Using a lot of air whilst kicking

[richiet]

Hi

This is my first post. Hello.

I am new to diving (35 dives, dive around once or twice a month) and mainly dive around the Middle East.

I have noticed that on a normal dive, my air consumption is getting better. However, when I need to kick for instance if there's a current, it quickly goes out of the window. I'm 182 cm and 90 kg if that helps.

Recently, I went diving in the red sea. I dove a wreck and was fine. My air was good. But then we swan over to another wreck and I BURNED through oxygen in the short time that we were swimming. I ended up much lower on air than I should have been. I also recently did a dive with a strong current and was at 50 bar after only 25 minutes!

Does anyone have any good resources for helping this? Are there any good exercises I can do? Are there any good resources people have on finning in certain ways, or the best way to fin to preserve oxygen?

Thank you in advance.

 

[MacDuyver]

Well you've got a few things that sapped your air.

Firstly you were deeper than expected. not sure the depths, but deeper is going to lead you to consume air faster, its just a question of "how much?"

Second, probably the biggest one: the strong current. There are a couple strategies to current, the standard idea is to begin your dive swimming into the current, turn at your turn around pressure, and then return with the current pushing you so you'll kick far less.

Second, you can work on your finning technique to be more effective. Stronger strokes are better than faster strokes. Generally you're going to want to flutter kick into a current as it provides the most constant thrust. Managing your speed takes practice in a current though. Stronger currents mean you're going to have to apply more force to overcome them than weaker currents. that means that you're going to have to do more of those stronger kicks, which is going to burn more air.

You can game this though and frog kick during other points of th dive which allows you a bit more of a leisurely pace to breathe easier.

Working on burning through air under stress is pretty much just working on your breathing in general. Know though that when you're working hard, you're going to breathe harder just because your body needs moer oxygen to power your muscles.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

Hi and welcome. The first and easiest solution is to improve your cardio. After that, try anaerobic training to improve your heart rate recovery time. This will help you lower your breathing rate after exertion.

Handy little trick in current is to position you body a few inches off the bottom and literally drag yourself along by your fingertips. You'll need good buoyancy so you aren't squishing anything.

But the best solution is to dive more. You'll find your rhythm.

This is the way.

 

[VikingDives]

Hi

This is my first post. Hello.

I am new to diving (35 dives, dive around once or twice a month) and mainly dive around the Middle East.

I have noticed that on a normal dive, my air consumption is getting better. However, when I need to kick for instance if there's a current, it quickly goes out of the window. I'm 182 cm and 90 kg if that helps.

Recently, I went diving in the red sea. I dove a wreck and was fine. My air was good. But then we swan over to another wreck and I BURNED through oxygen in the short time that we were swimming. I ended up much lower on air than I should have been. I also recently did a dive with a strong current and was at 50 bar after only 25 minutes!

Does anyone have any good resources for helping this? Are there any good exercises I can do? Are there any good resources people have on finning in certain ways, or the best way to fin to preserve oxygen?

Thank you in advance.

Learn to frog kick. Kick and then glide after each kick.

Don't be overweighted.

Be neutrally buoyant and in proper trim.

Dive more. You'll become more relaxed.

Have someone shoot video of you during a dive. Video will show you all the little mistakes you're making.

 

[Angelo Farina]

Learn to frog kick. Kick and then glide after each kick.

Frog kicking is good inside a cave, or a wreck, not in a strong current in open sea...
I agree that the type of fins used and kicking style have a significant impact on air consumption.
But if you want to travel a longer distance with a fixed amount of oxygen, then you need to emulate what free diving recordmen do.
They use long, flexible fins, made of carbon fiber or fiberglass, in a special flutter kicking or, better, dolphin kicking which you must learn in a finned swimming course or deep freediving course.
You must be streamlined, using a low drag suit (no fabric outside), no or minimal BCD, and nothing hanging around.
For maximum efficiency, you should remove the tank form your shoulders and push it forward. See here the proper technique:

 

[Fastmarc]

Hi

This is my first post. Hello.

I am new to diving (35 dives, dive around once or twice a month) and mainly dive around the Middle East.

I have noticed that on a normal dive, my air consumption is getting better. However, when I need to kick for instance if there's a current, it quickly goes out of the window. I'm 182 cm and 90 kg if that helps.

Recently, I went diving in the red sea. I dove a wreck and was fine. My air was good. But then we swan over to another wreck and I BURNED through oxygen in the short time that we were swimming. I ended up much lower on air than I should have been. I also recently did a dive with a strong current and was at 50 bar after only 25 minutes!

Does anyone have any good resources for helping this? Are there any good exercises I can do? Are there any good resources people have on finning in certain ways, or the best way to fin to preserve oxygen?

Thank you in advance.

It's natural to use more air when swimming into a current. Everyone does. However, there are a few things you can look at to improve your air consumption overall and especially when dealing with currents.
Make sure you are properly trimmed. If you are horizontal naturally when not moving, chances are you will be when kicking harder too.

Make sure you are streamlined. The bulkier you are and the more things dangling off you, the more drag you can create. Jacket styled BCDs are very draggy. When I used to use one, I used to 'hug' it to reduce it's size if I have to kick into a current.

If the current isn't too strong, you can frog kick as suggested above, but you will not be able to keep up if others are flutter kicking. If flutter is necessary, make sure you have good form. Nice strokes.

And linked to above, your fins make a big impact. I used to struggle to keep up sometimes and just to change to better fins solved that. Research and find a fin that is good for this if you do this a lot. There are even some good all rounders that does a decent job with different finning techniques.

The more experience you gain will also lead to better air consumption overall.

HTH.

 

[VikingDives]

Frog kicking is good inside a cave, or a wreck, not in a strong current in open sea...
I agree that the type of fins used and kicking style have a significant impact on air consumption.
But if you want to travel a longer distance with a fixed amount of oxygen, then you need to emulate what free diving recordmen do.
They use long, flexible fins, made of carbon fiber or fiberglass, in a special flutter kicking or, better, dolphin kicking which you must learn in a finned swimming course or deep freediving course.
You must be streamlined, using a low drag suit (no fabric outside), no or minimal BCD, and nothing hanging around.
For maximum efficiency, you should remove the tank form your shoulders and push it forward. See here the proper technique:

This seems like the punchline for a joke that begins, "A new diver arrives at Scubaboard..."

You do realize that the OP has 35 dives and you're saying that he should get some freediving fins and push the tank in front of him, right?

I used your post as an AI prompt:

 

[The Chairman]

The ocean is vastly stronger than you are. She will always win. Always! So. work on trim and weighting for sure... but then internalize the five rules of Diving With Currents...

 

[richiet]

It's natural to use more air when swimming into a current. Everyone does. However, there are a few things you can look at to improve your air consumption overall and especially when dealing with currents.
Make sure you are properly trimmed. If you are horizontal naturally when not moving, chances are you will be when kicking harder too.

Make sure you are streamlined. The bulkier you are and the more things dangling off you, the more drag you can create. Jacket styled BCDs are very draggy. When I used to use one, I used to 'hug' it to reduce it's size if I have to kick into a current.

If the current isn't too strong, you can frog kick as suggested above, but you will not be able to keep up if others are flutter kicking. If flutter is necessary, make sure you have good form. Nice strokes.

And linked to above, your fins make a big impact. I used to struggle to keep up sometimes and just to change to better fins solved that. Research and find a fin that is good for this if you do this a lot. There are even some good all rounders that does a decent job with different finning techniques.

The more experience you gain will also lead to better air consumption overall.

HTH.

I think this is good advice.

I need to buy some fins, I think. I've been trying to avoid buying gear but I think I'm at the point where getting some fins and practicing in the swimming pool might be beneficial. I'm definitely using different muscles when finning. I can feel them and sometimes I get a bit of mild cramp.

 

[Angelo Farina]

This seems like the punchline for a joke that begins, "A new diver arrives at Scubaboard..."

You do realize that the OP has 35 dives and you're saying that he should get some freediving fins and push the tank in front of him, right?

I used your post as an AI prompt:

View attachment 784892

I did always teach to all my students how to pull the tank in front, operate on the valves, and put it again on your back. I also used to teach some proper finned-swimming kicking with tank held in front to most of my students during the OW course. In the swimming pool, of course...
Making them to "taste" the power of finned swimming was a good way to propose them a true finned swimming course...
I am a finned swimming instructor.
And I did teach this kicking style in finned swimming courses even to children (finned swimming is taught at age 6 and more).
Possibly the OP would benefit from a finned swimming course.
The first 1/3 of the course is about finding the optimal fins for each student. Usualy after testing a dozen of fins one finds the blades optimal for his leg geometry and muscular capabilities.
The rest of the course is devoted to kicking technique and training, for improving propulsion efficiency.
But also some degree of self training is possible. Go to a pool, have someone video recording your action, and compare it with videos of athletes.
I suggest female athletes: for a number of reasons, they generally have a better kicking style than males...
Look in this world record free diving video. Compare the kicking style of Alessia with the male assistant ascending together with her. See how she is doing a perfect double-push flutter kick, whilst the man is doing a much worst kick...

She uses very soft and long fins because she is tiny and very streamlined.
A man with bulkier scuba equipment should use slightly shorter and stiffer fins, but the final goal is the same, the fins should make a perfect sinusoidal wave in water.