Should I breathe quickly during safety stop

[Kilili]

When asking an instructor for information, never make the mistake of thinking he's actually knowledgeable about the subject. Speaking with authority and being right are different things.

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

When asking an instructor for information, never make the mistake of thinking he's actually knowledgeable about the subject. Speaking with authority and being right are different things.

I would say true, if you are asking, say, a golf instructor a scuba question. Any recreational scuba instructor should be able to answer this question.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

And I 'll add that if they can't they should not be teaching. I'd also add that any reasonably well trained OW diver should be able to answer it also. It's basic stuff.

 

[popje]

I would say true, if you are asking, say, a golf instructor a scuba question. Any recreational scuba instructor should be able to answer this question.

One would think...

 

[DivemasterDennis]

You should breath DEEPLY and at a normal pace. Rapid breathing offers no advantange in off-gassing, and can lead to bad things- hyperventilation, air depletion, etc. Think of the safety stop as a "cool down" after a long run. Relax, enjoy the scenery, and mellow out.
DivemasterDennis

 

[ScubaSteve]

Let's not forget that we exhale Oxygen with every exhalation. What a waste . To the OP I recommend a rebreather (see below) which will allow you to draw that wasted oxygen that you exhaled.

To anybody else actually asking themselves this question (from the OP), go back to the books because this should already be known. Better yet, take a refresher and ask a lot of questions. If the basics are missing then bad things can happen.

 

[boulderjohn]

I would say true, if you are asking, say, a golf instructor a scuba question. Any recreational scuba instructor should be able to answer this question.

And I 'll add that if they can't they should not be teaching. I'd also add that any reasonably well trained OW diver should be able to answer it also. It's basic stuff.

I don't think this is as basic as it appears to some people. If you think about it from a certain perspective, the OP's question makes some sense until you think it through.

I base that observation on a discussion made in a technical diving forum a few months ago on almost exactly the same topic. One of the most well known technical divers (and technical instructors) in the world believed that the rate at which you breathe has just such an effect, and he dismissed those who thought differently as uninformed divers who needed to go back to to their OW instructor for beginning instruction.

In other words, well-credentialed divers are sometimes confused about this, so it is not so elementary as others may think.

 

[Hatul]

Is it better to breathe rapidly to get more oxygen into the blood and get rid of all that nitrogen.

Or is it better to just breathe as normal at a constant rate.

I normally have loads of gas left on my back during the safety stop so was wondering which is optimal from a safety point of view.

Thank you.

Breathing rate controls the CO2 in your blood and affects your pH. In other words your body controls it and you generally should not try to override it. If you hyperventilate you'll throw your CO2 and pH off kilter and run into problems; don't do it.

Adam

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I think I disagree with some of the comments.. For a simple safety stop, just relax and breath normally.

When I do a deco stop for more than 4-5 min. I do something different. After 4-5 minutes of hanging at a deco stop my breathing rate and metabolism is pretty slow. I deliberately try to do short periods of exercise during deco to improve blood flow to the extremeties.. I move shoulders, elbows and also do periods of light swimming until i feel the slightest onset of fatigue in my thighs. Then resume total resting.

This activity improves blood flow, naturally increases respiration and heart rate.. We have some anecdotal evidence that not moving your arms and keeping the elbow bent during the entire deco can cause problems. I even try to switch hands if I am holding something and try to make sure my hands and wrists get a little movement and are not fixed clutching something during the entire deco.

 

[Johnny Mojo]

Is it better to breathe rapidly to get more oxygen into the blood and get rid of all that nitrogen.

Or is it better to just breathe as normal at a constant rate.

I normally have loads of gas left on my back during the safety stop so was wondering which is optimal from a safety point of view.

Thank you.

Breathing rapidly is against the law................Sorry, wrong thread J/K

I kid, I kid....................

J.