How do I improve my air consumption?
- Thread starter sueellen
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old_mike
Guest
the best thing is to spend time in the water! dive often! as you become more comfortable in the water, your air consumption will go down in fairly short order. After i was certified, i went on a few shallow and easy (no currents, etc) dives where i just sat on the bottom watching and feeding (took some crumbs + catfood down) the fish. Later on, i would practice buoyancy skills and stuff as well. just spending a big chunk of the dive in one place is relaxing (or boring, depending on who you ask) and you get real acquainted with the underwater environment. Also, i loosened the cumerbund on my BC. My instructor used to pull it tight around my chest (as a childhood asthmatic, that was not too cool!) and i did away with that nonsense real quick. that alone boosted my relaxation by about half!
Also, you don't mention your weight/build in comparison to your buddy's weight or build. that can have a big effect as well.
Also, you don't mention your weight/build in comparison to your buddy's weight or build. that can have a big effect as well.
Beachbum
Guest
In addition to the good advice above, the best advice I ever got was to concentrate on inhaling slowly and completely before exhaling, and to exhale completely and slowly on each breathing cycle. Also trim gear to minimize drag, adjust weight so you aren't keeping BC partially inflated to compensate for overweighting.
Also, minimize unnecessary motion. (I learned this the hard way
Don't kick into current, esp. on a drift dive unless you have to. I used to try to "go back" to a spot to see a turtle or something somebody pointed out after I drifted past a spot. I'd end up winded, and go thru a tank in no time. I learned on a drift dive to maintain buoyancy and keep as still as possible, letting the current move me along.
(The first couple dives of a season, I still use air fast. About the 3rd dive I'm finally relaxed and use lots less air. See Mike's post, above.) My first dive after certification, I breathed the tank down to 500 lbs in 12 minutes!
My wife is younger than I, fitter than I, and weighs 55 lbs less than I. She uses about 1/3 to 1/2 less air than I do.
When we do a deep dive (80-100 ft), and I know I'll be using more air because of depth, I'll rent a 100 cu ft tank for that dive while my wife uses an 80 cu ft. (That way I can usually stay down the full time for the given depth and not cut the dive short because I'm low on air.) Hope all this helps.
Have fun!
Also, minimize unnecessary motion. (I learned this the hard way
Don't kick into current, esp. on a drift dive unless you have to. I used to try to "go back" to a spot to see a turtle or something somebody pointed out after I drifted past a spot. I'd end up winded, and go thru a tank in no time. I learned on a drift dive to maintain buoyancy and keep as still as possible, letting the current move me along.(The first couple dives of a season, I still use air fast. About the 3rd dive I'm finally relaxed and use lots less air. See Mike's post, above.) My first dive after certification, I breathed the tank down to 500 lbs in 12 minutes!
My wife is younger than I, fitter than I, and weighs 55 lbs less than I. She uses about 1/3 to 1/2 less air than I do.
When we do a deep dive (80-100 ft), and I know I'll be using more air because of depth, I'll rent a 100 cu ft tank for that dive while my wife uses an 80 cu ft. (That way I can usually stay down the full time for the given depth and not cut the dive short because I'm low on air.) Hope all this helps.
Have fun!
Hi Sueellen
You got two great replies above, but there are few more things you can do to minimize your air consumption. First good buoyancy is important. Don't have too much weight on and use your BC to control your buoyancy, this way you have you don't have a good trim and a lot more resistance of water.You have to work harder to move. Also try to use "big" kicks, rather then kicking "small" and too fast, you'll use less energy. Many new diver having problem with their buoyancy, so they use the arm and hands to stable themselves. Try to fold your arms and not use then for swimming under water (which this way you can also have your gauges right in front of you to monitor depth and time). When I started diving, I use to be really anxious before I descanted, and learned to have the snorkel in my mouth for few minutes, stable my breathe and then descend (I used my snorkel on the surface in order to preserve the air in the tank for my dive).
And don't forget to just breathe deep and slow, you'll be a lot more relaxed with proper breathing.
Have fun diving and don't worry about cutting the dive short for others, you're breathing rate will improve in no time.
Pinny
http://www.worlddivingzone.com
You got two great replies above, but there are few more things you can do to minimize your air consumption. First good buoyancy is important. Don't have too much weight on and use your BC to control your buoyancy, this way you have you don't have a good trim and a lot more resistance of water.You have to work harder to move. Also try to use "big" kicks, rather then kicking "small" and too fast, you'll use less energy. Many new diver having problem with their buoyancy, so they use the arm and hands to stable themselves. Try to fold your arms and not use then for swimming under water (which this way you can also have your gauges right in front of you to monitor depth and time). When I started diving, I use to be really anxious before I descanted, and learned to have the snorkel in my mouth for few minutes, stable my breathe and then descend (I used my snorkel on the surface in order to preserve the air in the tank for my dive).
And don't forget to just breathe deep and slow, you'll be a lot more relaxed with proper breathing.
Have fun diving and don't worry about cutting the dive short for others, you're breathing rate will improve in no time.
Pinny
http://www.worlddivingzone.com
Surfh2o
Guest
Hi Sueellen,
The best advice I can give you is keep diving. Your body will adjust to the new enviorment just fine the more you dive. Its common for new divers to use alot of air at first, once the diver relaxes and becomes a part of the new world that he/she is introduced to the air consumption is greatly reduced. Your buddy will understand because he/she was a new diver once too.
The best advice I can give you is keep diving. Your body will adjust to the new enviorment just fine the more you dive. Its common for new divers to use alot of air at first, once the diver relaxes and becomes a part of the new world that he/she is introduced to the air consumption is greatly reduced. Your buddy will understand because he/she was a new diver once too.
happydiver
Registered
Hi Sueellen,
I too used to blow through my air much faster than my buddies until a dive guide in Tortola gave me some advice. She (Sue) told me to pretend that I was drinking a soda through a straw, so that my tounge was a little "curved" toward the roof of my mouth. She also said to make sure I do long inhales and long exhales and to pause slightly after the inhale.
I practiced these new techniques for the remainder of my dives and not only was I very happy that my air was lasting about 25% longer, but so were my dive buddies!
Keep asking divers what they do to conserve air and practice them until you find what works best for you...good luck!
Happydiver
I too used to blow through my air much faster than my buddies until a dive guide in Tortola gave me some advice. She (Sue) told me to pretend that I was drinking a soda through a straw, so that my tounge was a little "curved" toward the roof of my mouth. She also said to make sure I do long inhales and long exhales and to pause slightly after the inhale.
I practiced these new techniques for the remainder of my dives and not only was I very happy that my air was lasting about 25% longer, but so were my dive buddies!
Keep asking divers what they do to conserve air and practice them until you find what works best for you...good luck!
Happydiver
Beachman
Guest
Air consumption is almost any newer diver's big concern. I was one of the worst "air hogs" you ever saw! Now that I think about it, my worst problem was that I was worried about it.
I would never advocate true "skip breathing", but when I started taking a pretty deep breath and holding it a few extra seconds before exhaling very slowly (mostly through my nose), it was amazing tome how my air consuption went down.
Once you start that routine consciously thinking about it, the next step is natural...you don't think about it! Then you start working on the idea that you use breathing more as bouyancy control than as an issue of bottom time. When that happens, you now find that using breathing for bouyancy control actually improves your air consumption more, because you're taking shallower breaths and holding them longer. WOW...what a revelation it is to find out that air consumption isn't an issue....rather it's how easy and smoothly you function underwater.
Of course, what I'm really saying is that when you spend more time underwater you become more comfortable naturally. Guess I took a lot of words and advice to come to an abvious conclusion. Sorry!
DSAO
I would never advocate true "skip breathing", but when I started taking a pretty deep breath and holding it a few extra seconds before exhaling very slowly (mostly through my nose), it was amazing tome how my air consuption went down.
Once you start that routine consciously thinking about it, the next step is natural...you don't think about it! Then you start working on the idea that you use breathing more as bouyancy control than as an issue of bottom time. When that happens, you now find that using breathing for bouyancy control actually improves your air consumption more, because you're taking shallower breaths and holding them longer. WOW...what a revelation it is to find out that air consumption isn't an issue....rather it's how easy and smoothly you function underwater.
Of course, what I'm really saying is that when you spend more time underwater you become more comfortable naturally. Guess I took a lot of words and advice to come to an abvious conclusion. Sorry!
DSAO
King_Neptune
Founder
Beachman,
Ok, I think there may be a contest here on who was the worst of the worst air hogs, hehe. I remember when I forst got certified I was so excited about seeing everything and getting information overload I was sucking down tanks like air was going out of style, hehe.
Basically sueellen, you will find that you are very NORMAL and in the AVERAGE zone on sucking down the air. We all do it in the beginning.
=-)
Ok, I think there may be a contest here on who was the worst of the worst air hogs, hehe. I remember when I forst got certified I was so excited about seeing everything and getting information overload I was sucking down tanks like air was going out of style, hehe.
Basically sueellen, you will find that you are very NORMAL and in the AVERAGE zone on sucking down the air. We all do it in the beginning.
=-)
Iguana Don
Guest
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Whew!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is kinda like confessing to your priest, I thought when I first started diving that I would have to get doubles just to keep up with my buddies, talk about sucking air, I could watch my SPG move as I was breathing, but all is well now. Glad to know even the best had this problem. Suellen your air consumption will come way down the more experience you get.
Thank you Father Neptune for hearing our confessions, we will say 3 Hail Marys and keep diving.
This is kinda like confessing to your priest, I thought when I first started diving that I would have to get doubles just to keep up with my buddies, talk about sucking air, I could watch my SPG move as I was breathing, but all is well now. Glad to know even the best had this problem. Suellen your air consumption will come way down the more experience you get.
Thank you Father Neptune for hearing our confessions, we will say 3 Hail Marys and keep diving.
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