Running out of air!

[Guba]

The good news is that your husband's air consumption rate will likely improve with experience and technique refinement (just as many of the previous posters have said). The bad news--strictly from the view of attempting to "match" both your air usages--is that YOUR consumption rate will probably improve as well as YOU gain experience. In other words, your husband may very well never "catch up" to your low air usage rate and there may always be a disparity between the two of you.
Investing in a larger tank for him might be the only practical solution that makes sense.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

May someone else ask?

I am guilty of the hand movements, and guilty of feeling as if I don't have enough weight, though experienced divers tell me I have enough.

Would you elaborate on the weight check and descent methods?

Of course ... I'll do so in separate threads ...

Here is the one for descent tips ... I'll create one for weight checks shortly ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Scott L]

Thanks for all the great information.

In response to Valhalla 561, my husband is very muscular. His legs are so muscled that he has trouble keeping them up when floating (He can press 1000 lbs. on a leg press machine at the gym!) Maybe that has something to do with his air problem.

This is great information from which the more experienced posters can now offer more thoughtful solutions. I may get overuled but it looks like a move to a Worthington X8-119 type cylinder would provide him with added gas while also providng him more head's down trim what seems to be an issue. Have fun!

 

[Eau_Girl]

Lots of great advice in the previous posts so I won't repeat.

Once he's looked at a number of these suggestions and comfortable with things he might want to start thinking about breathing during the dive.

On my first liveaboard trip one of the dive guides helped me with some tips to focus on my breathing really helped me. When you do your OW class the PADI system drills into your head that you can't hold your breath underwater. Clearly this is true, but it doesn't mean that you need to rid your lungs of air as soon as you put it in. The dive guide advised me to break each breath into 3 parts. First, inhale to a slow count of five. Second, take a pause. Third, exhale for at least a slow count of five. It really helped me to do this. By the end of the trip, the boat's max time limit was what ended my dive not me going through my air.

 

[elan]

Hi all, My husband and I are new divers (40-50 dives). He tends to run low on air at least 10-15 minutes sooner than I do, or anyone in the groups we've dived with. I know that people use up their air at different rates, and he has gotten a little better. But do you have any tips on how to slow the rate of air usage? Many thanks.

3 things worked for me. Good buoyancy control, when you do not fight for the buoyancy, moving very little. Just enough to move. Like in any media every x amount of speed increase requires x^2 more energy thus air consumption. And finally staying warm. I mean warm. I mean even if you think you feel warm in the tropics adding a hood may make you fell better and lower your consumption. This is very important when you reduce your movements, you muscles will not be working as hard thus not warming up well.

 

[mikeyjoe]

When you do your OW class the PADI system drills into your head that you can't hold your breath underwater. Clearly this is true, but it doesn't mean that you need to rid your lungs of air as soon as you put it in. The dive guide advised me to break each breath into 3 parts. First, inhale to a slow count of five. Second, take a pause. Third, exhale for at least a slow count of five. It really helped me to do this. By the end of the trip, the boat's max time limit was what ended my dive not me going through my air.

Similar advice from me, except that I exhale in 1/2s or 1/3s. Make sure you get a good, full exhale to rid yourself of all that CO2......

Don't worry, consumption will improve over time. Soon, a slow, rhythmic breathing cycle will become second nature. One cannot overstate the need to slow down - until this happens, consumption will not improve. To help slow down, bring a small dive light with you and make the effort to look into all the nooks and crannies on a reef - you'll automatically slow down, and see way more stuff than most people....

Have Fun

 

[don Francisco]

.....my husband is very muscular. His legs are so muscled that he has trouble keeping them up when floating ..... Maybe that has something to do with his air problem.

It might. If he's having to fin or continually make adjustments to maintain horizontal trim, that will add significantly to his air consumption, especially if using those large leg muscles.

He should do everything possible to offset the tendancy of his legs to sink, and achieve neutral trim. That includes moving weight up higher on his body, and any sources of bouyancy lower. Most importantly he should't dive in a shorty wetsuit. Wearing a full suit will add bouyancy to his legs, helping to improve trim and reducing the phyical work he has to do.

As a cyclist I also have very dense legs, and have had to make a number of adjustments to offset that sinky legs problem. Solving that alone knocked more than 10% off my air consumption.

 

[wreckless1]

Thanks for all the great information.

In response to Valhalla 561, my husband is very muscular. His legs are so muscled that he has trouble keeping them up when floating (He can press 1000 lbs. on a leg press machine at the gym!) Maybe that has something to do with his air problem.

AFAIK, muscle is metabolically active much more than fat, which is why they say to build muscle to burn more calories at rest. So, even without kicking or moving, your husband will burn through some extra air, no matter what.

However, those muscles will also allow him to lift a larger tank, which is something to consider investing in. In fact, I'll make that my excuse for wanting to buy a HP130. ;-) Air hoggery does seem to decrease with practice, but there is a hard limit we are all working against which is different for everyone.