How to save air consumption getting past heavy surge conditions

[Ben Prusinski]

Sorry to ask a dumb question. As a newbie diver and after few dives in cold water Monterey, my instructors mentioned that I need to
work on my air consumption. Yup, yours truly is an air hog! Problem is, PADI tells us to keep the reg in your mouth when entering surge to avoid drowning with mask on. How do you get past the surge and switch to snorkel and know when you are past the surge line?

I'd like to minimize wasting precious air breathing out of my reg as much as possible to improve my air for longer bottom times. This weekend diving Metridium which is a VERY LONG surface swim, I used 1000 PSI breathing my reg to get to the drop down site. Only had 20 minutes of bottom time before surfacing.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I'm not so sure that you're an "air hog." It sounds to me like you're using up a significant portion of your tank air before the dive even begins!

Here in San Diego on shore dives, I generally don't breathe off of my regulator or have my mask on until I hit the drop-down point. I don't take a snorkel when I go diving. I only use a snorkel when I go snorkeling. That being said, some divers do find it helpful to carry one.

When shore diving, on the kick out, I'm on my back. Nothing is in my mouth. If there is heavy surge/big swell with waves hitting the back of my head, I make sure to protect my airway.

Getting through the surf zone on most days, I rarely have the regulator in my mouth or my mask on. However, I do have my hand on my primary on the off chance that I get rolled by an unusually forceful wave.

On higher surf days, I will put the reg in my mouth and don my mask just prior to hitting the surf zone. After I have my fins on and I'm through the surf zone, I'm kicking out on my back without the reg in my mouth.

If the surf is too high, I'm happy to switch over to a non-diving activity.

FWIW, there are certain dive sites in the Monterey area that feature treacherous entries/exits. Monastery Beach comes to mind. Obviously at such sites, it's best to follow "best practice" entry/exit procedures. If that means breathing off of the reg with mask on during the entire entry/exit, so be it.

 

[NorCalDM]

Ditto what Bubbletrouble said. I think what your instructor meant is have your reg in to get through the surf zone. I also swim on my back and don't put my reg in until I get to were I'm dropping. Monastery is usually the only beach I will have my reg in when I enter but as soon as I clear the surf zone reg comes out until I drop. If the surf at Breakwater is big enough that you need to enter with your reg in find something else to do for the day. Don't get me wrong my reg is always were I can get to it in case something goes wrong and never screw around in the surf zone get through it as quick as you can.

 

[g1138]

20mins of bottom time in the Metridium Field after consuming 1000 psi on the surface? If I am to assume you're using an 72-80 cf cylinder then I say you're not an air hog.

Use your snorkel and work on your skin skills. The whole drowning in surge idea (in diveable conditions) is for diver's who have no skin skills. I'm sure your instructor isn't having you dive in huge stormy conditions.
You can also swim on your back and swim with the snorkel out of your mouth, flipping over only when you need to kelp crawl.

When I have a snorkel equipped, the only times I use my reg on the surface is for entries and exits with big waves. With practice, my cutoff for what is considered a big wave has gotten.....bigger.

IMO though, if the waves are big enough where you have to rely on your reg to safely enter and exit, then you better be doing something worthwhile, like collecting data for a science project. For a recreational dive I'd rather sit it out if it gets to that point.

 

[Ben Prusinski]

Thanks, I will practice my skin and swimming skills. One thing that made it tricky is that I am a slow swimmer and my dive buddy on the dive with me was swimming fast and keep pushing me to swim faster. I prefer swimming on my back much easier.

 

[freewillie]

By the book your are supposed to have your reg in your mouth during beach entries. It doesn't really say when you are supposed to be breathing through the reg though.

I generally keep the reg loosely in my mouth wading out to the surf zone but don't breath off the reg itself. Closer to the wave I will start to breath off my reg when going over and especially if decide to go under the wave. I start putting my fins on as going over first wave. Once past the wave I take the reg out of my mouth.
Get one fin on and kick like he'll until past the surf zone, then put on the last fin. Although initially appalled at what a good pair of spring straps cost I won't shore dive without them now.

If the waves are anything over 4-5 feet I'm generally going to call the dive though. I've been out in big waves in the 6 foot range and it is no fun. As waves get larger the viz drops and not really worth diving. You might be using a lot of air simply with the struggle big surf.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

In surge, one key is to kick when the surge is taking you in the direction you want to go, and not kick when the surge is against you. That will save you on air consumption if breathing from your reg at the surface or at depth. If the surf line is what you are referring to, the same applies with a variation: when the surf is against you kick minimally to maintain position; when it "pulls" you, kick like hell. That's my contribution.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Ben Prusinski]

Thanks guys for the great tips! With practice and experience, it will get easier.
One local instructor refers to this as time in the saddle in terms of becoming a better cold water Monterey diver.
Diving in the warm waters of the Caribbean off a boat is a piece of cake compared to shore diving Monterey! But it is local and less expensive
and I can dive more than the annual Caribbean dive trip which makes it worthwhile for me.

 

[TSandM]

But it is local and less expensive
and I can dive more than the annual Caribbean dive trip which makes it worthwhile for me.​

Ben, don't sell Monterey short. You're pretty new, and I'll bet you've done most or all of your diving in the bay, right? You need to get out to Lobos, and eventually out on some boats. In my opinion, the diving in Monterey is some of the best diving I've done anywhere in the world. The spectacular topography of the granite pinnacles, and the incredible color of the corynactis anemones and the hydrocoral, put the reefs in the South Pacific, for example, to shame. The effort you are putting into learning to be a cold water diver isn't just going to pay off in more bottom time -- it's going to pay off in breathtaking diving!

 

[spectrum]

If the conditions suggest that to may get bowled over I walk in with mask and regulator in place. Once deep enough to don fins I do so and begin any surface swimming. Once prone on the surface I will switch to snorkel as conditions allow. Sometimes it's just as well to drop down. On the bottom the key is to not fight the surge. Swim with the surge and ignore the reverse flow.

Pete