Running Out of Air Quickly

[save-money-diving]

Hey all. In all 3 of my dives so far, I've ran out of air the fastest in the group. I'm a big guy 6'3, 230 lbs but there were much bigger people there that were still at around 1200 psi when I was down to 500. I tried adjusting the regulator all the way to the
(-) setting. Any ideas of how I can overcome this? I don't seem to be breathing hard or anything.

deffo go with the bigger tank idea. no-one cares if u carry an oil tanker on your back just request it. this will help u relax a bit when underwater coz ur not thinking about other people and how much air they have.... try changing ur fin kicks from straight legs to the frog kick and glide method. worked wonders for me. took me around 20 dives b4 i noticed a big air improvement. now 500+ dives on and im doing a 30meter multi level dive for 50 mins and still coming up on just under half my tank. so dont worry it will come in time. just dive as much as u can. happy hunting.

 

[jonix]

i've also read here that finning only when exhaling helps reduce consumption. maybe the more experienced guys can confirm ifthis is true.

 

[TSandM]

This is a common complaint from new divers.

There are basically three things that cause rapid air consumption: Anxiety, exertion, and ineffective breathing. Most new divers are a little anxious, so that increases respiratory rate. In addition, their buoyancy control is often iffy, and their trim is poor, so they spend a lot of energy trying to stabilize themselves in the water, and waste a lot of gas in inefficient propulsion. If you combine this with rapid, shallow breathing, you have a recipe for a short dive.

The things you can do: 1) Dive a lot. The more comfortable you are with the whole process, the more relaxed you can become, and the less gas you will use.

2) Check your weighting, and check your weight distribution. If you are correctly weighted, see if you can hover without moving anything. If you can't -- you tip forward or back -- you need to redistribute some weight until you can sit in a horizontal position. In that posture, you will be more stable, and you can use all your propulsive energy to push yourself forward through the water, rather than using some to try to maintain your depth.

3) Try to maintain a steady, slow, rhythmic breathing pattern. A little deeper than you would breathe on the surface, with an almost imperceptible pause at the end of inhalation and exhalation. The sort of breathing one would use for meditation. This is effective ventilation, and makes the most of the gas you have.

Finally, just don't worry very much about it. Many new divers are "hoovers", and it gets better as your skills improve.

Oh, and about the hands -- Clasp them together. That will stop you from swimming with them. Then you have to figure out what you were trying to do with them, and fix whatever it was another way (hint: It's usually a buoyancy issue.)

 

[Jibeho]

Hey all. In all 3 of my dives so far, I've ran out of air the fastest in the group. I'm a big guy 6'3, 230 lbs but there were much bigger people there that were still at around 1200 psi when I was down to 500. I tried adjusting the regulator all the way to the
(-) setting. Any ideas of how I can overcome this? I don't seem to be breathing hard or anything.

All good responses!

One other thing, you mentioned dialing your reg all the way to the (-) setting. I don't know what type of reg you have but on the 2 I own that will increase inhalation resistance. This in turn will make you work harder to get a breath. Don't do this!

Adjust it till your comfortable. Comfortable berating = comfortable diving = lower SAC rates.

 

[knotical]

A complete exhalation seems to help most new divers. It removes more CO2 and helps relaxation.

 

[Guba]

A number of responders hit on the key....RELAX. For instance, if you are anxious about using air quickly, you will naturally tighten up and become even more anxious, causing you to use air just that more quickly. It's a self-fueling spiral.
I think every one of us must have done something similar--we burned air on our early dives but got progressively better as we gained experience, confidence, and skill. It will come for you, too.
I can only add my voice to the mulititude. You will attain better air usage when you:
1. have gained experience
2. learn to minimize extraneous movement (paddling with hands, etc...)
3. develop a "breathing style" that maximizes oxygen utilization and minimizes carbon dioxide retention
4. fine tune your trim
5. and reduce anxiety (which will come with all of the above).

By the way, like many said, you're a big guy. You need air...use the bigger tank. There's no prize for using the smallest tank. Carry what you need to carry. Or, freak your partners out....get a tank that allows you to be the LAST one up! : )
Have fun.

 

[dannobee]

You can practice your breathing on the surface. Slow and deep inhales, hold for a few seconds, then long and slow exhales. Don't do the short, shallow breaths; you'll burn up more air when diving.

I know some big guys who are better than air than some little people. It's all in how often you dive and how comfortable you are in the water.

 

[DeputyDan]

If you're 6'3" and 230 pounds and only need 8 pounds of lead - that's pretty damn good!

 

[smatterchu]

I'm very glad to see this thread. For a quick second, I wasn't sure that DH hadn't finally gotten registered and was posting....not yet...

We're new to diving, too...and while we are sometimes more 'air compatible', sometimes not. I was just searching SB for some threads on this, because I knew we weren't the only ones...

First of all, good for you for recognizing it and wanting to improve your consumption and technique. DH also wants to improve technique, but he doesn't think his comsumption is particularly high. He tends to do a lot of finning v/s frog kick, and I keep wishing he would just chill out and quit trying to 'see everything' at once. He tends to get defensive about the whole thing...so I tend to not want to mention it. :no

I like the suggestion about getting a bigger tank. At the end of our last dive, DH had 500 and I was around 1450, I think. If I get him a bigger tank, that would help. I have heard that women tend to not use as much air, so I don't expect us to be naturally compatible...but I know DH seems to fuel the issue with his 'speed diving'...

Thanks for posting this. I have learned a bunch already.

Anyone got any suggestions on how to help DH?

 

[ClayJar]

Get some people together and spend a dive playing ScubUNO.

No, seriously.

Okay, here's the idea. By playing ScubUNO, you'll be more or less forcing yourself to stay still and relax (except, perhaps, when about to play a Draw Four Wild on the buddy who just signalled "UNO!"). You'll be resting (on something appropriate, please... and I don't just mean laurels), so your exertion will be minimized. You'll also be thinking about the game, so your breathing can settle into a "normal" pattern (without being so much conscious effort).

Once you've finished your ScubUNO dive, calculate your SAC (or whatever letters you may use), and you'll know how much air you need to breathe at a minimum. I generally find that adding 1/4 to 1/3 to that number will hit my "real" dive SAC spot-on. If you have a decent SAC playing ScubUNO, but a *much* worse rate on a "real" dive (such as double), you need to fix your technique (calm down, trim and weight, slow down, whatever). If, on the other hand, you can hoover a tank down just as fast playing ScubUNO as you can on a "real" dive, you really have nothing to do but dive more or carry more air.