SKIP BREATHING is this nonsense?

[dumpsterDiver]

I am a cold lake diver and most of us that hunt Walleye and other suck fish use what is called SKIP BREATHING as too not scare off the elusive fish we hunt with our bubble's...BUT in shalow water and its more like a slow exhale rather than holding your breath before taking in your next inhale.
And if you do it right you will get no headache and will extend your bottom time.
It may not be right but it works.

All good scuba spearfisherman engage in skip breathing, holding their breath while stalking etc. The goal is to avoid spooking fish, not necessarily to conserve air. I think that doing a series of breath hold/stalking episodes probably elevates the heart rate and results in MORE air being used as the diver tries to recover afterward.

 

[Avonthediver]

All good scuba spearfisherman engage in skip breathing, holding their breath while stalking etc. The goal is to avoid spooking fish, not necessarily to conserve air. I think that doing a serious of breath hold/stalking episodes probably elevates the heart rate and results in MORE air being used as the diver tries to recover afterward.

You are correct in saying not to conserve, bad choice of words on my part.
And Im not saying do this your whole dive but when your on the hunt it works really well.
And what I like to do is hunt hard for the first part of my dive and then calm down and relax and just enjoy a 15 to 20 ft cool down time.

 

[DandyDon]

Holding one's breath to get the camera shot is common too. Don't drift up. You can hold it without closing the throat, but focusing on the shot - a bit much to hope for.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Holding one's breath to get the camera shot is common too. Don't drift up. You can hold it without closing the throat, but focusing on the shot - a bit much to hope for.

Yes and of course depth makes a HUGE differemce in that small depth changes are inconsequential on a deep dive, but could have serious consequences in 20 feet of water.

 

[porgyhunter]

I am a cold lake diver and most of us that hunt Walleye and other suck fish use what is called SKIP BREATHING as too not scare off the elusive fish we hunt with our bubble's...BUT in shalow water and its more like a slow exhale rather than holding your breath before taking in your next inhale.
And if you do it right you will get no headache and will extend your bottom time.
It may not be right but it works.

Same here with spearing TAUTOG [Blackfish] New England waters. Holding your breath allows you to get much closer, It always sucks when the hunt goes vertical!

 

[aquaregia]

agree about the obsession with SAC's. I could care less what my SAC is other than to calculate needed gas volumes. It is what it is and will take care of itself as experience is gained. The true measure of a divers ability is whether they have a large knife strapped to their leg or not.
I do btw and it is AWESOME.

The size of my knife is competitive with my SAC. I'm very concerned with my SAC because it's ridiculously high, but there doesn't seem to be a lot I can do about it. This weekend I did a dive with a guy from SB who had nine lifetime dives and I used more than double the air he did.

 

[TSandM]

Aquaregia, if you haven't already done it, you should get hold of ae3753 (Don) and see about going out for a day of diagnostic diving with him. I'm sure he could help you optimize what you can, to reduce your gas consumption, if it can be reduced.

 

[AfterDark]

Same here with spearing TAUTOG [Blackfish] New England waters. Holding your breath allows you to get much closer, It always sucks when the hunt goes vertical!

That's not really skip breathing at least not as I understand it. As someone mentioned the same thing is done to take a picture. Skip breathing gets it name from "skipping" a breath or two by holding your breath for a cycle or two consistently during a dive. Unless your taking a picture or a shot at a fish every 2 minutes during a dive, I wouldn't consider holding ones breath to take a shot or a pic skip breathing. That is the correct way to shot a firearm that is letting your breath out very slowly as you pull the trigger. A speargun or even a camera isn't that different.

 

[it_mike]

How about 'skipping' every few minutes so others can take your picuture?

A half hour in the aquarium tank today, with about fifteen to twenty minutes of picture taking (and associated 'skipping').

Again, NOT USED TO CONSERVE AIR

 

[JohnE]

I fell into a habit of exhaling in 4 or 5 short spurts (a rythym) as a way to calm down my breathing. I do that when running or other too. It worked for me, sometimes too well. When I worked hard it gave me a serious headache after. I am thinking it is just a variation of skip breathing. The problem with that method is it isn't always evident when not to use it and habits are easy to fall into. To be avoided. This probably would also make nitrogen offgassing less effective when ascending. Out with that bad air!

The ideal is to breath deeply, not just off the top of ones lungs. BUT, don't try to stretch the breath out a whole lot like I was doing.