I just completed my OW certification. We dove Devil's Den and Blue Grotto. I noticed that i used more air than the others in our group.What can I do to improve this? Someone recommended 8 count in 16 count out. What else can I try?
Improve breathing
- Thread starter markopolo
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Kenny13
Contributor
Welcome! One thing that's for sure is that us new divers tend to use a lot of air. You'll learn that the more you dive and get more relaxed in the water, you'll use less air. I wouldn't worry right now about using more air than a particular group of divers. Just as a for instance, if you are a larger male and were diving with smaller females you're going to use more air and there's not much you can do about it.
As you get more comfortable in the water, better with weighting, trim, & buoyancy, and more used to breathing patterns underwater, you'll find your air lasts longer. Still may use more air than others you dive with, but again in many cases there may not be much you can do about that other than just relax and enjoy your dives.
As you get more comfortable in the water, better with weighting, trim, & buoyancy, and more used to breathing patterns underwater, you'll find your air lasts longer. Still may use more air than others you dive with, but again in many cases there may not be much you can do about that other than just relax and enjoy your dives.
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Emparo821
Registered
i went to a diving conference and something that was recommended during one of the sessions was to just go to your local dive shop strap on the gear and sit at the bottom of the pool and relax and breath. due to my business with school i have not had a chance to try this yet but i hope too soon. i was just cert'ed last year and have only had a couple of chances to get in the water.
Dive, dive and dive. The more you dive the more comfortable you will be in the water. Additionally, work on your buoyancy. Find what the minimum amount of weight you need is. Less weight means less air in your BCD. Less air in your BCD means less buoyancy change with depth change.
Learn to NEVER use your hands. I'm still getting there but even getting there helps a lot.
Learn to NEVER use your hands. I'm still getting there but even getting there helps a lot.
bensontc
Registered
Also, keep yourself in good physical shape. I have found that slimming down and working out regularly really does help your air consumption. Slimming down will also help you to need less external weight which will also help you to use less air.
TracysaCADiver
Contributor
I recognise the complaint! My first couple of dives were shocking. I was chewing through 200bar in 35 mins on an 18m dive. Then someone suggested doing Advanced Open Water. Sure, it means shelling out more cash but it gives you more time with an instructor (try to go somewhere that will be quiet so it is one on one or as near as that).
You have to do Deep Dive (30m so more flexibility in the future) and then 18m doesn't feel so deep, and you do Peak Performance Buoyancy - a really useful course. These two can be done outside AOW on their own, but doing another three (I did wreck diving, navigation and drift diving) with all the follow up tips and a 'safer' environment. You can also make time to focus on your breathing (I did) and really benefit.
Then, as SD888, dive, dive, dive. Practice makes perfect. (I did, my last dive to 25m although multilevel of course I came up with 80bar).
The other thing worth noting as my girlfriend did a couple of weeks ago: it does suddenly juts come. You do just 'get it'. She chomped through her air on her first two proper dives. Woke up the next morning, and bingo, air consumption right down. She relaxed, stopped flapping her hands and legs, got the buoyancy bit much better and had lots of air left - she could have doubled the dive length.
Some thoughts anyway. But like learning to drive a car, you have learnt to pass the test, you now need to learn to drive / dive. It'll come.
You have to do Deep Dive (30m so more flexibility in the future) and then 18m doesn't feel so deep, and you do Peak Performance Buoyancy - a really useful course. These two can be done outside AOW on their own, but doing another three (I did wreck diving, navigation and drift diving) with all the follow up tips and a 'safer' environment. You can also make time to focus on your breathing (I did) and really benefit.
Then, as SD888, dive, dive, dive. Practice makes perfect. (I did, my last dive to 25m although multilevel of course I came up with 80bar).
The other thing worth noting as my girlfriend did a couple of weeks ago: it does suddenly juts come. You do just 'get it'. She chomped through her air on her first two proper dives. Woke up the next morning, and bingo, air consumption right down. She relaxed, stopped flapping her hands and legs, got the buoyancy bit much better and had lots of air left - she could have doubled the dive length.
Some thoughts anyway. But like learning to drive a car, you have learnt to pass the test, you now need to learn to drive / dive. It'll come.
elan
Contributor
Dive. then dive and then dive again
nothing more. It's not a competition. Just enjoy diving...
markopolo,
Just dive, dive and dive but do so with a spirit of continuous improvement.
Dive at a comfortable exploring pace.
Be in good horizontal trim, with your arms tucked in whatever manner you find comfortable, no flapping.
Be well protected in a suit that keeps you from being chilled.
Be weighted with just enough to let you end your dive neutral with your BC empty and cylinder nearly so.
Make shallow dives so you can log lots of bottom time and find your zen.
Don't get caught up in breath timing or other parlor tricks. Do be sure to exhale thoroughly. Your breathing will naturally slow when you stop wasting energy as outlined above.
Good air consumption is is the byproduct of doing all of the important stuff correctly.
Pete
Just dive, dive and dive but do so with a spirit of continuous improvement.
Dive at a comfortable exploring pace.
Be in good horizontal trim, with your arms tucked in whatever manner you find comfortable, no flapping.
Be well protected in a suit that keeps you from being chilled.
Be weighted with just enough to let you end your dive neutral with your BC empty and cylinder nearly so.
Make shallow dives so you can log lots of bottom time and find your zen.
Don't get caught up in breath timing or other parlor tricks. Do be sure to exhale thoroughly. Your breathing will naturally slow when you stop wasting energy as outlined above.
Good air consumption is is the byproduct of doing all of the important stuff correctly.
Pete
bracko
Contributor
experience, fitness and pre-dive stress minimisation and the main 3 areas to improve consumption.
some people are always heavy consumers, and that's just the way it is. they usually end up buying larger capacity bottles
don't be too worried about it yet, but be aware of it and ideally take the DM aside and let him know your concern when on holiday and he'll either keep an eye on you and escort you up then rejoin the group when you're low or put you with a similar diver. Don't be "that guy" who is 6'3" and asks an experienced diver half his size if he can dive with him, because I... i mean, they end up surfacing with 170bar while paying $200 for a day's diving.
some people are always heavy consumers, and that's just the way it is. they usually end up buying larger capacity bottles
don't be too worried about it yet, but be aware of it and ideally take the DM aside and let him know your concern when on holiday and he'll either keep an eye on you and escort you up then rejoin the group when you're low or put you with a similar diver. Don't be "that guy" who is 6'3" and asks an experienced diver half his size if he can dive with him, because I... i mean, they end up surfacing with 170bar while paying $200 for a day's diving.
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