Trying to be less of an air hog

[BVickery]

You've already been given great advise.

If you are already calm and comfortable underwater, and you reg is in good working order, then you should focus on the 4-1-4 breathing rythm and kick technique.

I find that frog-kicking makes a HUGE difference in SAC rate. It's a kick- g l i d e - kick. You spend most your time in the glide phase.

I know the treasure of advice I have gotten. My instructors have commented on how relaxed I am in the water. I honestly feel its my breathing rate and kick technique, when I'm under the water I am VERY calm and at ease. For me, its my 'happy place'. I may be a new diver, but I'm also 35, and had 2 previous attempts at getting Certified when I was younger fall through (one was equipment, other, well can't really do anything when you tear your calf muscle from the bone).

 

[dmoore19]

I am far from being a real diver but 1 thing that I would suggest that I know helped me. Quit worrying about it. Think about where you are and look around. Enjoy what you're doing. What has helped me (and I have a long way to go) is to work on 1 thing at a time. For instance, get your weighting right and enjoy the rest of the dive. When you get one skill down move onto the next skill. Next dive, review the last one, it won't take as long this dive, and enjoy the dive. For me as I did this my air consumption improved. It seems, if you read all the previous posts, air consumption drops as all of these skills improve. It seems to work for me to concentrate on one thing at a time. But above all, enjoy at least part of the dive, you can't be perfect all at once, it takes time and experience. That's my inexperienced opinion.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

You can practice getting comfortable breathing underwater at home. Take your snorkel, no mask, and lay face down in a bathtub full of water. Keep your eyes open and breathe off the snorkel. You can also immerse you face in a sink full of water. Adding ice to the sink simulates colder water which ups the challenge level.

Looks a little ridiculous but it can help you practice breathing underwater affordably. Naturally nothing will replace the real thing.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[BVickery]

You can practice getting comfortable breathing underwater at home. Take your snorkel, no mask, and lay face down in a bathtub full of water. Keep your eyes open and breathe off the snorkel. You can also immerse you face in a sink full of water. Adding ice to the sink simulates colder water which ups the challenge level.

Looks a little ridiculous but it can help you practice breathing underwater affordably. Naturally nothing will replace the real thing.
Ber :lilbunny:

I'm actually fortunate to live in FL apartment community with pretty decent pools, so going to hit the pool today to practice a barbie kick and breathing through the snorkel (really need to practice this)

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Even better! If you can comfortably use a snorkel with your eyes open and no mask it makes breathing through a regulator more natural.

You are a land mammal, its not natural for you to breathe with your face submerged. The more you practice breathing underwater without a mask the more comfortable you become.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[BVickery]

I appreciate it, and it leaves me more money to go on dives.

 

[maximak2]

Time under water is what did it for me, I used to be an air hog too.

 

[BVickery]

Just got back from the LDS. They tested the cracking pressure of my regulator and within the parameters for an Atomic Z2x

 

[TSandM]

I suspect you would really benefit from some fine-tuning of your weighting and your weight distribution. The goal is to be able to hover WITHOUT having to scull with your fins or your hands, in a horizontal position. As I said in the first post, if you are in a foot-low position, every kick drives you upwards, and to avoid ascent, you have to dive negative. That's a huge waste of energy. Get truly neutral and horizontal, and you only kick as much as you have to, to get where you are going. And if you go there SLOWLY, your gas will last a much longer time.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I suspect you would really benefit from some fine-tuning of your weighting and your weight distribution. The goal is to be able to hover WITHOUT having to scull with your fins or your hands, in a horizontal position. As I said in the first post, if you are in a foot-low position, every kick drives you upwards, and to avoid ascent, you have to dive negative. That's a huge waste of energy. Get truly neutral and horizontal, and you only kick as much as you have to, to get where you are going. And if you go there SLOWLY, your gas will last a much longer time.

I have to agree with this advice. Novice divers tend to zoom around underwater a lot. I recommend spending a significant portion of your next dive simply hovering. There are times when I can spend 10 minutes hovering in one place to watch the aquatic critters do their thing. I don't know if your local dive sites would be amenable to this kind of diving, but it's something you should try if you get the chance.

Hover more, hoover less...see more.