Breathing pattern

[DiveMom1]

I am just amazed how I was able to dive for 16 years or so without ever giving a second thought to finning techniques, buoyancy control.. and the dozen other things I'm now working on tweaking. I guess it goes to prove the addage:

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW!

 

[BrianOrange]

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.

Here's my question. Above it says he/she breathes in for 4 seconds, then pauses for 1, then exhales for 6 seconds. Is that one second pause considered holding your breathe which we are taught NEVER to do? Or is it okay if you are holding it for such a short amount of time?

I have the same air consumption issues.

 

[Slonda828]

Brian,

Read my post earlier in this thread ad it explains the answer to your questions.

 

[DiveMom1]

Tonight practicing in a pool at 15' for 2 hours I discovered the best way to regulate my breathing pattern was to ignore it all together. LOL I was working on different fin kicks the whole time and low and behold I was no longer going up and down in the water column with respirations... of course the minute I zeroed in on my breathing pattern.. I started bobbing with each breath again.

I decided just to pay attention to my feet instead.... Hey, maybe if I focus on something else yet [no idea what] my feet will get beyond the dyslexia and start kicking properly! LOL

 

[gbray]

Tonight practicing in a pool at 15' for 2 hours I discovered the best way to regulate my breathing pattern was to ignore it all together. LOL I was working on different fin kicks the whole time and low and behold I was no longer going up and down in the water column with respirations... of course the minute I zeroed in on my breathing pattern.. I started bobbing with each breath again.

I decided just to pay attention to my feet instead.... Hey, maybe if I focus on something else yet [no idea what] my feet will get beyond the dyslexia and start kicking properly! LOL

I have found this to be true for me as well. The less I concentrate on my breathing when sidetracked with other interests while under water the better it gets. Also as posted earlier, when I started learning to frog kick leg cramps virtually dissappeared. kicking technics don't seem to come natural for me, I'm trying to learn to backup. This takes so much concentration my breathing should be down to 0 by the time I master it. LOL

 

[dkktsunami]

Here's my question. Above it says he/she breathes in for 4 seconds, then pauses for 1, then exhales for 6 seconds. Is that one second pause considered holding your breathe which we are taught NEVER to do? Or is it okay if you are holding it for such a short amount of time?

I have the same air consumption issues.

This is considered to be a pause - no harm done anyway if you are not ascending (and you can pause with your glottis open). The 4 - 1 - 6 is just an example of a pattern. You will have to select a rhythm that is comfortable for you. You might practice this while lying in bed, walking, jogging, etc. It's relaxing once you get a feel for doing this. Probably difficult to do at first while diving - as others have pointed out trying to consciously stick to a pattern is problematic. At first you will likely bob up and down a bit but eventually, without thinking about it, your breathing will be timed to minimize depth variation. This just takes a lot of diving but practice on land while doing various activities will likely help.

 

[Viron]

As newbe, let me preface my thoughts with my brother that has been diving for over thirty years regular consumes just over .4cuft/min breathing normally. Following his advice I started out on my OW check out dive below the average .7cuft/min. In the pool I've done below .4cuft/min while practicing mundane skill like deploying a safety sausage on a reel, removing kit parts, and reattaching them.

The problem with normal breathing and scuba is that many divers don't do it. Most divers take a full inhalation deep breath which is NOT normal breathing.

The second problem is many divers don't fully exhale. PADI mentions the dead CO2 laden air in air passages, lungs, and regulators, but few stop to think that it is CO2 build up that triggers breathing, hyperventilation, anxiety, gagging, etc depending upon the concentration.

That is why I do one thing slightly different than normal breathing. I exhale completely and intentionally like I would if I were blowing out a candle.

The benefit of going from a .7cuft/min to .4cuft/min is 40% more bottom time FOR FREE!

Other benefits are better bouyancy control with less added weight, and a more comfortable relaxed dive experience.

So for better diving, "Just say no to that big full lung of air, and get rid of the CO2." Breath normally.

As to a pattern I probably do a 4-1-5-2. I pause 1-2 seconds after the complete exhale. The 4 inhale is not a big puffed up unnatural breath, probably 2/3 or less of max capacity.

 

[XS-NRG]

I breathe in a nearly full breath then exhale for a good 15 seconds nice and slowly. My buoyancy, weight and trim are spot on though so I can pull this off without excessively rising or dropping while breathing this way. It's been a long road getting to the point that I'm at now. Comfort really plays a big part. When you know your stuff, and you know what feels what way and how to react it really helps when it comes to nice calm breathing and total relaxation underwater. Not only will this add to your enjoyment underwater but your SAC rate will start to drop and you can spend more time underwater. Took me close to 50 dives to really dial in weight and breathing to a decent level. Now I'm over 80 dives and recently just did a dive where my SAC rate hit 0.19 cu ft/min. After 25 mins at 60 feet my computer was still telling me that I had 80 mins of gas time remaining and that was all on a single AL 80 tank. Long exhales are key as are weight and trim for buoyancy. Keep practicing and you'll get better.

 

[Viron]

I breathe in a nearly full breath then exhale for a good 15 seconds nice and slowly. My buoyancy, weight and trim are spot on though so I can pull this off without excessively rising or dropping while breathing this way. It's been a long road getting to the point that I'm at now. Comfort really plays a big part. When you know your stuff, and you know what feels what way and how to react it really helps when it comes to nice calm breathing and total relaxation underwater. Not only will this add to your enjoyment underwater but your SAC rate will start to drop and you can spend more time underwater. Took me close to 50 dives to really dial in weight and breathing to a decent level. Now I'm over 80 dives and recently just did a dive where my SAC rate hit 0.19 cu ft/min. After 25 mins at 60 feet my computer was still telling me that I had 80 mins of gas time remaining and that was all on a single AL 80 tank. Long exhales are key as are weight and trim for buoyancy. Keep practicing and you'll get better.

Very nice. Very nice.

My brother has been working with me on underwater skills while being conscious of good normal breathing habits. I've hit .39 SAC in the pool while practicing deploying safety sausage, removing and adjusting BCD and things attached to it. A lot of the battle is keeping your mind relaxed while doing tasks that can be somewhat difficult underwater with gloves on like rolling up a sausage. As he says, "Keep thinking, I'm a turtle just drifting along."

I used longer fuller breaths than normal on my OW check out and was below .7 SAC. I think more normal breaths may work better for consumption while saving fuller breaths for bouyancy to get higher on the reef.

Thanks for the input.