Poking an underwater air bubble does not result in it popping like a soap bubble in air due to the absence of a thin fluid film. Instead, it may break into smaller bubbles, but this is not considered "popping." The discussion also touches on the concept of cavitation, where bubbles can form and collapse under specific conditions, such as low pressure around a propeller. While it is theoretically possible to create a thin air film that could pop, simply poking the bubble is unlikely to achieve this. Overall, the consensus leans towards the idea that underwater bubbles cannot be popped in the same way as those in air.
