Breathing

[rockystock1]

What is the correct way to breathe in scuba
My instructor says slow and deep

My fellow student says he holds breath to hover but my brother in law says short shallow breaths, and my instructor says slow deep breaths to hover?? (Which I find impossible) but which is correct?

I've heard in for 3 out for 6

Do you guys just breathe like your on land or do you go into scuba breathing mode??

At the Minuit I'm just galloping air down and I'm sure I'm breathing incorrectly




Mike

 

[oly5050user]

What is the correct way to breathe in scuba
My instructor says slow and deep

My fellow student says he holds breath to hover but my brother in law says short shallow breaths, and my instructor says slow deep breaths to hover?? (Which I find impossible) but which is correct?

I've heard in for 3 out for 6

Do you guys just breathe like your on land or do you go into scuba breathing mode??

At the Minuit I'm just galloping air down and I'm sure I'm breathing incorrectly




Mike

Listen to your instructor. Think "Darth Vader" from Star Wars...breath like he does

 

[diver 85]

a +1 on the instructor's info....

 

[rockystock1]

It's impossible to hover with slow deep breaths,, it's against physics


Mike

 

[Diver0001]

Listen to your instructor. Think "Darth Vader" from Star Wars...breath like he does

I uploaded a short video for you. It's not very good video but you can hear my breathing fairly well.

At the time I was using about 10lpm in the tropics. There is still room for improvement.

VID 0017 - YouTube

R..

 

[rockystock1]

It's hard to breath like that,, not natural


Mike

 

[Diver0001]

It becomes natural.

That video was quite a while ago. When I'm relaxed my breathing is about 1/2 that fast now.

R..

 

[Learn It]

Darth Vader style for sure. I wouldn't go about holding your breathe like your friend there...

 

[Akimbo]

What is the correct way to breathe in scuba
My instructor says slow and deep…

Here is the logic: The increased density of gas, added breathing resistance of a regulator, and the small added dead air space of the second stage all add up to decreasing the efficiency of lung ventilation. Oxygen is not the problem since the PPO2 is elevated anyway. CO2 is.

Shallow breathing does not ventilate the millions of tiny air spaces (Alveoli) deep in the lung as effectively, where CO2 transfers from the blood. That lowers the pressure differential of CO2 across the membrane of the Alveoli so the CO2 transfer rate slows and more stays in your blood stream.

Like Oxygen, your body is sensitive to the partial pressure of CO2 so the added depth is a multiplier. That is the reason you want to keep the CO2 level in your lungs low. Elevated CO2 symptoms are also frequently misdiagnosed as Nitrogen Narcosis. Both can inhibit your ability to make prudent judgments.

The downside of breathing deep and fast is excessive gas usage, providing that the rate is intentional rather than induced by anxiety. Umbilical supplied divers will usually have much higher RMVs than Scuba divers, but they also have larger dead air spaces to ventilate in the hats and have no concern of running out of gas.

Especially as a new diver, it is better to run your cylinders down faster than have elevated CO2. The “ideal” is to be very relaxed so minimal CO2 is generated and breathe just deep and fast enough to keep CO2 levels to a reasonable minimum. Blow off the gas when in doubt.

 

[Diver0001]

Neither one of us are skip breathing as you should be able to hear on the video. I make a great many dives with this same buddy. His air consumption and mine are about identical.

Also, for Rocky's benefit. that ending part of that video was taken in about 5m of water in a bit of a coral passage. I don't think you can hear much difference in my breathing from 15m to 5m.

I should say that neither one of us are even on the low end of the scale. When we're diving in doubles and using stages we're at about 12-14lpm depending on tempo.

I've also been diving with Lynne (TSandM) and her air consumption is easily 1/2 of mine. It's a matter of physical size but also a matter of how "still" you can be in the water.

R..