Extend your bottom time

Alright I have a simple question: What can I do to decrease the amount of air I use? Are their any techniques for managing air consumption?

Noticed that you hope to get your c-card by May.... so it's too early to worry about this...but the bottom line is the more you worry (tension) the harder you breath under water. Learn to relax under water is the key....practice, practice, then practice again while you're having fun.
I can go more than twice as far on a tank than I did 100 dives ago and I'm sure I will continue to improve in time.... just enjoy your dives and the breathing will come naturally.

The better shape you are in and the more control you have over your buoyancy will improve your SAC rate. I have been working out more regularly with tae-bo and have gotten back in the pool doing laps etc. When it comes to buoyancy, the less you have to regulate your BC during your dives will also help conserve some air. Also, having good control of your trim will reduce you working so hard during a dive. There are no miracle answers, but changing a few things and improving others will help in the long run.

Good luck!
Carolyn:shark2:

What dwaters said. When I was just starting out, I found that I was trying too hard to get my buoyancy right. I got frustrated and my buoyancy and air consumption went to :bomb:

Relax and treat every dive as a success. Your skills will slowly improve as will your breathing.

Practice your skills. Again and again.

Go dive conservatively and don't be too concerned with what's deep down there. Stay shallow. Relax. Get comfortable.

Everything else will come with time. There is no need to rush. Gas it there so you breath it. It's not a measuring stick.

Slow down, relax, don't dive as deep, master buoyancy control(as it becomes a natural act you'll exert yourself less), don't take on dives that push your knowledge/experience level(dive within your experience), gain experience(the more experienced you are the more relaxed you'll be during dives).
I myself am just getting control of my sac rates and learning what influences how much air I burn. One thing to avoid is diving with your spouse until they have good buoyancy control. Good buddies that set a slow pace and are easy to maintain contact with really help. My wife can't understand why she has half a tank left when I empty mine. She doesn't think that having me tow her or swim up to pop a purge valve should increase my consumption rate.

xsnapplemanx:

Alright I have a simple question: What can I do to decrease the amount of air I use? Are their any techniques for managing air consumption?

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The question is not as simple as it might seem

Speaking of my self as soon as I started controlling my buoyancy better, adjusted the weights to the minimum and started maintaining my level with lungs and not with fins the air consumption fell down. I have seen a student in the pool today. She was head up struggling maintaining her vertical level kicking fins pretty hard. This definitely increases the air consumption.

xsnapplemanx:

Alright I have a simple question: What can I do to decrease the amount of air I use? Are their any techniques for managing air consumption?

Click to expand...

I have noticed (anecdotal evidence) that people with sporting backgrounds... seem to have better SAC's (air consumption rates) even early in diving. This is only what I have noticed over the years and not based on any scientific research. These are people who have developed an efficient way of breathing to be effective in their sport. It does not appear that they always have to stay super fit for this benefit to last.

The best way to have a good breathing rate is to not focus on it too much! The more you worry about it the worse it seems to be.

Breathing is both a voluntary and involuntary activity. If you think about your breathing.. it changes. That is why medical professionals will often try to keep you from noticing when they check your breathing rate.

In the scuba course they talk about... NEVER HOLD YOUR BREATH! NEVER ASCEND WITHOUT BREATHING OUT! They talk about it so much that some people are virtually hyperventilating during the entire dive.

I think more attention could be paid to explaining the mechanics of breathing. Co2 levels in the system trigger a response to exhale... immediately after exhaling... we inhale then pause.. when Co2 levels tell us... exhale and keep that up. Normal breathing does not mean you are inhaling or exhaling at all times... there is a natural pause while your airway is relaxed. This is different from HOLDING YOUR BREATH! It is just a matter of keeping your airway relaxed and allowing a bit of air to escape if you ascend a little... or breathe out as you ascend more.

The best thing you can do really ... is listen to your body and under no circumstances try too hard to use less air. Your body needs what it needs .. based on efficiency and lung size. It is dangerous to deny your body what it needs (skip breathe) and especially underwater.

We come in all shapes and sizes and our respiratory are the same. Scuba cylinders come the same... If you are concerned.... well... just buy or rent a larger cylinder... problem solved

The only "trick" I would suggest is to use your expired air to inflate your BC in stead of using the power inflate. If you breathe the air you normally exhale into the water into your BCD you are not wasting tank air. Always manually inflate before entry. At the end of the dive on the surface I am sometimes lazy and use tank air... but not unless there is a lot of wave action or something.

Keep blowing bubbles and stay safe!:blinking:

Go swimming once a week. Being comfortable in the water is the key to reducing air consumption.

Slow down.

Kick less.

Try frog kicking for better, more efficient propulsion.

Don't use your hands...at all.

Get your weighting nailed down to the ounce. Amazing how much energy/air is used trying to stay up (or down) if your weighting isn't right.

Slow down.

Get horizontal in the water column. Better streamlining = less effort = less air.

Streamline your gear.

Slow down.