how did you lower your air use

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I'm that numbers kind of guy.
I'm very insecure and always afraid that I'm screwing things up. I know I'm overthinking stuff but I can't help it.
 
I'm that numbers kind of guy.
I'm very insecure and always afraid that I'm screwing things up. I know I'm overthinking stuff but I can't help it.

if you're a numbers guy, then track your SAC rate on dives. I think likely you will see it drop over time, but when you have a dive that has a significantly lower or higher SAC rate, try to come up with an explanation for it given what you were doing on that dive.
 
Learn how to breathe properly. A lot of people breathe from the shoulders, taking shallow sips of air, instead of deep, slow breaths with the diaphragm. Yoga can help in many ways. It also helps core strength and flexibility, which will decrease lifting injuries and help you reach your valves,etc. plus, it can help you relax and learn to meditate, which can help you decrease stress and panic response. Some people even learn to lower their vital signs,which allows them to do breath hold free dives for longer lengths of time through practicing yoga.
 
You can lower your gas consumption rate by stopping to worry about it.

Instead, just try to relax your body and mind and float like a feather in the blue.

If you need to swim, it helps to be level, so that your chest won't meet a watery wall.

And if you need to keep your lungs full to avoid sinking, then put a little more air in the bcd. Don't vent that 1 extra litre out on every breath. If you're relaxed this issue shouldn't exist.

If you swim slower you get futher with the same amount of air.

________________
ps. your buddy had probably hidden an extra tank under a stone
 
1 thing I noticed is that at some point in the dive I stop thinking and my air use goes down significantly. I wish I could have that the whole dive
Correct. If you try too hard & over-think it, then you end up using more air. Relax & have Fun.

We use Air Integrated (AI) dive computers as a tool to improve air consumption. By downloading our students dives, we can analyze their progression and teach them to improve their Surface Air Consumption ( SAC ). Also during
the dive, they can observe their Remaining Bottom Time ( RBT ). At a certain point in the dive when their air consumption improves their RBT will increase at that specific moment.
 
I actually stopped calculating as you call it sac.
Because I wasn't happy with the numbers.
The problem is that I'm in a pretty severe depression and that tends to mess with your head. I'm never satisfied and trust me I'm not an air hog but I use more then my depression wants me to.

Ps: diving is the last activity I leave the house for.
 
Here's something you could try: concentrate on one small space while diving. Just let yourself float and consciously relax your arms and legs, while watching one point. Could be some fish, a patch of oysters,... try to see all small animals that you can find. Go ultra super slow, try not to move and relax your muscles. Once you get into that zone, note how it feels. You'll recognize that feeling later on and it will be much easier to relax on your next dives. Your air consumption might even go down :)
 
My top three:

Number one for me is definately getting enough exercise outside of diving. Besides the whole mess of health benefits, your body is prepared for the demanding environment of diving and will be able to better face any additional challenge thrown at it. This by far will help the most.

Second is trim and efficient propulsion techniques. Having the physical condition to hold these positions consistently while diving will mean you expend less energy moving through the water. Try one dive doing only frog kicks and you will see a difference.

Third is breathing. Though I am a big fan of meditation, keeping present while multitasking (diving) is still a big challenge for me. Breathing slowly and deeply will help you control your air consumption. If I get out of breath from swimming too hard or other strenuous activity, I take a minute and get centered before continuing.
 
The goal of diving is not achieving a low air consumption number. I know it's hard not to look at stats, but focus on improving the things that contribute to that number, and the number will follow.

If you are less than 100% comfortable on a dive, then start making adjustments to your trim and technique. Get a buddy to film you, so you can analyze what you're doing and identify areas to improve.

And, if you're in good trim and relaxed and your SAC is still higher than you'd like, you have to put it out of your mind because it's just part of your physiology and it's not a problem. You may as well worry about having green eyes.
 
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