There's no scientific evidence that water divining works so why is it still popular? | ABC Australia

Roman Dubinchak still gets excited when he finds water.
"Every day when you strike water it's a great feeling because you know you're changing someone's life to a degree, giving them a resource that they can fall back on for the rest of their life," he said.
Mr Dubinchak owns a drilling company in Townsville, north Queensland, and offers water divining, a practice dating to the 1500s, as a service to his rural clients.
"I find divining and picking locations prior to drilling is critical to minimise the chances of drilling dry holes" he said.
But there's no scientific evidence that water divining, also known as water dowsing, works.
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[@28russ]

My dad drilled bores for years and didn't need any divining bs to find water. It's more about knowing the area, how to read the land and seeing what kind of rock/ sediment comes out of a shallow test hole to workout if there's going to be water there and how deep you'll have to go to get to it. There's aquifers damn near everywhere.

[@princeo15]

😂😂😂😂

[@28russ]

@@princeo15What's so funny about that mate? Are you laughing with the comment or at it? 🤷‍♂

[@LewisDunkley1]

😂😂😂😂

[@gabos7892]

The dowsing rods do indeed move, but not in response to anything underground. They are simply responding to the random movements of the person holding the rods. The rods are typically held in a position of unstable equilibrium, so that a small movement gets amplified into a big movement.

[@peterwilliamson939]

Dick Smith put up a 1 million dollar prize for any deviner who could find underground water in a controlled experiment and many tried and all failed. Similar prizes have been offered in many countries with the same results.

[@firstnamelastname7476]

love the James Randi experimentations on the claim (kzbin.info/www/bejne/nX-QYXl7pqaeh68)

[@digdougedy]

I'm a self employed builder in the UK. When we are doing ground works, like drive ways, we always find the water pipe first so we don't damage it. I take my copper wires and walk the ground, find the pipe and dig a hole to see how deep it is. It does not need water to be flowing through it to work. For those customers who are skeptical I let them have a go. Most fail... I can do it, one of my sisters can do it, but my dad and my other sister cannot... Why? I have no idea........... Recently a friend bought a farm. It had a water leak somewhere as the meter was spinning. He was looking in the farm buildings behind the house. However, when I divined the area, I found that the pipe split in two. One went under the house into the back garden but disappeared on the other side of the hedge. We found another pipe that was laid into the neighbours field and found a tap that had been left on.... All pipes were found, plastic and metal, using nothing more than some solid copper wire.... And no one can explain how it works...

[@bossdog1480]

Let's just say they found the result they set out to find.

[@waynejill]

And NO one has been able to prove it & no one has collected the $1,000,000.

[@je7647]

​@@bossdog1480 just because you cannot prove how something works doesnt mean it does not.

[@RyanFixesCars]

Here in the states, at least in the south, we call divining, Witching Sticks. Ive been doing it for a few years. Today i used them to find our septic pipe as it was pinched by a tree root. With zero knowledge of where the pipe was, i found it within 1 foot of accuracy. Works everytime!

[@davidmaxep5434]

I tried it as a teen, but nothing happened. The water divining guy was walking with me. He then put his hand on my shoulder, and to my amazement, the divining wire l was holding become live, had its own movement. And yes, we found water!

[@johnsullivan7633]

I use wire regularly to help locate assets. Only yesterday I was looking for some irrigation pipes in the orchard. It’s never let me down. There has to be some science behind it, we just haven’t spent the time and research to find it yet.

[@lithiumvalleyrocksprospect9792]

I have researched... It's basic magnetics... Move a conductor in a magnetic field and generate a motive force...

[@douglasraymond6883]

My wife was taught to divine water by an aboriginal lady, when we needed to put down a bore on our acreage property my wife divined the property and marked out the position and when the guys turned up to drill she said the water would be 20 meters down, the drilling boss said he would drill else where i then said if he was not successful i would not pay, he drilled 2 holes with no success after which he agreed to drill where my wife had divined and guess what he struck water at 20 meters, so do not tell me water divining does not work

[@hondrta]

It does work. 💯 percent

[@lawrencewillard6370]

In my business, I needed to find all the drainage pipes in yards we were working on. This is how we found them. Also found water on our property.

[@flurpes]

It appears to move on its own but by thinking of where you want it to go it can alter how your involentarty, fine motor functions redirect the rods.

[@MrMike9ed]

how many times has it been tested and disproven. drill a hole anywhere in rock strata and you will find water.

[@mysmokey22]

Not correct you have to be over water to hit it. Drill anywhere and you will have a dry hole.

[@bossdog1480]

I'm exactly the same as the first guy. I have definitely found water and the direction and width of the stream. I can't tell you how deep it is though. I have also located water pipes. It's a science that we don't know the answer to at the moment. It's just the same as the old sailors who used lodestone to find direction. They didn't know anything about magnetism, but they knew it worked.

[@Chipvw63]

For sure it works. I had been a directional driller and sometimes I'd used welding rods with the flux knocked off to find non-ferrous utilities that I couldn't use locating equipment that needed metal. Showed many Guys and Gals that trick, it's about relaxing for me. 👍

[@jasoncrebbin]

Pseudoscience that has been disproven over and over. The hydrologist was very polite to say that divining is 'outside of science'. This was not a well researched piece that informs the audience. The diviner could equally have been a tarot card reader or crystal ball gazer; the content would barely have had to change. Scientific literacy in Australia is declining and this doesn't help.

[@williamfowler616]

did your crystal ball tell you all of this?

[@perentee77]

We do it for opal mining to. Not to pick up water but instead slips and slides (ground fractures)

[@anthonymorris9139]

I had a guy divine water on my farm. I was sceptical. I made a couple of pieces of wire the same as the diviner. We walked along and when his wire turned out mine did the same in exactly the same spot. You should try were you know water pipes are, see if it works. We did a bore and found water. I asked the guy with the drilling rig he said he didn't have much faith in it, as he had dug to many dry bores that had been divined. Maybe just try it for yourself. We did find water where we divined. Must be some reason why the wires moved at the same time, I'm not sure if there is a scientific reason for this or not.

[@rosettaeagle1718]

How do you make a rod

[@algeldmacher3034]

The fact he doesn't wear shoes tells me everything i need to know

[@dieseldavetrains8988]

My Grandfather found water on many a "dead block" back in the late 1960's using, I think it was, a Willow tree branch in a "Y" shape and he called that "Divining" it was handed down by his father, an immigrant from Scotland. I remember an old Aboriginal stockman called "Wriggler", now he could find a water soak just by wandering about, he would stop, stoop and dig and sure enough up came some water, enough for a drink and to boil the billy...😉

[@MrMigido]

Sounds good. Where do you live please?

[@michaelp761]

Absolute laughable mumbo jumbo. So, I was on a job employed by a client to trace a pipe electronically, clients wife booked a water diviner ( same day.) The diviner couldn’t have been more way off if he tried….what joke!

[@macrick]

Ok, try this in sahara desert now

[@brentyngraham3837]

I've done it and it worked, (found pipes and where the right angle bend was)...I believe it to be related to static electricity in the body ..

[@alanmurdock4319]

I have seen couple people do this for water accurately. I had a foreman that would do this for underground utilities more accurately than the utility companies trying to find their own stuff. As for me, I'm not very accurate with it.

[@johntimbrell]

Divining is a bit like Telepathy. I know it works because it happens too often to be just coincidence but I can't use it. It just happens. I've proved divining works because I cannot do it but my friend at my side can do it. He proved it by walking along underground water pipes. Science at its deepest level is weird with things being in two places at the same time.

[@flurpes]

A dowsing rod, how new age.

[@SP-ny1fk]

Many things aren't described by science - yet still go on happening. Here you are hearing firsthand accounts of people who have tested a method and found that it works. As the Aboriginal people know - we are all connected to the land.

[@Cassxowary]

it’s still popular because it works whether some scientists or whoever else want to admit it or not (:

[@radeon8461]

This is the thing about science, reality exists whether you can graph and measure it or not.

[@penneycason9269]

I get it! My grandfather was extremely successful divining. He taught me. When divining is successful go for it!

[@mysmokey22]

Divining works as I have a water boar to prove it. I told the the drilling rig guys where to drill and they hit water.

[@andyrbush]

Just because no one knows how it works it doesn't mean it doesn't work. I have used divining a lot on oil refineries to find underground pipes and services, it always worked. When other people tried it then it worked for almost all of them too.

[@BryanRossVillahermosa]

Geophysicist here with explanation. Conductive object in changing magnetic field gets current. Current creates magnetic field. Earth's magnetic field changes as you move through it... Sorry, misery likes company

[@ozmonaut1]

You could say the same about Astrology, humans are funny creatures, they'll believe any old crap

[@jameshatton4405]

The lady doing the scientific research comes across a little bit unprofessional how she speaks? I think I she said "you know" more times than she said any other words? Maybe just nervous perhaps?

[@johnconnor7131]

Who cares how she speaks nerd

[@madeinfoxtrap5539]

I know there is no scientific explanation I also know that it works I am not able to explain how it works but I did it I believe that anyone can do it

[@lithiumvalleyrocksprospect9792]

It's not that different from a magnetic compass.... Move a conductor in a magnetic field and generate a motive force. .... I've used heritc sticks or the poor man's magnetometer for a while.... Whilst also using GIS and geomagnetic data. .... I can walk over a mag anomaly and my wires move. I zig zag along the anomaly and track with GPS. I can then draw a line of best fit and when I cross reference with detailed geology maps I always find correlation with structure... I can feel the magnetic fields I'm walking through and feel naked when prospecting without my fencing wire... It's not that complicated to understand.... It's only High school physics 😅😮

[@xlynx9]

I wish ABC put in a little effort, like setting up a double-blind test. And if that's already been done, then ABC has a duty not to propagate myths.

[@curvebuster]

😮😮😮😮😮😮🎉

[@photografiq_presents]

What a non article. You asked the question in the title that you left unanswered, you didn't go into the statistics, you didn't cite any studies or papers. I guess the budget cuts have really strained the ability of the ABC to provide.

[@DN-kz7xl]

The hydrogeologist will surely find water when looking for it.

[@bisdakpinoy3428]

Dowsing rods is a sham, i have tried it and it doesn't work, i mean the rods swings easily

[@alanmorris4121]

It is still popular because it works.

[@nigelmayer8061]

Intuition, practice daily.

[@user-tp2hc8vc5h]

I don't believe the sun will come up unless I see it but a couple of years ago I gave that a try in a carpark when we needed to locate the drainage pipes. It worked spot on. I can't explain it. It still amazes me. The sticks just turned in line where the pipes were.

[@32laurens]

Thunderstorms are not angry gods and maybe one day we will understand how this works. That we don't yet does not mean it's not real.

[@davidhamilton7780]

Substitute "religion" for "water divining"...

[@captmulch1]

There’s water most places if you drill far enough …

[@28russ]

Exactly mate. My dad drilled bores for years and didn't need any divining bs to find water. It's more about knowing the area, how to read the land and seeing what kind of rock/ sediment comes out of a shallow test hole to workout if there's going to be water there and how deep you'll have to go to get to it. There's aquifers damn near everywhere

[@Mizone505]

Its pity the scientists dont just deal with the physical in climate.

[@waterofsouls7639]

i had an elderly neighbour, who was introduced to it by a well-digger digging an artesian well on his property, and he swore by it. i tried it and got nothing.

[@digdougedy]

Weirdly, some people can do it, but some cannot. I, and my sister get a strong response to the wires turning, my dad and my other sister do not. A friend recently bought a farm and tried to do it but failed. I turned up and found his water pipes in a few minutes.... I have no idea how it works. But it does...

[@christopherhusseyrockman5777]

Lol

[@Sina.g.z]

My uncle told me a story in my childhood that someone using this technique found an underground water in an almost dry land. My uncle lives in Iran.

[@williamfowler616]

I have used divining rods to find water pipes under slabs and water in the ground, if you know how to do it then you are successful. just because you can't does not mean others can't. using methods to disprove what I know to be true makes me laugh at your ignorance.

[@fuzzjunky]

the same reason there are still theists.

[@mickmick5825]

I would say that there is no evidence science has worked lately.

[@michaelmagowan1246]

There’s no lack scientific evidence you just not doing your research and putting the dots together .

[@moblet]

We are nowhere near the point where we can assert that everything that hasn't been explained by science isn't real. Given that the idea of having a scientific explanation for something is barely a couple of hundred years old, if humans had waited for scientific proof to do anything we wouldn't exist. The question I'd be asking is not about dowsing's scientific credentials - which are always difficult to establish in any endeavour where the skill of the practitioner matters and every job is different - but its cost-effectiveness. It doesn't have to be scientifically proven to be even 50% accurate to be commercially worthwhile, it only needs to save more in drilling costs than it costs to dowse. If it only saves, say, one dry hole in ten, dowsing is still cost-effective. We didn't get to see any scientifically-based alternative to dowsing (i.e. someone who'll come to your property and use modern technologies to tell you exactly where to drill). If that service exists, it needed to be presented here.

[@micsunday14]

utter rubbish

[@Desertphile]

I will wager US$5,000 that I find water without rods in the same places these sub-geniuses found water with rods.

[@Chipvw63]

That's your narrative. As said I've used many times to find non ferrous water services for directional drilling. Tested it with known water services and it works. Not deep, no more than 3 mtrs though. Many unexplained things out there like the Bumblebee paradox

[@michaelthorpe]

There *is* scientific evidence it works, and colleagues of mine discovered and researched what is actually happening about thirty years ago. The explanation is completely natural.

[@28russ]

Any chance you've got a link to an actual evidence or research results? What's the explanation and how is it completely natural?

[@strangelee4400]

@@28russ Evidence? Well..uhmm..oh is that the time? I must dash. I'm late for my tarot card and chicken entrails reading. I'll send evidence in the mail...honest!

[@benjaminzedrine]

I can do it for live twisted pair copper. But that's magnetism.

[@naysayer3084]

Farmers are so gullible

[@aarongrey6848]

Delusional

[@neiliewheeliebin]

My father successfully paid a guy to find a well on his new block of land, he was even able to estimate the depth with accuracy

[@28russ]

What a load of crap. Both diving a how this story was presented. Maybe next time present the other side of the story in a non biased and professional manner. Including a hydrologist that's meant to be the other side of the story but she's just agreeing that it's real and doesn't know why is not a non biased point of view. I don't know what show this was on, I assume "land line" but it was very badly put together and more like they needed to fill 5 mins so threw this crap together than an actual in-depth look at diving and what the science behind it, if any, might be. What a joke. 🤷‍♂🤦‍♂

[@WS_00]

Diving is definitely a thing, they even have it in the olympics 😊

[@__beer__]

If you use the rods ive got some magic beans to sell you

[@abbaspourmoghadam3850]

💩 💩 💩 this is for Scientific evidence

[@TRAVISGOLDIE]

If it didnt work then the results of bore drilling would fail at a higher rate. Sounds like she hasnt even considered looking at it. Maybe a double blind trial is needed before discounting

[@28russ]

My dad drilled bores for years and didn't need any divining bs to find water. It's more about knowing the area, how to read the land and seeing what kind of rock/ sediment comes out of a shallow test hole to workout if there's going to be water there and how deep you'll have to go to get to it. There's aquifers damn near everywhere.

[@user-vv6gj8fq7n]

Dutch plumbers were trained to find and expel water

[@sruti108]

It's pretty simple, It's not intuition or a "feeling" it is electrical energy. Water and earth have a different electrical current,

[@udhaya6g]

This technology already exists in india

[@johnallen3555]

because it works

[@christopherhusseyrockman5777]

Because only the divine would understand 🙏

[@damo780]

It works

[@peterbaylis2111]

Because u don't Need Scientific Evedance For Everything

[@allanwhite8422]

As a water diviner it has nothing to do with science. I always asked permission from the universe. It is asking the universe to show where a good source if any of water. Accepting that the land changes over the eons, not rocket science I always offered divining as a cost free option. My reward was in developing a water supply..

[@datwistyman]

It does work I can do it.