How long does a single tank last?

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Right here goes my 1st proper posting.
How long does a single tank of air last you? The reason I ask is my last couple of dives in the Red Sea, a tank only laasted me about 30 minutes, where other divers where getting nearly 1 hour. I had the usual rental gear (reg, 5.5 mill suit, BCD ali tank etc). The tank had about 250psi in
Has anyone got any tips to slow my air consumpstion down :06: :06: :06: Is it worth buying a 1st and 2nd stage reg set?

Sorry...ment to say started with 250bar....
 
Your air consumption will be lower once you have more experience and feel more at ease in the water. It may take a few dives though.
 
Yeah, the more you learn and practice - the better your air consumtion will be.

There are many things that will make a difference.
I notice beginner divers swimming away as if they're a horse at the Kentucky Derby = wastes air
Bobbing up and down = wastes air - Practice bouyancy
Inflating and deflating the BCD = wastes air - with practice it can be done by regular in and exhaling
I had a kid dive with us and he would stop to do loop'd'loops = he wasted air and energy
If you are improperly weighted you would need more enery to move around = wasting air
Pretend that you are sipping the air, like breathing thru a straw = Saves air

Did you mean you had 250 psi left over after the dive?
 
Think slow, swim slow, act slow... Think about your breathing a little (with time it will be automatic) and be as calm as you can... All your gear should be nicely placed close to your body or it will create drag...

And yes, a couple of default ones: keep your finger off the inflator button, check for proper weighting, and (the biggest one) be calm....

btw. I usually go out after 50min with 100bar left in my 15l steel cylinder... (filled at 200bar)
 
new_english_padi_man:
Right here goes my 1st proper posting.
How long does a single tank of air last you? The reason I ask is my last couple of dives in the Red Sea, a tank only laasted me about 30 minutes, where other divers where getting nearly 1 hour. I had the usual rental gear (reg, 5.5 mill suit, BCD ali tank etc). The tank had about 250psi in
Has anyone got any tips to slow my air consumpstion down :06: :06: :06: Is it worth buying a 1st and 2nd stage reg set?
as said already as your experience grows your consumption rate will decrease, giving longer dives. Some lucky soals are blessed with low consumption from day one. Yuo will find that you will be 'working' less during the dive once you become more comfortable, at the moment you may find yourself sub consiously finning just to maintain boyancy, this all burns up air, so once your boyancy is sorted you will start to improve. Having your own regs does help to some extent as often you will find YOU tend to get them serviced regularly and so they do work a bit better.
Best thing is get another few dives under your belt and then see how it goes.

Also dont depth is a big factor in consumption rates, the deeper you are the more 'surface' volume you are breathing. if you spend a whole wall dive at say 28m, whilst someone else is at 25M they will be using nearly 10% less than you for the same breathing pattern
 
Other things that also can affect the amount of air that you intake is body size and fitness level. Smaller girls tend to use less air than big guys for instance - not always but most of the time. So there will always be people who use less air than you regardless. But first of all get relaxed in the water as not being relaxed and taking it easy is what uses up most air.

So don't be in too much of a hurry and don't use your arms - they both waste energy and thus air ( and the arm thing just looks silly :) ). Also fin from your thighs, not from below the knees. You'll get more drive for less effort. Also try humming or sing to yourself, it'll force you to breath more normally. If you're interrupting your song too often you're breathing to much - sounds silly but try it.

Also don't try hold your breath as a means of saving air. It's called skip breathing and, besides being a big no-no because of the dangers of the injuries it can cause, it can also give you a right royal headache after the dive.

You'll know that you're relaxed when you forget about concentrating on the breathing and just enjoy the scenery
 
Its just not fair.

My daughter can use a 63cc tank while I use an 80cc and still have over 1,000lbs left after an hour.

UGH>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
 
new_english_padi_man:
I had the usual rental gear (reg, 5.5 mill suit, BCD ali tank etc). The tank had about 250psi in
You pulled it down to 250?! Me thinks that way too close for comfort. Regs & SPGs vary in performance, and you scarcely know the rental equipment. What if the SPG had been 250 off, of the Reg improperly set to stop at 250?! :11:

Is it worth buying a 1st and 2nd stage reg set?
This is some of your most important equipment, ergo some of the most important for me to own, carry in my roll-on bag, take to my room at night. I like to have 2 second stages - primary, and auxilary. :crafty:
 
New_English_PADI_Man:

the main factor is depth. a tank will last LOTS longer shallow than it will at depth.
for example, a standard AL 80 can last upwards of two hours at 25 feet, but only a fraction of that at 130 feet.

assuming the same depth, other factors that come into play are:

1. male or female? women have smaller lungs and less muscle, so they burn less air

2. large or small? the larger you are, the bigger lungs and more effort it will take to move your mass (not weight) through the water.

3. overweighted? the more lead you strap on, the more effort it will take to move that weight = more air

4. out of shape? obviously, fit people will be more efficient breathers

5. are you relaxed? if you are, you waste less air

6. good breathing technique? you should breathe slowly, never holding your breath, but pausing after you inhale for two or three beats (keep your airway open), so your breathing pattern is "inhale, beat, beat, exhale, inhale, beat, beat..." and so on...

7. good diving technique? the better your bouyancy, trim, and kick, the less energy you'll need, and the less air you'll burn
 
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