Rick, did her bubbles provide a clue?
Air Consumption
- Thread starter Lamnid
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Yeah, we knew she was breathing hard, but she kept insisting it was "normal" - which is what she was taught, right? It was the "normal for what?" question we were slow to ask. It's funny how something so simple can escape you even after years and years teaching this stuff, but just like I found as a flight instructor, the minute you think you've seen everything a student can do to you, someone will come up with something totally fresh and astounding!MikeFerrara:
So Tom & I learned a lesson too, and explain "normal" Scuba breathing patterns better than we (apparently) used to.
Rick
blindref757
Contributor
As a fellow Air Hog myself...I got my best advice after learning the difference in "breath holding" versus "pausing". In simple terms--Breath Holding (especially during any type of ascent) = BAD...but a normal "pause" after the intake=OK.
When I was newly certified--I was determined to follow what was drilled into my head--SCUBA Rule #1...NEVER hold your breath! We all know it well. So...I was breathing heavily just to keep air moving--even when I wasn't really needing a breath.
Try a nice slow inhalation...pause...slow exhalation. Breathe deep, let the lungs have time to get the O2 out of the air that is contained in them, and slowly exhale it out...pause...inhale slowly etc.
If you figure that in an average dive by an average diver, normal respriation would be around 15 cycles per minute. If you slow that down with a "one thousand one-one thousand two" pause...you can reduce that to 12 without endangering yourself at all. If you are using 1.5 CF/minute (official airhog status), by reducing your breath cycles just 3 per minute, you reduce your tank usage by 1/5 as well--so you are down to 1.2.
You can flirt with other kick styles, you can work on your trim/bouyancy, and as everyone else says...you will continue to relax. You are probably much more relaxed on your 16th dive than you were on your 3rd dive...but imagine how much more relaxed you'll be on your 116th dive!
When I was newly certified--I was determined to follow what was drilled into my head--SCUBA Rule #1...NEVER hold your breath! We all know it well. So...I was breathing heavily just to keep air moving--even when I wasn't really needing a breath.
Try a nice slow inhalation...pause...slow exhalation. Breathe deep, let the lungs have time to get the O2 out of the air that is contained in them, and slowly exhale it out...pause...inhale slowly etc.
If you figure that in an average dive by an average diver, normal respriation would be around 15 cycles per minute. If you slow that down with a "one thousand one-one thousand two" pause...you can reduce that to 12 without endangering yourself at all. If you are using 1.5 CF/minute (official airhog status), by reducing your breath cycles just 3 per minute, you reduce your tank usage by 1/5 as well--so you are down to 1.2.
You can flirt with other kick styles, you can work on your trim/bouyancy, and as everyone else says...you will continue to relax. You are probably much more relaxed on your 16th dive than you were on your 3rd dive...but imagine how much more relaxed you'll be on your 116th dive!
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