large_diver
Contributor
I'm 6'5" and 260....so I share your pain.
I'm a newbie with 25 dives under my belt. All the advice you see above about air consumption is helpful. As you gain experience, you will improve your skills and be more relaxed in the water. I used to be a lifeguard and have always been a strong swimmer and comfortable in the water -- regardless, I was still pretty nervous on my first OW dives due to the variety of tasks involved in diving and the fact I was breathing underwater. As my skills have improved, my nervousness has gone away, and my air consumption seems to have gotten slower (estimated). I've also tried to improve my fitness by swimming 1 mile at least 2x per week as well as some weight training.
All that being said, I'm still usually the biggest diver present when it comes to diving in groups or with 1 buddy, meaning no matter how much I relax and get in shape, I will still use air at a faster rate than the average-sized human.
Getting a bigger capacity tank is one good idea offered above. I bought an LP steel 98 tank (OMS) last summer and it has largely equalized how quickly I run out of air vs. my buddies using AL 80s. This particular tank is about the same height as an AL 80 (no worries about banging your head on the yoke), weighs about the same, and has better buoyancy characteristics (negative when full; neutral when empty -- allowing me to drop some lbs off of my weight belt).
Hope this helps -- dive safe!
I'm a newbie with 25 dives under my belt. All the advice you see above about air consumption is helpful. As you gain experience, you will improve your skills and be more relaxed in the water. I used to be a lifeguard and have always been a strong swimmer and comfortable in the water -- regardless, I was still pretty nervous on my first OW dives due to the variety of tasks involved in diving and the fact I was breathing underwater. As my skills have improved, my nervousness has gone away, and my air consumption seems to have gotten slower (estimated). I've also tried to improve my fitness by swimming 1 mile at least 2x per week as well as some weight training.
All that being said, I'm still usually the biggest diver present when it comes to diving in groups or with 1 buddy, meaning no matter how much I relax and get in shape, I will still use air at a faster rate than the average-sized human.
Getting a bigger capacity tank is one good idea offered above. I bought an LP steel 98 tank (OMS) last summer and it has largely equalized how quickly I run out of air vs. my buddies using AL 80s. This particular tank is about the same height as an AL 80 (no worries about banging your head on the yoke), weighs about the same, and has better buoyancy characteristics (negative when full; neutral when empty -- allowing me to drop some lbs off of my weight belt).
Hope this helps -- dive safe!
