AAAAAAAAA I'm so glad that got across properly!!! I was originally going to put a checkpoint there but decided it would mess with the tension too much, so instead I had this little pocket of air about halfway so you could catch your breath and have a good ol thinkin about what to do next. I didnt actually anticipate the extra tension from having to go back down, since in my runs I always just stayed there for a split second, given I know the full level layout.
Also fun fact the diver's sprites were literally the first thing to ever get made for the game. originally it was like an old diving suit and you can still see relics of that in the weird gray bits on the head. Now its more an astronaut type deal.