lots of good info posted here, most of it applicable, but I have a practical technique I teach my students that will cut your air consumption significantly the first time you try it.....
Time your inhalations, exhalations. At the beginning of a dive, for the first minute or so count to 5 mississippi (or whatever you can manage, I can do 8+, resulting in 4 full breaths a minute, no breath holding) for inhaling AND 5 miss for EXHALING. this will give you a good breathing pattern for your brain to key into, and reduce anxiety (=less air consumption). pay attention to your breathing rate for the rest of the dive, and if you notice yourself breathing faster, stop, relax, do the breathing count again.
This accomplishes several things. First off, it slows breathing rate and encourages deep breaths. Most diver do slow inhalations, then blast it out quick, then have to breath in again sooner than necessary. Another way to control those exhalations (which is usually the problem) is to sing while diving, but its annoying to those around you.
It also relaxes you. Breathing rate is tied to mental state and vice versa. Anxiety makes you breath faster, which induces anxiety, etc... Slow breathing inhibits anxiety, which relaxes you and specifically your muscles, which leads to lower air consumption.
Try this first, you will notice an immediate difference
Other things to try.....
-split fins. i know some people dont like them, but they work well with practice. it is a slightly different kick, so you may not notice the difference in air right away.
-proper weighting. with the right weight you should have only a little air in your bc. the ultimate weight test is to drain a tank to 500 psi and weight for neutral bouyancy with an empty bc at 15 feet. do it at the end of a dive during your safety stop.
-good trim. as horizontal as possible to minimize your cross section. move weights higher on bc/tank to help with this.
-good technique. finning and bouyancy. from training and practice. do a cavern or cave course to really improve technique. ppb from a good instructor (esp a cave diver) will also help. tell him/her what you want at the beginning of the class. minimize movement in the water, especially hands, relax.
-streamline. get rid of danglies, minimize, simplify. get a streamlined bc. go back inflation, or better bp/w. work on good hose routing, clean rig. this can make an immediate difference
all these will help individually, but if you start think of diving holistically, with everything interrelated, they will help even more.
hope this helps....
Time your inhalations, exhalations. At the beginning of a dive, for the first minute or so count to 5 mississippi (or whatever you can manage, I can do 8+, resulting in 4 full breaths a minute, no breath holding) for inhaling AND 5 miss for EXHALING. this will give you a good breathing pattern for your brain to key into, and reduce anxiety (=less air consumption). pay attention to your breathing rate for the rest of the dive, and if you notice yourself breathing faster, stop, relax, do the breathing count again.
This accomplishes several things. First off, it slows breathing rate and encourages deep breaths. Most diver do slow inhalations, then blast it out quick, then have to breath in again sooner than necessary. Another way to control those exhalations (which is usually the problem) is to sing while diving, but its annoying to those around you.
It also relaxes you. Breathing rate is tied to mental state and vice versa. Anxiety makes you breath faster, which induces anxiety, etc... Slow breathing inhibits anxiety, which relaxes you and specifically your muscles, which leads to lower air consumption.
Try this first, you will notice an immediate difference
Other things to try.....
-split fins. i know some people dont like them, but they work well with practice. it is a slightly different kick, so you may not notice the difference in air right away.
-proper weighting. with the right weight you should have only a little air in your bc. the ultimate weight test is to drain a tank to 500 psi and weight for neutral bouyancy with an empty bc at 15 feet. do it at the end of a dive during your safety stop.
-good trim. as horizontal as possible to minimize your cross section. move weights higher on bc/tank to help with this.
-good technique. finning and bouyancy. from training and practice. do a cavern or cave course to really improve technique. ppb from a good instructor (esp a cave diver) will also help. tell him/her what you want at the beginning of the class. minimize movement in the water, especially hands, relax.
-streamline. get rid of danglies, minimize, simplify. get a streamlined bc. go back inflation, or better bp/w. work on good hose routing, clean rig. this can make an immediate difference
all these will help individually, but if you start think of diving holistically, with everything interrelated, they will help even more.
hope this helps....
