air consumption

[rubbachicken]

appart from diving more often are there other ways of getting my breathing better, yoga or what ever
breathing exersizes, my breathing is better that it was but i'd like to try an help the air my tank last longer

 

[Far_X]

I asked the same thing when I was a raw newbie. Fortunately for you, the best thing for improved air comsumption is to dive. It is quite interestingly linked to how comfortable you are in the water, and of course how active you are also. The fitter you are, the better the air consumption but if you see a shark and you poop yourself at seeing the shark, you are going to be sucking your tank dry rather quickly. The more relaxed you are, the better. The more experienced you are, the better. So get diving and stay diving. Oh, wait, I have written all this and noticed that you have over 100 dives...doh!! I thought you were a green un!!!

 

[rubbachicken]

i like to think that i am more relaxed under water than i am outside in the air
if there was a way of sleeping in the water i would, i wouldn't say that i'm the fittest person ever, but my daily grind keeps me moving and lifting and climbing ladders all day long, i'm not a slob, i have 155 dives under my belt this far, but i'd like to use less air

 

[tedwhiteva]

cardio-vascular exercize and conditioning helps - personal experience

 

[jbd]

i like to think that i am more relaxed under water than i am outside in the air
if there was a way of sleeping in the water i would, i wouldn't say that i'm the fittest person ever, but my daily grind keeps me moving and lifting and climbing ladders all day long, i'm not a slob, i have 155 dives under my belt this far, but i'd like to use less air

Buoyancy control must be excellent and require minimal effort. This begins with proper weighting. Next is proper location of the weights and your gear to have proper trim while moving through the water. If you are not already using the frog kick then now is the time to switch. Move slowly through the water. Keep your arms and hands still. Learn to keep track of your buddy without having to stop and make all kind of manuevers to find him ot her. Keep all gear stowed close to your body.

 

[rubbachicken]

Buoyancy control must be excellent and require minimal effort. This begins with proper weighting. Next is proper location of the weights and your gear to have proper trim while moving through the water. If you are not already using the frog kick then now is the time to switch. Move slowly through the water. Keep your arms and hands still. Learn to keep track of your buddy without having to stop and make all kind of manuevers to find him ot her. Keep all gear stowed close to your body.

got my bouyancy pretty much sorted, in warm water with a fleece suit i don't need any weights, i keep all my gear as close as possible to be streamilned, i tuck my arms behind under the tank



frog kicking what's that

 

[jbd]

frog kicking what's that

The best thing is to see it(it being the frog kick). There are several threads about it with links to a video demonstration. Do a search for Fifth D. It should lead you to that link. You can also do a search for frog kick and find it that way also.

With the frog kick you execute the kick and then glide motionless for several feet before kicking again. This reduces the amount of muscle activity which in return lowers your demand for oxygen. The flutter kick is a constant motion activity which has a higher demand for oxygen.

 

[spectrum]

I did a search and the first few links I found were dead. I did a web search and found this:
http://www.gue.com/classroom/propulsion/index.shtml

With only skin diving experience it looks uncomfortable but I'll look forward to trying it when certified next year. I keep hearing it's a great skill, it must be true.

Pete

 

[pasley]

appart from diving more often are there other ways of getting my breathing better, yoga or what ever
breathing exersizes, my breathing is better that it was but i'd like to try an help the air my tank last longer

That is a hard quetion to answer. With 155 dives you are no newbie and you say you have your bouancy and weighting down pat. To answer your question we need to know more information:
1. What is your SAC rate now?
2. Diving dry (that will use air) or wet?
3. Normal temp range of your diving?
4. Normal depth?
5. Age
6. Gender
7. What are you doing when you dive? Sightseeing, hunting, photography, working?

Are we talking a SAC of 1.2 SCFM or 0.5 or 0.40 or what? There may not be room to improve. You do have to breath every once in a while.

I did a survey here a few months back on what is a normal SAC. It appears to be in the 0.40 - 0.48 range for males.

My personal best was a SAC of 0.28 SCFM but that was an exceptional dive with a very shallow average depth and very short due to buddies equipment malfunction (1st stage leaking and not from the O-ring area either and breathing hard). My best outside of that is some dives at 0.32 - 0.36 SCFM. My normal SAC is in the 0.38-0.42 range. In reviewing my SAC rate, I have noticed that since I quit running every day a few months ago, my rate has gone up a tad bit and where I was seeing a lot of 0.36-0.38 I am now running closer to the 0.40-0.42 range. On some dives, particularly Lobster dives where I am pulling a bug out of a hole (those guys are strong) my rate is higher and can hit 0.48-0.50 Normal temps here are 54-65F.

So give us a bit more to go on.

 

[Quarrior]

According to Dive Training Magazine. Breath slowly and deeply using your diaphram, not your chest. Count to 4 on the inhale, hold for a 2 count, and exhale for a 4 count. All done slowly and relaxed. Takes some practice, but it really does help. This technique also helps with bouyancy control.