Controlling and reducing air consumption

[tarponchik]

For what it's worth, lengthening my breathing cycles gave me really good air consumption, but I'd end the dive with headaches and photosensitivity.

What has photosensitivity to do with this?

 

[Sbiriguda]

I have been diving these days and my air consumption was too high. I avoided sculling and I think I managed quite well, also because in some dives I used a GoPro tray that must be carried with 2 hands. I asked a feedback to the diving masters and it seems the problem is simply the way I breath. I tend to inhale too deeply or exhale too fast or both. They told me it’s also relatively normal provided my little experience in diving. I was thinking of exercising in the pool with snorkel and fins to acquire more confidence with proper way of breathing, and to do more dives also of course

 

[Littlerayray]

I would suggest no camera till about your 50th dive and only once your breathing is under control
Try humming when you exhale when inhaling do it slowly count five Mississippi's and 5 when you exhale so this on the surface at home anytime till it becomes natural

 

[tarponchik]

I would suggest no camera till about your 50th dive and only once your breathing is under control
Try humming when you exhale when inhaling do it slowly count five Mississippi's and 5 when you exhale so this on the surface at home anytime till it becomes natural

The right way is 3+5, not 5+5.

 

[Littlerayray]

The right way is 3+5, not 5+5.

Oh my bad my inhale is nice and slow and I don't come up with headaches

 

[Sbiriguda]

Good thank you for the advice. Pardon my ignorance when you say ‘count 5 Mississippi’ you simply mean I mentally rehearse 5 times the word ‘Mississippi’, that is like counting numbers very slowly? Never heard this before. I think this is what we would call counting ‘one thousand one’ ‘one thousand two’ etc.

 

[hammet]

Be conscious of your breathing... focus on it... slow it.
perdix with SAC rate displayed is a great tool to remind you to return to breathing awareness, especially after exerting yourself during a task.

 

[dmaziuk]

Good thank you for the advice. Pardon my ignorance when you say ‘count 5 Mississippi’ you simply mean I mentally rehearse 5 times the word ‘Mississippi’, that is like counting numbers very slowly? Never heard this before. I think this is what we would call counting ‘one thousand one’ ‘one thousand two’ etc.

Yep, "mississppi" is about one second. I was taught to count "one-twenty-one", "two-twenty-one", ...

What you really want to do is TaiChi/Yoga-meditation type of thing where they teach relaxation and deep abdominal breathing.

 

[tarponchik]

Oh my bad my inhale is nice and slow and I don't come up with headaches

Neither do I. But if you breathe 5+5 or 7+7 or 2+2 etc, you are spending half of your time inhaling. Why do you think you save air this way?

 

[Littlerayray]

Because it is controlled I breathing is much slower and more controlled I find myself breathing lime this all the time without thinking