Triathlon Athlete=Air Hog

[TMHeimer]

I'm average height/weight and old (63). I don't think my consumption has changed much since day one. I dropped 6-7 pounds of lead over 10 years but put it back on when I got a new wetsuit. I still don't see how one can drop weight due to more experience diving--better trim, kicking, breathing, etc. A weight check is a weight check no matter who you are.
For many I think consumption just is what it is.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

You need to breathe more slowly on SCUBA. The best way to describe it is as if you're taking a drag off of a doobie......

You are breathing compressed air, a little goes a long ways.

 

[charlier]

Assuming you have 0 - 24 dives as your profile says: I would not do this until you have many more dives to see how your air consumption works over time, as you lose lead, etc.

Broadly quoting Bill - come back and post again after 100-200 dives and I predict that your SAC will be lower. Although a larger cylinder has been a suggestion, I would not seek an equipment solution to experience and skills. Try to be mindful and to breathe naturally without much thought or effort.

 

[PatW]

I don't think it is your fitness that hurts you. I used to swim a bunch. I still cycle a fair bit but not like I used to. Riding 100 miles was no big deal. I am also a large guy but not that heavy.

The thing I discovered was that my swimming worked against me in diving. Swimming is about moving and expending effort. It is sort like a fighter plane. Diving is about neutral buoyancy, barely moving and relaxing. It is more like riding a hot air balloon.

As my buoyancy has improved and I have relaxed more, my air consumption has improved. I am now better than average. My wife, who has great buoyancy and relaxes nearly completely under water is far better than I am at air consumption. She is often better at this than the dive masters. Ladies have the advantage over guys. They are smaller and they are able to relax better. Also they tend to not take the stupid risks guys love to take. I have a friend who is taller and heavier and he is better at air consumption too so skill does count for a lot.

 

[2airishuman]

Hi, I am 55 years old, 6', 220 lb and I have been tri- training since I was in my twenties. I run, swim, and bike regularly. .... So the adage that, "my air consumption will get greatly better with more experience" I just don't think it applies to me.

Hi Brian. 51 years old, 6'1", 240 pounds here, also physically active.

First piece of advice: Do not pay any attention to advice from people with smaller frames, because they don't get it.

While your air consumption will improve with experience, it will always be higher than other smaller people with a like amount of experience. Physically larger people metabolize more and use more air. This is not a problem that will go away with the passage of time. The best approach is larger cylinders.

I have been looking at the Faber 149cu steel tanks. I am a big and strong guy so the extra weight should not be a big deal (hopefully) I did notice with the 100cu tank the DM positioned it a little high and I was hitting the back of my head on it. Next time I will position more carefully. But, the price for the tank new is $399 (gonna have to save a while to be able to afford 2) Think I can find used for less. Any and All advice is appreciated.

The 149 cf cylinders are oddball cylinders that are rarely used. Not much of a market exists which poses a problem for both buying and selling. I would avoid these cylinders for that reason.

I would recommend trying 120 cf cylinders, which are much more widely used. I have 9 of them now and for most dives they are the cylinder I prefer. For some people they are too long but if they fit your body they have a number of advantages. They are the standard 7.25" diameter and will fit in brackets and racks sized for aluminum 80s, and you should have plenty of air. Used these are going for around $200, and you can get new ones.

A few places rent them but you'll have to check around.

Meanwhile, watch your air, and don't be afraid to make it clear to other divers when you need to end the dive. Some other divers and DMs are not especially understanding, which is unfortunate, just be prepared and remember that it is fundamentally not about relative skill but rather physiology.

 

[Bobby]

Brian,
All good advice so far. Specifically the size cylinders you are looking at purchasing are too big, IMHO. I taught/mentored a guy years ago that was much bigger than you, he went with extremely large cylinders to offset his physical size. The issue was that he had so much gas with so much weight shift it raised his Surface Air Consumption (SAC) rate. I had him switch out to my Faber LP 85's (cave diving) for a week which resulted in his SAC dropping dramatically. 85's were too small for him however it made the point that the extremely large cylinders were adding to his problem. As others have said your size will limit how low your SAC will drop however it will improve dramatically after 50 and 100 dives. My wife now has gotten her SAC down to match mine after 10+ years of us diving together and hundreds of dives. When we started diving together her SAC was more than double mine.

You might want to consider a Faber LP 108 or HP 130 steel cylinder. The LP will be less negative in the water so the choice should be determined by how much weight you need. You will also drop weight as you get more experience however most people need a little lead to stay down with an LP cylinder that is near empty. I'm very negative in the water and don't need weight with LP cylinders, even in a dry suit. My wife carries 4 pounds as she is more buoyant than I am and we share our cylinders so they are all LP's.

 

[Lorenzoid]

It seems plausible that someone with "triathlete lungs" could have a higher consumption rate than he otherwise would. My wife sings and teaches opera. She knows all about breath control, etc. After 300+ dives, although her air consumption has improved, it has plateaued at what is still a relatively high rate for someone of her body size.

 

[FinnMom]

From what I have read, you are right that your sex, size and esp. muscle mass make a difference (muscle mass being the biggest reason behind male vs. female SAC rates). Use a bigger tank and don't worry about your SAC. You are fit, and furthermore fat floats, so enjoy this confirmation that +50yrs or not, you are not floaty. More of us should be so blessed.

You probably will continue to notice improvements over time as you get things more dailed in and relax more. Ricardo V (#10) has good advice about minimizing movements too. You may come to notice that moving 2x as slow will let you see 2x as much.

 

[diver0008]

The point is I have a really big set of lungs.

Does not mean that you need to fill them with every breath.

Ex-traithlete here. The breathing techniques are very dissimilar.

It takes many dives to figure out what works for you; in time you will improve, probably dramatically.

 

[Landau]

I'm a 54 year old 6'2" swimmer (ex waterpolo player) and everything about breathing for scuba is different. I's very used to constantly kicking, sculling and getting every bit of air in as fast as possible., because the more Oxygen I can get in my system the faster i can swim. My air consumption literally sucked. A swimming background helps with lots of things in Scuba but not your initial air consumption.

Now that I have about 75 dives it is significantly better. Always breathing ssssssllllllooooooowwwwlllllllyyyyyy is still a struggle. Every now and then I catch myself sucking it in like I'm in swim race. I'm much better at being still and not making unnecessary movements. I've gone from being terrible on air to usually using less than other divers of similar experience and size. You'll improve quickly too.

I don't think I'll ever get as good as one DM I had in Cozumel. She was amazing at not moving and just going with the flow and always ended the dive with very little air used. Being 100lbs or so probably helped.