.0 (freesound)
- underwaterCreature2.wav by xinaesthete – CC BY 4.0 (freesound)
- ANMLAqua-toadfish-2022926 by nathanwolek – CC BY 4.0 (freesound)
Frequently asked questions
How many decibels is a pistol shrimp snap?
About 190 dB, with a typical range of 183–210 dB.
Is a pistol shrimp snap louder than a jet engine?
Underwater decibels cannot be compared directly with in-air figures like a jet engine's 140 dB.
How are these levels measured?
With a sound level meter, usually A-weighted (dBA) to match human hearing. Published figures depend on distance and conditions, so treat them as typical values.