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Nitpick: s/1m^2/1m^3

> I think it'd float to the top though. It'll need some kind of weight...

A simple way of thinking about it is that boats float because they contain air (rather than water). The fact that they are upside down or the right way up changes little.

Since the rowboat can support two people, it should definitely float to the surface, dragging them along with it.

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> Since the rowboat can support two people, it should definitely float to the surface, dragging them along with it.

Only if the air bubble occupied the entire inner portion of the hull. If it were, say, only half the volume of the hull - I suspect it would be neutrally buoyant with the weight of two people.

People are roughly* neutrally bouyant in water. Thus they don't weigh anything when submerged. Otherwise swimming would be very hard indeed. So you would need to weigh down the boat to sink all that air and wood.

*depending on depth and body composition, but give or take a bit, neutral.

Agreed, but boats when not filled with air are typically negatively buoyant. I'd wager that there's an air bubble small enough to make the whole system negatively buoyant, but large enough to sustain the people breathing it for some period of time.

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