SAC Rates

[BobinNC]

I am feeling like a Mac truck after calculating my SAC rate for the last few dives, yesterday in the quarry we had to come up after diving to see a school bus in the back wall of the quarry and "I" did not have enough air to make the swim back at the same depth to the entry point so we swam along the wall until I was down to about 600 psi at and then surface swam back to the entry point. I felt bad, but he did have a steel 100 and I had an AL80. My CFM ranged on the last several dives from .96 to 1.08. I have practiced breathing deeper, felt comfortable but still can't get it down. Water was colder at depth around 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything else I can do?

 

[SparticleBrane]

Anything else I can do?

Quit waving your arms around.

 

[gcbryan]

I am feeling like a Mac truck after calculating my SAC rate for the last few dives, yesterday in the quarry we had to come up after diving to see a school bus in the back wall of the quarry and "I" did not have enough air to make the swim back at the same depth to the entry point so we swam along the wall until I was down to about 600 psi at and then surface swam back to the entry point. I felt bad, but he did have a steel 100 and I had an AL80. My CFM ranged on the last several dives from .96 to 1.08. I have practiced breathing deeper, felt comfortable but still can't get it down. Water was colder at depth around 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything else I can do?

I'm assuming that you're a newer diver and not a small guy so just getting more experience and becoming more efficient is all you can do. If you are always swimming...slow down and stop sometimes...other than that your SAC rate is what it is...you may decide to get a larger tank.

 

[lowviz]

My CFM ranged on the last several dives from .96 to 1.08.

-so refreshing to see a truthful SAC.

1) This is exactly what I would expect, ask me how I know...

2) It will bounce around for a while then get way better if you dive often.


Try this:
Find a spot where you can both a) hold on to something and b) stand up to reach the surface if you have to. Start each day's diving by making the first face entry without a mask. You will very likely experience a brief sense of panic. Hang there until you settle yourself out. I would be surprised if this won't help your SAC rate a bit. Getting your mask back on and doing the dive will be comfortable by comparison to the drill. There are many other benefits to doing this drill, but they're for other threads...

Stay safe.

 

[emoreira]

I am feeling like a Mac truck after calculating my SAC rate for the last few dives,.....

I feel the same looking my SAC rate near 1. What did I do with the air ?