Breathing pattern

[ameneon]

I have improved my air consumption quite alot in the standard ways of relaxing more, buoyancy control, breathing pattern, etc to a point where I am quite satisfied with the result.

But I would like some input on the breathing pattern part. (slow in-pause a sec-slow out)
Right now I probably do something like 5-1-5 sec, if I try using more time it interferes with the buoyancy too much. Meaning that for instance when breathing in I go up so much that I have to breath out faster/earlier or else I wont go down again because of the expanded air in dry suit and BCD.

Is this normal? If not what am I doing wrong?
Any suggestions on how to improve it further?

 

[CamG]

Greetings ameneon and welcome to SB! Your question will answer itself the more time you log in the water. I have been in the very place in which you are right now and it will improve with every dive. I focus on slow and steady and the biggest air consumption tip I could give would be to learn how to frog kick efficiently. No joke it was amazing how much more bottom time I was able to enjoy and not as many leg cramps. Proper weighting, proper buoyancy all these things take time in the water to master. It is the fun part of diving always be ready to learn and be very observant of yourself and others. I have gotten some awesome tips just from watching others and from SB as well. So have a blast and enjoy the trip dive every chance you get!
CamG Keep diving....keep training....keep learning!

 

[TSandM]

I don't think there's a formula. The trick is to learn how much air volume to move, and at what speed, so that you inhale, and as you begin to rise, you exhale. That way, you only move a very small amount off your depth before your breath begins to correct the excursion. With time, you won't think about it. It will simply be second nature.

Trying to apply a rule is unlikely to work, as the "correct solution" depends upon your own lung volume.

 

[Ardy]

Like TSM I dont fill my lungs completely then minor pause and then slowly out. This builds into a steady rhythm that is very comfortable providing you dont need to exert yourself too much. Another thing I did a few years ago was to sit on the bottom near the anchor and get my breathing as good as I could without putting any stress on the act (if you know what I mean).

I was very surprised at what I saw and often found myself sitting there for 20mins watching the life go off around me.

 

[llqwyd]

i like teaching breathing patterns to first time divers and certified divers alike. it helps calm first time divers and helps certified divers with their air consumption. typically, i find that a quicker inhale is more effective (re: your 5-1-5 ratio) and will keep you from rising too much. longer inhales move you too much positionally. longer exhales will also allow you to use less weight, as you will keep your lungs evacuated.

hope this was helpful

 

[Garrobo]

Don't know anything about drysuits but for less air consumption I have found that exhaling through the nose is a lot easier to control. Staying closer to the deck where the currents aren't so fast helps too. I have also found that being a little heavy is better than being too light on either shallow dives or towards the end of a dive when you might have a tendency to ascend.

 

[DiveMom1]

Breathing control seems tricky. Once I concentrate on my breathing it seems to get so unnatural it really doesn't matter if I'm moving up and down the water column.. I loose focus on other things around me.

 

[Slonda828]

This may sound silly, but the best pattern is the one that is the easiest for you individually. If you find that you have to "make yourself" breathe a certain way, it may cause your heart rate to elevate or cause you to retain co2. I started off when I first started diving with inhale to exhale, with no pauses. Then I moved to inhale, pause for a single heartbeat, then exhale. Eventually I worked to inhale, pause for 2-3 heartbeats, then exhale. I have found that as far as my own physiology goes, if I pause for any longer the a few heartbeats, I have to make myself do it consciously, which reduces my comfort in the water and compels me to breathe more. Pool work has shown me that I actually consume more air when I make myself breathe "unnaturally". If you tool around underwater instead of kicking like mad, and find that natural pause in between the inhale and exhale that your body likes (you'll know because it will tell you if you are pausing too long by making you want to take a BIG breath on your next inhale), then you are on the right track, at least from where I am sitting.

I must also mention, in the interest of not having someone on here freak out on me, that when you are pausing your breathing you are not holding your breathe. Holding your breathe implies that you are using your epiglottis to block airflow thereby creating a sealed area of gas from your trachea to your alveoli. Obviously if you changed depth while doing this you run the risk of a pulmonary injury. The trick is to use your diaphragm to pause your breathing without holding your breath. You can tell if you are holding your breath because it will feel like your abdominal muscles are relaxed. Using your diaphragm to pause your breathing sort of feels like a reverse sit-up, for want of a better way to describe it.

It is interesting that, for me at least, this personal level of comfort in breathing also holds true in freediving. My dry static apnea time is right around 2:30. That is where I can hold my breath without feeling smashed when I ventilate again. When I do co2 tables and I force myself to go past 2:30 apneic, all of my times after that are drastically reduced, sometimes by as much as 30 seconds to a minute. Apparently your body does not like it when you force it outside of its comfort zone.

 

[dkktsunami]

Try extending your exhalation, for example 4 - 1 - 6. This will allow a more controlled pattern of breathing and better relaxation. Eventually you will learn to inhale and exhale in a manner, and at the right time, that will minimize the "up and down effect", somewhat like steering a single engine boat with a serious yaw, beginning to exhale just as the upward movement begins. I don't think the timing part can be "learned" quickly but rather is something that comes with experience and without conscious thought. Also be certain that you are swimming in a horizontal fashion (level trim). If your head is high, each time you kick part of your effort is in an upward direction which will magnify the up and down movements.

 

[Scott L]

Try extending your exhalation, for example 4 - 1 - 6. This will allow a more controlled pattern of breathing and better relaxation. Eventually you will learn to inhale and exhale in a manner, and at the right time, that will minimize the "up and down effect", somewhat like steering a single engine boat with a serious yaw, beginning to exhale just as the upward movement begins. I don't think the timing part can be "learned" quickly but rather is something that comes with experience and without conscious thought. Also be certain that you are swimming in a horizontal fashion (level trim). If your head is high, each time you kick part of your effort is in an upward direction which will magnify the up and down movements.

I agree with this cadence and the rest as well. Also, I find I must increase the adjustable resistance on my second stage in order to avoid inhaling gas too quickly.