One year, 71 dives and Still need air.

[Zept]

seaangel once bubbled...
Also, I have been told that I need to kick less, I have the sensation that if I stop kicking I will sink, I think this comes from years of treading water and swimming on surface. It is more a feeling than a reality. I know and do control my neutral bouyancy quite well.

Seaangel, do you have sinking feet? Having heavy legs can make you feel that you need to keep moving your feet even when you're neutrally buoyant. It's a trim problem.

I've been diving for a year and have done about the same number of dives as you, and my air consumption is still improving -- so there's hope! One thing I have found helpful is to try, every so often, to concentrate on breathing out... bubble bubble bubble bubble... until my lungs are completely empty. Helps me calm down, and the calmer I am, the less air I use.

Zept

 

[seabass]

Seaangel, buoyancy is one thing that is pretty easy to get. However trim appears to be much harder (I had buoyancy ok after only 5-6 dives) but am still working on trim. With proper trim you should be able to be motionless and completely horizontal. Right now my feet sink which means that I have to constantly move them (only ever so slightly). This has a cascading effect that means I am always moving forward, even if it is really slowly.

The other thing you can work on is your aerobic fitness. If you can run a few miles at a 6-7 minute mile pace I would consider that to be decent aerobic fitness. At that point your body should be very efficient in using oxygen.

Staying 10+ ft above the crowd can really help a lot. I did that on a recent trip where I was concerned about forcing my more experienced buddy (someone I had just met) to surface early. It turned out my air consumption was better anyway.

The lake I practice in has terrible visibility, but it isn't about seeing things, it is about doing drills to improve your skills. The best way to improve is through repetitive drills in an environment that is not distracting and that lets you isolate what you want to improve.

Staying at 60 ft and hovering, sucking down a whole tank may not be the most fun thing, but will give you an idea of what your minimum air consumption is.

Any suggestions people give you should have very specific measurable objectives.

 

[art.chick]

Give yourself lots of credit for getting 71 dives in this past year. Do you have any idea how many divers drop out in the year after their OW class? I understand being frightened & wanting group security. I had a frightening experience early on that had me shakey for over a year! Getting a lot of possitive experiences in the water will help you get past the fear; diving with people who treat you (even subtly & politely) as "less-than" will only re-inforce your inferiority feelings.

Maybe this is the time to enroll in a class that will give you time under the supervision of a trusted teacher? It could be a basic wreck class or something else to open new vistas. It actually sounds like your "better" diver friends are the insecure ones, diving only with DMs & needing to cling in large groups. They may actually be fearful of surfacing with just you & having to leave the whole group behind. Good luck!

 

[Dee]

You have an amazing variety and number of dives for your first year. Especially since you have no local buddy to go with. I can only agree with the others that doing some local dives outside a large group will probably help you tremendously. Up to now, all you're familiar with is diving in a group with someone else always ultimately in charge, the DM. Whether the others in the group say anything or not, you're feeling pressure to 'measure up'. The ones with the problem are those who tease you about your air consumption.

Walter has given you some excellent advice. You mention you are a photographer. I know myself, I'll sometimes use more air than usual when I'm taking pictures...going here and there to capture a picture...instead of gently cruising along with the current or slowly finning along. That may be part of the reason for higher AC.

Everyone is different. Don't pay attention to the comments of others in your group. You and your buddy are the only ones who should be watching your air. Enjoy every minute you are diving and be proud of yourself and your accomplishments.

 

[ryan141]

Do what new firemen do!

A friend of mine was training to be a fireman in the military, and he told me that his instructor told them all to hum a favorite song while using their SCBAs. He said that it would help them from consuming to much air while fighting a fire.

So, while I was earning my certification last year, I constantly and consistently tried this technique. And, it seemed to work wonderfully for me; not only did I consume less air than everyone else in the class, I was also completely at ease during the training.

My sac rate usaually hovers around .46 per minute. My buddy usually ends with ~500 psi, and I usually have ~1100.

Just my $0.02

 

[DivePartner1]

Good advice, Artchick! SeaAngel, the best thing that happened to my breathing was training from a really, really good buoyancy instructor--not necessarily one teaching from a commercial training book (true hovering, not 'fin pivots').

This will also help your photograghy by making you more stable.
The disciplined breathing that WreckWriter speaks of comes with the buoyancy training, which heavily relies on managing the air as you breath. Frog kicks between long glides also work.

For tutoring candidates, look for divers that that hover without moving on photo sights without crashing into the scenery.

I hope you find this, and that it enhances your enjoyment of diving as much as it has mine! It changes the sport from swimming to flying.

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

well to be honest i am in same boat for years even after my 425 dives i still find my air usage higher than most first try to relacks and only fin as much as poosible
another factor can be fitness and the person size