This is telling. Either you are in the feet-down/negative buoyancy state of inefficient propulsion, or your trying to travel WAY too fast! Scuba is a leisurely sport (unless you're spearfishing) and hurrying gobbles gas.
Once a gas hog...
- Thread starter Gombessa
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This is telling. Either you are in the feet-down/negative buoyancy state of inefficient propulsion, or your trying to travel WAY too fast! Scuba is a leisurely sport (unless you're spearfishing) and hurrying gobbles gas.
Gombessa: Relax.
Think through the dive.
Take a some time once you've descended to collect yourself.
Get your trim sorted out.
On a sandy bottom (where you won't do damage) maybe do a fin pivot first.
Whatever you do, make sure you don't feel rushed.
If that means sitting in the parking lot staring at the ocean for a while to get over a stressful day, then do that.
Once you swim out to where you are going to descend, take a bit of time to slowly and consciously prep your descent. Set your return direction on your compass, set your dive watch. Chat with you buddy as a final check. Then calmly descend.
Oh, and dive more
I probably could have started with that and skipped the rest of the post
Think through the dive.
Take a some time once you've descended to collect yourself.
Get your trim sorted out.
On a sandy bottom (where you won't do damage) maybe do a fin pivot first.
Whatever you do, make sure you don't feel rushed.
If that means sitting in the parking lot staring at the ocean for a while to get over a stressful day, then do that.
Once you swim out to where you are going to descend, take a bit of time to slowly and consciously prep your descent. Set your return direction on your compass, set your dive watch. Chat with you buddy as a final check. Then calmly descend.
Oh, and dive more
I probably could have started with that and skipped the rest of the post 
PerroneFord:
Ditto - It makes all the diffrence.
Dave
Gombessa:
Learn to fin better - slow down, enjoy the dive, its not a race.
Dave
SkullDeformity
Contributor
I have been told by several divers, instructors, not to try any "breathing techniques" that are advertised to save air. Just breathe normally, as you feel the need. In my first dozen dives I tried to do what my OW instructor told me, big loooong breaths leading to a full lung. That did absolutely nothing for me, and once I stopped and just breathed normally I felt a change.
Now I feel my breathing increase doing some skills, or disentangling myself from diver pileups during night dives when we're all trying to see the same critter. I need to learn to back kick.
Now I feel my breathing increase doing some skills, or disentangling myself from diver pileups during night dives when we're all trying to see the same critter. I need to learn to back kick.
I agree with the above.Make it a point to make some nonchallenging dives. Just get down there, get into good trim with correct weighting, keep your hands still and take it slow. As you become at ease your breathing will slow, don't force it. If you are falling into the groove your breathing should naturally become surprisingly slow. Be sure to exhale fully on each breath, with the multiple atmosphere's each breath contains copious amounts of oxygen. The bottom line is that you need to at ease for this to happen so get your configuration spot-on and dive a lot.
If you are lacking for buddies but can get in the water then go skindiving. Sustained oral breathing with a snorkel will improve your breath control and the time on the water is good for your comfort level.
Pete
If you are lacking for buddies but can get in the water then go skindiving. Sustained oral breathing with a snorkel will improve your breath control and the time on the water is good for your comfort level.
Pete
How to use less air in two simple steps:
It turns out that isn't the case, and for why, we need only look at an escalator.
When you kick, your fins push you forward. That much is obvious. When you're horizontal, forward is simply that: forward. However, when you're body is pointing up (such as is often the case for a new diver with a pronounced "leaning forward" trim), "forward" along your body is partially forward and partially up. You're "swimming uphill". Think of it as if you're walking up stairs.
How is it you're staying at one point in the water? It's not because you're neutral -- if you were swimming (partially) up and you were neutral, you'd be going up. Apparently, then, you *must* be negative. So, it's not just walking up stairs; you're walking up the *down* escalator.
Think about it for a minute. You go to the airport, and start walking up the down escalator (and you're the President, so they don't arrest you). If you walk up at the same speed as the stairs are descending, you can stay at one level. If you stand still (i.e. stop finning), you'll start descending. Obviously, even staying at one point is going to take a lot more effort than it ought.
Now, get off the escalator and walk halfway up the normal stairs. When you stop walking, you don't go anywhere, just like when you're neutral in the water and you stop finning, you just float there. After 15 minutes of standing still on the stairs, you're going to be much less tired than after 15 minutes of walking in place on the escalator, eh?
As long as you're not horizontal, you'll always be "swimming uphill". It's *inescapable*. The only way to move forward is to fin, and by finning, you'll be swimming partially upward, so you'll have to remain negative the entire dive. Only by making yourself horizontal can you move forward without swimming uphill. Once you fix your trim, you can get properly neutral, and without carrying the dead weight the whole dive, you'll use quite a bit less air.
(Incidentally, while it is certainly not universally the case, I find that many people with "fin-induced" cramping problems are blaming the wrong thing. If they were shown how to be horizontal, they wouldn't need to "fin in place" all dive long, and their legs would be much less overworked, regardless of which fins they used. Just a thought.)
Oh, and step 3? Once you're horizontal and neutral, you don't have to "fin in place" to keep from sinking, so you can slow down and enjoy the dive, which will also greatly help your consumption.
- Get horizontal. (This is a prerequisite for step 2.)
- Get neutral.
It turns out that isn't the case, and for why, we need only look at an escalator.
When you kick, your fins push you forward. That much is obvious. When you're horizontal, forward is simply that: forward. However, when you're body is pointing up (such as is often the case for a new diver with a pronounced "leaning forward" trim), "forward" along your body is partially forward and partially up. You're "swimming uphill". Think of it as if you're walking up stairs.
How is it you're staying at one point in the water? It's not because you're neutral -- if you were swimming (partially) up and you were neutral, you'd be going up. Apparently, then, you *must* be negative. So, it's not just walking up stairs; you're walking up the *down* escalator.
Think about it for a minute. You go to the airport, and start walking up the down escalator (and you're the President, so they don't arrest you). If you walk up at the same speed as the stairs are descending, you can stay at one level. If you stand still (i.e. stop finning), you'll start descending. Obviously, even staying at one point is going to take a lot more effort than it ought.
Now, get off the escalator and walk halfway up the normal stairs. When you stop walking, you don't go anywhere, just like when you're neutral in the water and you stop finning, you just float there. After 15 minutes of standing still on the stairs, you're going to be much less tired than after 15 minutes of walking in place on the escalator, eh?
As long as you're not horizontal, you'll always be "swimming uphill". It's *inescapable*. The only way to move forward is to fin, and by finning, you'll be swimming partially upward, so you'll have to remain negative the entire dive. Only by making yourself horizontal can you move forward without swimming uphill. Once you fix your trim, you can get properly neutral, and without carrying the dead weight the whole dive, you'll use quite a bit less air.
(Incidentally, while it is certainly not universally the case, I find that many people with "fin-induced" cramping problems are blaming the wrong thing. If they were shown how to be horizontal, they wouldn't need to "fin in place" all dive long, and their legs would be much less overworked, regardless of which fins they used. Just a thought.)
Oh, and step 3? Once you're horizontal and neutral, you don't have to "fin in place" to keep from sinking, so you can slow down and enjoy the dive, which will also greatly help your consumption.
1_T_Submariner
Contributor
All others have made great suggestions. My suggestions.
Slow down and Dive and then Dive again and then dive somemore.
If you still are not getting enough time out of a tank get a bigger tank (I dive an HP120) or doubles (Maybe in my future).
Slow down and Dive and then Dive again and then dive somemore.
If you still are not getting enough time out of a tank get a bigger tank (I dive an HP120) or doubles (Maybe in my future).
SparticleBrane
Contributor
Let me explain the fallacy of these "breathing techniques."SkullDeformity:
Ready? Ok, here we go:
Take a slooow big huge breath. Take at least 8 seconds to inhale, as measured by a stopwatch. Hold it for a a few seconds. Now slowly exhale for at least 6 seconds (these are the numbers that were posted above, yes?)
Repeat at least 10 times.
I bet you feel like crap right about now. Now why in the world would you want to do that underwater if it feels this bad above water? It only leads to CO2 headaches and other pleasurable experiences...
beach89
Contributor
What really helped me was focusing on breathing deep and slowly. Once I started breathing deep, instead of shallow, my gas consumption went down. That's probably because I breathe way, way, too shallow.
Anyway, I can inhale for eight seconds and exhale for six easily. Overwater doesn't equal underwater either. There's a lot more dead air space when under vs over water, which is why you have to inhale and exhale deeply, or else you'll just inhale the Co2 you just exhaled. Personally, in for 4 and out for 5 seems perfect for me.
Woah, who said anything about holding it for a few seconds? Not good.SparticleBrane:
Anyway, I can inhale for eight seconds and exhale for six easily. Overwater doesn't equal underwater either. There's a lot more dead air space when under vs over water, which is why you have to inhale and exhale deeply, or else you'll just inhale the Co2 you just exhaled. Personally, in for 4 and out for 5 seems perfect for me.
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