To conserve air while diving, consider the following tips:
1. Dive regularly: The more you dive, the more comfortable you become underwater, which improves your air consumption.
2. Relax: Learning to breathe properly underwater with scuba equipment is the top tip for conserving air. Taking longer, deeper breaths allows your body to breathe slowly and deeply.
3. Improve buoyancy control: Achieving neutral buoyancy allows you to move through the water with minimal effort and without using too much air.
4. Make sure you’re rested before a dive and take your time when getting from point to point underwater.
5. Check if your gear isn’t creating drag around your body.
By following these tips, you can reduce your air consumption while diving and improve your diving experience. Remember to dive regularly, relax, and take deep breaths to maintain a comfortable underwater environment. Additionally, ensure your gear isn’t creating drag around your body and that you’re well-rested before diving.
📹 Scuba Breathing – improve air consumption (Right away!)
“How to use less air while scuba diving?” This proven scuba breathing exercise will help you decrease air consumption and …
What is the most efficient breathing pattern for scuba diving?
Then, breathe in again. Ideally, each inhalation should last for five to seven seconds and each exhalation at least seven seconds, giving you a breathing cycle of around 12 to 15 seconds and therefore a very efficient breathing rate of about four to five breaths per minute.
Avoiding stress. As well as reducing your breathing rate, this extended cycle of deep inhalation and full exhalation will also ensure that the transfer of gases is as effective as possible. More of the oxygen you breathe in will be transferred from your lungs to your bloodstream and more carbon dioxide will be removed from your body. This benefits the diver enormously. A buildup of carbon dioxide in the body induces stress and anxiety and can lead to panic, so breathing in such a way reduces your carbon dioxide levels, helping you become more relaxed. It also enables you to deal better with problems that occur underwater, as a calm mind can think rationally. Additionally, if you have developed your long, slow breathing technique to the point where it has become instinctive, your breathing rate will not increase in an emergency, giving you more air and time to solve the problem.
Get into the habit. Breathing from the diaphragm does take a little getting used to but you do not have to be actually diving to practise the technique. This is something you can do anytime, anywhere—while you are riding the bus, sitting in your car in a traffic jam or watching TV. A good exercise is to lie on the floor, put a dive weight on your stomach and focus on moving the weight up and down by slowly breathing in and out. The idea is that your chest should move as little as possible during the breathing cycle. As you do this, breathe through lips pursed, as they would be around your regulator mouthpiece. Draw the air in slowly and release it slowly—don’t guzzle and belch!
How to make air last longer when diving?
1. Breathe slowly and deeply.. The top tip to conserve air when scuba diving is learning to breathe properly underwater. Getting into a rhythm and taking longer, deeper breaths will allow your body to absorb more oxygen. By exhaling fully this will reduce the ‘’dead air” volume and will eliminate Carbon Dioxide. Reduced Carbon Dioxide levels will delay the urge to take another breath. You should never purposely hold your breath or expand your lungs beyond their capacity. Instead, you should pause for one second after taking a breath. This will allow fresh oxygen into the lungs and create a nice breathing pattern. In order to conserve air when scuba diving you may want to practice breathing slowly and deeply on the surface.
2. Swim slowly. As the fable goes, slow and steady wins the race! Scuba diving is a recreational sport, not a race. Doubling your speed will require about four times as much energy, more energy equals more air consumption. In order to conserve air when scuba diving you should relax and swim at your own pace.
3. Buoyancy control.. Controlling your buoyancy is very important when trying to conserve air when scuba diving.
How to make air last longer when scuba diving?
14 Tips to Improve Your Air ConsumptionDive Regularly. Want to make your tank last longer? … Relax. Fidgeting underwater will only make you use more air than needed. … Pause. … Breathe Deeply. … Practice Neutral Buoyancy. … Maintain Your Equipment. … Work on Your Trim. … Use the Correct Amount of Weight.
Everyone wants dives to last as long as possible. After all, the underwater world is amazing, and the more time we can spend exploring it, the better. Because every diver’s body is different, every person consumes air at a different rate.
Still, there are multiple things you can do to improve your air consumption after your Open Water Diver course. Keep reading for 14 great tips and continuing education options that can help you stay “under for longer”.
1. Dive Regularly. Want to make your tank last longer? Then dive, dive, dive. The more you dive, the more you become comfortable underwater, and this improves your air consumption.
How can I increase my lung capacity for scuba diving?
Perform the diaphragmatic inhalation, pause and relax.Then chest, pause and relax.Then shoulders, pause and relax.Then slowly exhale just like before, repeating four times.
Five tips to increase lung capacity for freediving. Disclaimer: this information does not constitute training and must be taught and practiced first under the supervision of an instructor.
When people talk about lung capacity, most think size — the sheer volume of air in your chest. Increasing lung volume does help (it puts more gas in the tank). However, freedivers should also be interested in how effectively and efficiently their lungs work. This article covers five tips which can help you increase your lung volume and efficiency.
1. Segmented Breathing. Segmented breathing is a process in which freedivers separate individual muscle groups used for breathing to maximize their potential. Most new and many untrained freedivers will breathe from their chest when asked to take the biggest breath they can. Unfortunately, this may feel natural, but it is entirely backward.
How to increase lung capacity for scuba diving?
Perform the diaphragmatic inhalation, pause and relax.Then chest, pause and relax.Then shoulders, pause and relax.Then slowly exhale just like before, repeating four times.
Five tips to increase lung capacity for freediving. Disclaimer: this information does not constitute training and must be taught and practiced first under the supervision of an instructor.
When people talk about lung capacity, most think size — the sheer volume of air in your chest. Increasing lung volume does help (it puts more gas in the tank). However, freedivers should also be interested in how effectively and efficiently their lungs work. This article covers five tips which can help you increase your lung volume and efficiency.
1. Segmented Breathing. Segmented breathing is a process in which freedivers separate individual muscle groups used for breathing to maximize their potential. Most new and many untrained freedivers will breathe from their chest when asked to take the biggest breath they can. Unfortunately, this may feel natural, but it is entirely backward.
How can I increase my lung capacity for diving?
Five tips to increase lung capacity for freedivingSegmented Breathing. Segmented breathing is a process in which freedivers separate individual muscle groups used for breathing to maximize their potential. … Inhalation or Packing Stretches. … Exhalation Stretches. … Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Hypoxia (O2) tables. … Apnea Walks.
Five tips to increase lung capacity for freediving. Disclaimer: this information does not constitute training and must be taught and practiced first under the supervision of an instructor.
When people talk about lung capacity, most think size — the sheer volume of air in your chest. Increasing lung volume does help (it puts more gas in the tank). However, freedivers should also be interested in how effectively and efficiently their lungs work. This article covers five tips which can help you increase your lung volume and efficiency.
1. Segmented Breathing. Segmented breathing is a process in which freedivers separate individual muscle groups used for breathing to maximize their potential. Most new and many untrained freedivers will breathe from their chest when asked to take the biggest breath they can. Unfortunately, this may feel natural, but it is entirely backward.
How to consume less oxygen in diving?
I find that in this respect, diving can be compared to meditation. In each activity, you must maintain focus on deep breathing in an effort to slow yourself down. If our mind is racing, it means we are not in a very relaxed state. In diving, this means we are bound to burn through our air. One of the great joys of diving is the feeling of total relaxation we can achieve. You can help yourself get there by focusing more on your breathing, slowing everything down, and relaxing your body and mind. Making a conscious effort to take deep breaths and slow down your breathing will lower your air consumption, improve your dive times, and enrich your overall diving experience.
Finning Styles. From the time you started diving, most likely you defaulted to using the flutter kick. That is the standard up-and-down leg motion, alternating your legs each time, that you likely use whenever you swim. Maybe you noticed, however, that your professional guide will rarely if ever use that type of finning style. Instead, most dive professionals utilize the more relaxed frog kick when taking a leisurely swim around the dive site. Instead of the more powerful thrusts of the flutter kick generated from your hips, the frog kick uses small and gentle movements mostly in your lower legs and ankles. If you aren’t familiar with this type of finning style, this very short video will best demonstrate it:
As we know already, less effort expended means less air consumed. Normally, our goal when diving is to go slowly, and the frog kick is a nice way to minimize our effort given a relaxed pace. On the other hand, if you find yourself in a hurry to get somewhere underwater due to any kind of urgent situation, then the flutter kick is definitely the way to go. It is faster and more powerful. But again, as most of the time our goal in diving is to be slow and relaxed, you should generally stick with the frog kick.
How can I reduce my air usage scuba?
Here are our few tricks to use less air:1 Breathe slowly and deeply: The key to saving air during scuba diving is mastering proper breathing techniques. … 2 Be weighted properly: … 3 Work on your buoyancy: … 4 Slow down and relax: … 5 Keep warm: … 6 Practice makes it perfect:
This is a question we get a lot from students. When we compare how much air divers use, we’re usually looking at someone who just started versus someone who has been diving for a long time. So, it’s totally normal to see a difference!
New divers usually use more air, and that can happen for a few reasons. Your size can play a role in how much air you use, and there are some things you can do to help with that. Here are ourfewtricks to use less air:
1 Breathe slowly and deeply:. The key to saving air during scuba diving is mastering proper breathing techniques. Establishing a steady rhythm and taking longer, deeper breaths enhances your body’s oxygen absorption. Exhaling fully reduces ‘dead air’ volume and eliminates Carbon Dioxide, delaying the urge for another breath. Obviously, never hold your breath or overexpand your lungs; instead, pause for one second after each breath to allow fresh oxygen in, creating a smooth breathing pattern. Practice slow and deep breathing on the surface to improve air conservation during scuba dives.
How to conserve oxygen in scuba?
6 Tips for Conserving Your Breathing GasExperience. More than anything else, time in the water can help a diver conserve his or her gas. … Work on Buoyancy, Relax, and Breathe Normally. Second, try to relax underwater. … Reduce Excess Movement. … Work on Trim and Reduce Excess Weight. … Work on Fitness and Stay Warm. … Reduce Depth.
6 Tips for Conserving Your Breathing Gas. by Dr. Thomas Powell:
New divers often get into the sport of scuba diving thinking that the more breathing gas they carry, the longer they can stay underwater. Similarly, many new divers compare themselves to friends who have been diving for longer periods and feel like they are “Air Hogs” in comparison. The truth of the matter is that gas consumption is something that we get better at managing over time. There are many factors that can help a diver at any level conserve their breathing gas. The following are six basic suggestions that may help you reduce your gas consumption.
More than anything else, time in the water can help a diver conserve his or her gas. The more time you spend diving, the more comfortable you may become. Essentially, you get used to the gear you carry and you get more comfortable moving about in a three dimensional world. To become better at most things, you must practice. The same goes for diving. The more you dive, the more likely you are to adjust minor issues, become more proficient, and more than anything, become more comfortable.
How long does 1 tank of oxygen last scuba diving?
The duration of the air supply in a scuba tank depends on the factors mentioned above. Typically, an average scuba tank filled to 200 bar (3,000 psi) can last for 30 to 60 minutes at a depth of 10 to 18 metres (30 to 60 feet). However, if you are diving deeper or have a faster breathing rate, the air supply will be used up more quickly, reducing your decompression limit.
Reduce Air Consumption. To extend your dive time and reduce air consumption, here are some tips you can follow –
- Practice proper buoyancy control to avoid unnecessary movements that can increase your air consumption.
- Use efficient finning techniques to move through the water with less effort.
- Choose a diving cylinder that suits your needs.
How do you breathe slower when scuba diving?
Scuba Diving Breathing Techniques: Slow Diaphragmatic Breathing.. This scuba diving breathing technique consists of using the diaphragm to bring air into the lower third of the lungs. In this part, we can produce a greater exchange of gases. However, we normally use the chest muscles, so our breathing is shallow.
This scuba diving breathing technique’s value is to bring air to the most efficient part of our lungs. What does this mean? It will not be necessary to inhale such a large volume of air to provide oxygen to our cells, saving air in our tanks.
Did you know psychologists teach this scuba diving breathing technique to their patients to calm anxiety? It is not a surprise if we think this type of breathing helps lower the heart beat and stimulates relaxation. This aspect is extremely useful for divers. You know: the less stress, the less CO2 we produce.
How to breathe like a free diver?
STEP 1: BELLY/DIAPHRAGM BREATHINGSit or lie down in a relaxed position.Focus on expanding your belly as you inhale, and bringing your belly back in towards your spine as you exhale.Your ribs and chest should stay still.Imagine air filling your lower belly.Practice this breathing for 1 minute.
📹 5 Ways To Use Less Gas When Scuba Diving
5 Ways To Use Less Gas When Scuba Diving. There is no magic wand to having an amazing SAC rate. You have to do the work!
I was diving of the coast of the Carolina’s every weekend to depths of a 100 feet + and couldn’t get 10 minutes out of an 80 tank bought a 120 and started getting 15 minutes but with nitrox I should have been able to get 25 minutes. I told my instructor about my issues and he gave me a tip that made all the difference in the world. I went from sucking down a 120 in 15 minutes to coming up with a little less than 1/2 a tank left. He said once you jump in get to the hang line and take a minute to adjust your gear and slow your breathing. Being on the boat and gearing up then jumping in can make you breathing very rapid. By taking a minute and concentrating on your breathing and slowing it down before you descend will make all the difference in the world. Anyone want to buy a couple of 120’s Lol.
i won’t forget the time i finally used my lungs for buoyancy. i smiled inside my mask. i think i was on my 30th dive that time. i also won’t forget the time when my instructor, although just my buddy on a fun dive that particular time, told me to hand out 1 piece of my weight (1 pound) during the safety stop. so i gave it to him and noticed that i wasn’t ascending when i removed air in my BC. then he told me again to hand him out 1 more piece of weight (1 pound). i signaled him “huh”? so i handed it too him too and made sure there was no air in my BC. upon reaching the surface, he told me “that’s your new weight now, you’re too heavy”: yup, he was right. although i have to make a little more effort to descend from the surface when starting a dive, but when reaching about 4-5 feet, buoyancy is perfect until the end of a dive…
Great article. My SAC rate is 0.33cf/m (9 l/m) on normal dives. This is the same as my 60lb 13 year old who dives with me. On a recent 15meter max night dive he managed 45 minutes on a 50cf 7L tank. Tip 6 it must be in the genes. I guess I never attributed much of my very low consumption on your first four tips though inherently I know that diving a dry suit induces heavy drag or being overweighted makes for an uncomfortable dive. I have always separated DIR skills from gas consumption. My observation on tip 5 is that most people breathe underwater like they do on land: inhale, exhale, pause. Reverse breathing is an instant benefit (inhale pause exhale) but hazardous advice both because in an emergency situation, the pause could become a breath-hold and CO2 buildup can occur in someone unaware. So your advice of breathing very slowly is great, unless you are taking photos, lol. I will give that advice as well to people who ask me about using less gas as well as your other tips.
I’m a new diver. I mostly ccean, shorebased dives and when swell is big off the rocks I tend to consume a bit of gas getting in and during the descent. I surf and generally like the waves but when diving I guess I’m thinking about too many things and not as relaxed I should be. Also Im only 10 dives down and desperately want to get better. I’m going to try the 4 in and 4 out during my dive on the weekend. Thanks 😉
The new set up is great! The dark background works really well, the light is good and sound set up is the best so far. O, and GREAT TIPS, well explained. With the long breath it is also good to notice if you breathe with movement, on the surface we run or row or swim and breathe in and out sort of in sync with our movement. When diving, trying to separate our breath from movement will aid in the maintaining of the long and even breath. Yoga helps here amazingly!
Excellent article. Thank you. Really enjoyed it. When I first started diving I was using a 15 litre cylinder when everyone was using a 12 litre and I was STILL the person hitting the turn pressure first. Now I dive on a 12 litre and am often the person with the most air left out of a group. Thats not a boast or bragging more to make the point that I think the reason is a combination of these 5 things. I look back at my early dives now and the difference is insane. Thanks again.
Lol, in the diving group they would say I am the pissed off dragon! Just got cleared to transfer to another island next week for a week long dive trip… so stoked the travel restrictions are easing up. Another month and I would have been required to get a refresher lmao. Thanks for the tips as always, James.
I’m a nose breather by nature and when using a regular setup I suck a LOT of air. I switched to a Full Face mask and because I can breathe from my nose, I’ve more than doubled my down time at the same depth. I’m now the last person who runs out of gas and it’s one of the best things I’ve done in diving.
I was a firefighter long before I was a diver, which was a tremendous help when it came to learning to breathe properly underwater. When I was a firefighter, we were put through several different physical and psychological stress courses while breathing from an SCBA tank and our lives may have depended on how long we could make that tank last. Those skills translated to SCUBA with each breath being deliberate; either to oxygenate the brain or to control bouyancy.
Thumbs up for Ziggy Thumbs up for Jennifer Double thumbs up for meaningful comments on improving stress, trim, and breathing cadence. Best advice you gave me…why are you kicking on the line on the safety stop? I didn’t even notice I was doing it because I was so excited to be there. Don’t waste your air moving unnecessarily!
love the article, presentation and content, thanks! 1 small point thou. In normal breathing the ratio of inspiration to expiration would be 1:2 meaning we breath out for longer than we breath in, as thats when we get rid of the CO2. i get that control of breathing in diving is important but i’m not sure about the ratio of 1:1. i could be wrong. looking forward to more articles.
i used students air supply usage as a way to see who was uncomfortable underwater. i could never understand how often people that cant swim or have a fear of water would join my friends dive class. oh full disclaimer i am not a dive instructor i was just an extra set of hands and at times a visual guide or replacement dive buddy 🙂 i basically worked for air or gas as you would say.
what helped me more by default is that i run everyday. 2nd is utilising my lungs more when keeping my buoyancy in check than filling and dumping gas using my BCD. strong lungs, less gas dumps. that being said, i quit smoking. 3rd meditate before diving. it reduces stress. 4th is perfecting my trim. yazzz
I should probably note that on closed circuit your breathing rate doesn’t matter, only your oxygen metabolism rate, which varies with exertion. Closed circuit rebreather diving is amazing, it’s easy to get 3 hour dives out of the tiny tanks, regardless of depth. If I want to do that on open circuit I’d need at least 2-3 tanks, depending on size, unless I’m literally just under the surface, and idling.
If you are able to get your air tanks/air cylinder filled cheap enough or even free, you can practice breathing at home. I’m a firefighter looking to become dive rescue certified. Firefighters use SCBA, Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus as opposed to SCUBA Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. One of the most common problems that a new firefighter has is breathing. I was told to sit at the table and time how long that it takes to empty an air cylinder. Fill it up and beat that time. Once you’re comfortable with that, do the same while walking on a treadmill. Then do the same with all of your gear on, maybe not your fins. I feel that this could be helpful with diving as well. If you don’t have a treadmill walk around the yard or do some other kind of cardiovascular exercise just to work on your breathing.
Slow down and enjoy your surroundings. I can spend an entire dive loitering in an area the size of my lounge room. There is so much to see if you care to look. No need to rush from one spot to another. Of course every dive is different but something to try depending on the intention of your dive. You’ll be super relaxed and will breathe accordingly.
My issue with 4-second exhale and 4-second inhale is that, as indicated in the article, if you use your breath to go control buoyancy; how do you maintain an even breath pattern if for example, you want to descend a meter to check out an eel in a hole or hover near the the bottom to see a nudi? If I do 4 In and 4 or out, Im going up and down based on my breath and not at the level I specifically want to be.
Hi James. Thank you for making awesome articles but this time i have to throw a flag on the play. 😀 The mammalian diving reflex is not what drives ventilation. What you mentioned (CO2 buildup “making” people breathe) is named “respiratory drive” or “hypoxic drive.” The mammalian diving reflex is a collection of physiological changes triggered by having water at or below 24C touch the area on the face that is innarvated by the trigeminal nerve (around the bridge of the nose and cheeks) while holding one’s breath. When the reflex is triggered, there is bradychardia (lowering of heart rate), increased perfusion of O2 in the lungs, reduction of blood flow to limbs, and increase in mean arterial pressure, besides others. Cheers!
A Swiss living in China, not having the change to practice much over the past few years…. but this article was teaching me important essentials, which I should have known, but was not really aware about! – THANKS ! but how can I reduce weights, I need at least 6kg, otherwise I could never decent… 😕
Also work to become more comfortable in the water. I have seen many divers get certified that only have the ability to swim and are not comfortable in the water. As well as be comfortable with organisms in the water, scared of barracudas? You will go though gas faster from being nervous, investigate where your fears come from (Discovery website?) and the statistics behind those fears and what you can do to mitigate them. Things in the ocean are typically not as dangerous as we think. New conditions can also cause unease, speak up and let the Divemaster or boat mate know and ask for a more detailed explanation.
I am always the guy up first, I’m reasonably fit and healthy, don’t smoke and have tried a dozen breathing methods to improve it. My instructor suggested 1:1 breathing and counting it but I end up finding I’m getting out of breath, I need to be ~5:4 in:out to remain “stable”. Either way, I can concentrate hard on not using gas and it seems to make the problem worse!
I tend to like being heavy, the majority of dives I do are decompression dives, so I need to hold position to the letter of the law. Breath control is my main consideration slow steady inhale, a slight 2 second pause and a slow exhale, while not letting any unnecessary ço2 buildup. Streamlining is my secondary consideration being comfortable in my drysuit and then fine tuning with my BCD. Anyone who has never dove in a drysuit, comfort is key to a good dive, make sure the valve to your suit is open at the beinging of the accent, you dont want to have to offgas your suit as well as you BCD. Your need to manage any sensory overload while managing narcoses at 170 plus feet. But for newer divers doing NDL dives, keep it as simple as you can
Thank you so much for your brilliant articles 😊 I’ve a question about buoyancy. I’m one of those “on the button” (inflate/deflate) divers and would like to be better. If you’re diving along the bottom and the depth is increasing/decreasing gradually, your buoyancy will also change yes? Deeper=heavier, shallower=lighter. How do I regulate this without inflating/deflating?
I’ve just completed my OWD and have fallen in love with diving, I can’t shake the feeling of wanting to get back in the water. I’ve just discovered your website and it’s already helping a lot. Thank you for the great content, Keep it up! Oh and also, would you recommend getting the AOWD right away, or get in a good amount of fun dives first? I live in Taiwan and most of the dive shop trips require a AOWD for their trips.
I have trouble being on the surface with all that equipment. I start stressed and it gets worse the longer I spend on the surface, the worse it gets. And if I stay on the surface too long, I start having chest pains and then the dive is over. Weight is always a problem! You speak of reducing the amount of weight you carry but there is one big catch; if you do not have enough weight then you cannot go diving. Too much weight means a little extra drag but too little weight and you will not sink.
James, I live in Washington State and like to do a winter diving trip. With COVID still ever present, is there a possibility you could do a article on possible dive vacations to places close to you that we could plan with some confidence? Brainstorming here. But I was thinking… Keys, Bahamas, Cayman, Turks, etc. Are you hearing from those areas on dive vacations? Maybe I’m being unrealistic given the current COVID conditions and still unknowns. Jeff Morrison
I’m a new scuba diver, but I’ve thought about my breathing and breathing control a lot, both from having played a few wind instruments growing up (I played tuba in marching band, which definitely requires breathing control), and from various athletics. When people say “breathe in for 4 seconds and out for 4 seconds, ” my thought is always “but why do I have to breathe so quickly?” I’m more in the 6 or 7 seconds each way range (although I’m 100% definitely not qualified for an instructor course). Do you find that breathing slowly and deeply has an impact on your buoyancy (i.e. are you going up and down noticeably with every breath)?
We know about the “Air-Hogs” and eventually that will change depending on how many times you go diving; you must reach an optimum respiration efficiency, that is very important and very individual…enjoy diving even if it just 20 minuts or less…you have your own pressure gage, your own deep gage and your timer, so prepare for a safe exit…your partner has to understand that you have a different metabolism and he or she will be agree on exit with you, don`t push yourselve or prove to some one else…check your gas consumption allways for your own reference…you will progress at your own will…you must know your limitations….
How do I use breathing to control buoyancy? If I want to go up, I need to breathe in. But then I would also need to hold my breath. Isn’t that dangerous? Or should I just exhale slowly to control buoyancy. On the flip side, to go down using breathing would I just exhale quickly and breathe in slowly?
Don’t be worried if you use a lot of air. Breath. Don’t do stupid thing like holding your breathing . You want longer dive just get twinset and even 3rd or more cylinder. Breath what your longs demand. Stop listening stupid ideas etc. The only thing is relax and don’t try to dive fast etc. Slow and enjoy the dive. Remember. Diving is not a sport as many idiots describe it, but a pleasure. Enjoy it. Don’t compete.
Of course holding your breath while diving is the number one thing they say not to do but when I’m floating around at the same depth for a while I will slowly inhale, hold my breath for a few seconds then slowly exhale. I find this technique saves a lot of gas. At no time however do I ascend while holding my breath. To any of you experienced divers out there, is there any danger to this technique?
While I agree that smoking is bad for you and you should not smoke, pretty much every person with (sometimes unbelievably super) low air consumption I know is an active smoker. Just food for thought. Also, your air consumption might not improve over time, but instead in big jumps. I call it growing gills. Two times now, my SAC rate improved by ~20% literally overnight. One day I’m breathing 16l/min and the next 12. And that new value sticked. Something just clicks, you reach a new level of zen underwater and as a result consume less air.
Open, honest question – I was taught to use my lungs as my primary buoyancy device and am quite comfortable doing it, however I find if I inhale for a long time I become really +ve and likewise exhaling makes me -ve. This results in rising and dropping in the water by quite a bit. If I inhale for 6 seconds I’ll be WAY +ve (and vice versa). Has anyone got any tips for this?
Several of your buoyancy suggestions may be applicable to warm water diving, but here in the north where we dive with a lot more foam neoprene, more frequent BCD air adjustments are necessary, because changing your depth by one or two feet (in shallow water, depth dependant) without compensating for it with the BCD, will result in in an accelerating ascent or descent until your buoyancy is brought under control. When doing a shore dive, if your buoyancy is neutral at 15 feet, your buoyancy will become increasingly positive as you move into shallower water, which you may not want. If you don’t hold your depth by swimming (uses more air), your increasingly positive buoyancy will take you to the surface.
6:21 #3 PERFECT BUOYANCY: I knew about air volume in lungs effecting buoyancy since I was a young kid in a swimming pool. So when I began SCUBA training, I used that memory to do the neutral buoyancy Buda pose perfectly in 2nd swimming pool lesson. After completing advanced open water and deep diver, I experimented with breathing in a 90 % lung full of air and holding for a few seconds, lowering my depth by 1/2 to 3/4 meter to clear a rock, or coral etc, then breathing out gently over 4 to 6 seconds. #1 Rule in SCUBA – Don’t hold your breath…Unless only for a few seconds and you have a close visual reference for depth?
I have to disagree with the last point. The more you think about your breathing the more nervous you get and the more air you are going to use. It’s like thinking I have to go to sleep now, a positive feedback loop. Especially for beginners, it’s important to get the “OMG I have to breathe” out of their heads (of course without letting them neglect their supply). Get them focused and other parts of the diving experience first. At one point I just put my camera in my dads hands and he effectively doubled his diving time.
It’s not quite the amount of CO2 in your lungs it’s the amount in your brainstem in the chemoreceptor, but’s tomatoe tomato. What you need to learn is how to tolerate permissive hypercapnia (that being getting your body used to higher than normal co2 levels). It is done with Asthmatics who are placed on ventilators and people with COPD also tolerate much higher levels of CO2 in their brain than healthy individuals. The problem is that CO2 also causes somnolesence (sleepiness) -not a good thing to happen at 20 metres….
Not watched yet, but damn, my consumption has gone up with my weight during the pandemic. My advanced instructor gave me the best tips for breathing patterns etc and I was getting an hour easily on an AL-80. Now I’m lucky to get 45 minutes! Doesn’t help that I’ve had my mum get certified, and she can be as vertical as she likes, doggy paddling and still ending the dive at 130 bar 😂
I have another one. You don’t have swim, to EVERY single tiny little shrimp or peace of fungus, that the DM wants to force you to see underwater. Once I stopped giving a BLANK and stopped swimming everywhere because the DM was like COME HERE, COME HERE, LOOK AT THIS OMG!!! My air consumption doubled.
I’ve always been a gas hog. I blew through my whole tank while my dive master buddy still had enough to go for a second dive even after we buddy breathed to the serface, real punch into he gut there. I invested in a 100 cu ft and have been able to match my friends 80s for time except the DM. It’s the most frustrating thing about my dives that keeps me up at night. I’m hoping more time in the water will help me out.
I did not get advice number 5. You are suppose to control your buoyancy with your breathing. For me that means if you want to stay at the same depth you need to use about 40-60% of your lung volume. If you are breathing in for 6 seconds and breath out for 6 seconds you will have a depth change. I mean i get the point of breathing slow and controlled but in my opinion you cant say that the more time you need for breathing the better it is…
Yet another tip: improve your stamina. The better your O2 intake the more efficient is your CO2 removal. You breath slower and deeper so you will consume less gas. Also avoid rushing. Slow and steady kicking means efficiency and lower gas consumption. Remember that sport diving means first sport (carrying the gears) and then diving (enjoying weightlessness).
Mostly true and all good advices. Just one info I have to disagree. You said if you get more weight, you have to carry more in every kick that is not true. Once naturaly bouyant, you are weightless like an astronots. At horizontal movements you do not carry those weights. They are carried by alredy adjusted bcd. Just physics. At horizontal movement, it is just water drag diver working against if you trim correctly, adjust bcd correctly. More weight afffects divers effort only at ascend. You are carrying those weights at ascend, because you are working against gravity in that case assuming not inflating bcd to ascend because its dangerous. Of course taking more weight then needed is a bad idea, I just disagree the physics info here.