Question on lungs and buoyancy

[Teamcasa]

Like others have said, your breathing is the final step in controlling and fine tuning of your buoyancy. After more dives you will not even think about it. Normal breathing with slight changes in exhale and inhale amounts to make subtle changes in depth will soon become second nature.

I like to say it’s like watching a rubber band with a small weight on one end, in a jar of honey. You pull on the rubber band and after a few seconds you see the weight slowly begin to rise, release the rubber band and the weight will begin to settle to the bottom. Your breathing will have a similar effect.

 

[Charlie99]

Like others have said, your breathing is the final step in controlling and fine tuning of your buoyancy. After more dives you will not even think about it.

It gets very natural and automatic after a while. A fellow diver once asked me how I knew when to add or release air from my BCD. I couldn't really tell him, and had to pay attention on the next dive to figure it out.

On the next dive I paid conscious attention to how I was controlling buoyancy. I was adjusting my buoyancy with my lungs; and then adjusting the BCD to "re-center" my lungs. In other words, I adjusted buoyancy automatically with my breathing, and then added or removed air from the BCD if my breathing pattern was getting too skewed towards either full lungs or empty lungs.

IMO, the real key to relaxed diving is learning how to be able to do NOTHING. If you can stop finning at any time, and not change depth, then diving is much easier and more enjoyable.

 

[rjpv]

On the next dive I paid conscious attention to how I was controlling buoyancy. I was adjusting my buoyancy with my lungs; and then adjusting the BCD to "re-center" my lungs. In other words, I adjusted buoyancy automatically with my breathing, and then added or removed air from the BCD if my breathing pattern was getting too skewed towards either full lungs or empty lungs.

Interesting thought, makes sense.

Thanks for the advice guys, I'll keep at it.