2nd Percentile SAC Rate

[Centrals]

Reserve, I wouldn’t know unless I knew my buddy’s consumption rate. See my longer post above for details on how I factor things into planning

A proper dive plan is planned between the diver and the buddy!
There is a conversion table between divers with different SAC in IANTD Tec wreck course.

 

[scubadada]

...My best is 6L per min with a single tank in very benign condition...

...My lowest ever sac rate was 7.18l/min on a shallow benign dive. Doubt I can get below 7...

These are both very low RMVs, 0.21 and 0.25 cu ft/min in imperial. Few divers have air consumption this low Average Gas Consumption

I also have relatively low gas consumption. My lowest RMV on a normal dive was very close to that of @Blackcrusader The RMV reported by @Centrals is close to the lower limit of gas consumption. @rsingler has given us some insight into the range of that lower limit Average Gas Consumption Just kneeling or standing on the bottom, watching a Great Hammerhead feeding dive, I was able to get a bit lower gas consumption than very easy diving, likely around my lower limit.

 

[Centrals]

It was done in very benign condition ie. flat sea, no current and warm water. So it was NOT typical OW diving condition. Very similar to mpg for car.
Good to know but more or less useless.

 

[scubadada]

It was done in very benign condition ie. flat sea, no current and warm water. So it was NOT typical OW diving condition. Very similar to mpg for car.
Good to know but more or less useless.

Do you have log data to support your dive at 0.21 cu ft/min? I would like to think you did it, but am skeptical that it is possible during normal diving.

 

[Blackcrusader]

Do you have log data to support your dive at 0.21 cu ft/min? I would like to think you did it, but am skeptical that it is possible during normal diving.

I've met quite a lot of DM / guides in Asia that are better on air than I am. My lowest was in pretty much flat sea, slightest of currents, warm water in Cebu. However even on that dive the DM was like wtf as he had to use up gas keeping the other divers under his control. I was quite shocked at that low sac rate for that dive, the last dive on a vacation totally chilled out. It is not normal to use only 60 or 70 bar on a 55 minute dive lol This is a one off freakish dive I think I must have been in a trance but I do remember the video's and photo's I took.

 

[Centrals]

Do you have log data to support your dive at 0.21 cu ft/min? I would like to think you did it, but am skeptical that it is possible during normal diving.

I never said it was in normal diving condition.

Learnt a lot from the Search and Recovery course 20+ yrs ago. It was not easy. The kick cycle has to be spot on otherwise I would not be able to return to the starting point. The condition was perfect as well.

My BEST SAC with full tec gear(Al twin + 2 Al deco tank) is about 10L. And it was near impossible to achieve that number in real dive. So I extended it to 12L to be certain on the save side. After few more yrs on tec dive, 25mins at 54m and came back with min of 80 bars left! Great.

When I decided to test my SAC with single tank, 6L per min was not that difficult at all. But then I know the number is NOT practical. Most if not all experienced DM has better gas management than I.
I just make sure i cam back from every dive with min of 50 bars! Who care about SAC.

 

[dumpsterpurrs]

I'm not a doctor, but this a gauge you can use to evaluate your condition first. This is what I did.

Can you walk up at least 3 flights of stairs without being out of breath?
Should be able to answer Yes.
Can you walk at a brisk pace and still have a conversation after a 1/2 mile?
Should be able to answer Yes.
When you get your heart rate up to 75% max, how long does to take to drop 20bpm while resting?
Should be between 1 and 2 minutes
Are you shallow breathing or deep breathing with diaphragm when diving?
No shallow breathing. Exhale all the way out.

If you answer the affirmative to these, then get more dives in. At 25 to 49 dives most likely you just have not got things dialed in yet. Drop all the weight you can from gear. Learn how to trim out. Learn how to frog kick. Slow down. Forget about your SAC rate for now and just enjoy the dives. It will come.

Also being cold will make you breath more. Cold water can suck it out of you.

No I can't even walk 1 flight of stairs without being out of breath and having to break a couple times. Can't walk at a brisk space and def can't sustain a conversation over 1/2 mile. Heartrate would take like an hour to drop. I have complex health conditions including severe Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and fibromyalgia.

I do breathe deeply with my diaphragm though. My SAC rate is 8-10L/min on average. I almost never go below 100bar when diving with other people.