Breathing techniques for low air consumption

[Like-a-fish]

These have helped me, on warm climate boat dives:

Get your suits on early, at least the legs and booties. Heart rate can rev up if you suit up in the last minute.
Shoot yourself with the water hose as needed to cool off.

On the wreck or reef, don't swim unless you have to. Sometimes you can take advantage of the current and simply drift towards the desired locations. When you do kick, glide like a frog.
Stop to analyze if those first two gave you enough inertia to get you there, or are you needlessly kicking some more.

Pull yourself down the wreck line without kicking. Take your time. It's OK to pause now and then as you go down, relaxing your arm muscles, clearing your mask, quick-checking your buddy, etc.
Continue this all the way to the tie-off point.
Usually no real need to get off the line early to start kicking, esp. if there's a current against you.

 

[psychocabbage]

HOT Yoga (Bikram style) has been working for me on helping me control my breathing.

 

[diverdiane]

breath in -breath out-move on (jimmy buffett)

 

[elan]

The best 'breathing technique' I know...for decreasing air consumption is....

...Forget about trying to decrease your air consumption!

Seriously.... enjoy your dives, see the fish, fin slowly, look for the small critters, stop and take photos.... you will relax and your breathing will become better.

As a newbie, I used to stress a lot about my air consumption....and I hated being the person that caused the dive to end. I tried everything to improve it. I stressed about it pre-dive and throughout the dive.

When I stopped caring a damn, then it got better...and I had more fun....and I saw more...and I got better photos...

Nowadays, my breathing rate doesn't even enter the considerations for planning recreational dives.... my NDLs or available time on the boat are always the deciding factor.

...and you know what? It now annoys me that I have to ascend from a dive when my cylinder is more than half-full. ha ha ha

Yeah that's imho the best answer to the question

 

[ohmdiver]

I am gonna try some of these ...

 

[alchemist117]

Another vote for CV fitness

 

[MillenniumArtGlass]

Excellent advice from everyone. I am a new PADI Open Water guy, and getting my Advanced in the next three weeks. Dives so far in Monterey only, inside and outside of the bay. I am 6'1", 240 pounds, 53 years old and a big guy, not tubby, big boned lie a football player. On my cert dives, I started with 2550 or so and ended at 500 in about 35 minutes. My female dive buddy had 1,100 left after the same dive. I seem to slam through air. Granted I am a bit stressed at these being my first 4-8 dives and all the skills I am working on and all the stuff to remember. Plus, it's cooooooold in Monterey and poor vis. My problem (?) is, I am going to Fiji for two weeks with a tech diver with 600 dives, a rescue diver with 250 another friend with her Advanced and me with , well, when I leave on the plane, between 14 and 20 dives, then off to Fiji for five days of 2 (maybe a few 3) tank dives and then a 90 foot shark dive. So, I could use some advice from any of you who have dove Bligh Water, Fiji, Beqa Lagoon, etc, about those particular conditions and how to manage my dives there. Later this year I hope to hit Maui, more Monterey and Bonaire in the spring. But for now, Fiji is my worry. It is 75-84 degree water, mostly 30-100 feet dives, and big steel tanks, no nitrox. I have good skills, I walk 10-15 miles a week, and have great gear. So, who has Fiji advice for me. Much appreciated!!

 

[Web Monkey]

The next step is of course breathing out and here is the catch for extending your breathing in and out cycle : Do not breathe out all in one go. This will cause your lungs to require oxygen quickly and you consume more than you expect. Slowly breathe out the CO2 bothering your lungs and wait for a while. Once the CO2 level is lower than before, you gain a few seconds before breathing out the rest. In this way your breathing cycle extends without taking any risks. I usually breathe in slowly once and breathe out slowly in two steps.

Don't screw with your breathing pattern. It's a great way to get a headache, panic attack or worse.

Breath in. Breathe Out. Repeat as necessary.

You'll use less air by being more efficient (horizontal, gear stowed, not overweighted) and my being more relaxed.

Terry

 

[Puffer Fish]

I dive a lot off of boats...and am usually the first one in the water and the last one out of the water on every dive (unless there are women.. women that don't seem to use air).

Weekend after weekend I see the same things. Air usage is not about breathing, it is about being relaxed...and you cannot do that without buoyancy skills and good trim. You also cannot do that if you are cold, or are flitting around like a butterfly. My normal swimming SAC rate is around .5 to .6.... but taking pictures of fish, or a safety stop, where I am relaxed and comfortable, it can go as low as .3, and I am a big person. A lot of fish, by the way, hate the noise of fast breathing...