Air hog

[jeangadbois]

I am thinking about doubles wondering if this is an addiquite Aproach to my mass air consumption problem. What would the approach to going doubles be. Do I need an Need bc, new regs? Is there training or is it just like a bigger tank?

 

[Tortuga68]

1. Maybe but probably better just to dive more and relax/do shallower dives. Depending where you are you could use a bigger single tank
2. Do a twinset course
3. Depends what BC/regs you have now but probbaly 1. yes and 2. need two of them
4. Yes there's training (see #2), depends on the setup (manifolded doubles, sidemount etc)

In summary, tell us more about what you're using now/what the problem is i.e. why you need more air

 

[ScubaSteve]

I was an airhog when I certified. I think most new divers consume more air when they certify then they do a couple hundred dives. Comfort in the water is important as is your position in the water. Dive more, get comfortable and focus on mastering buoyancy and trim as well as correct weighting. These will help a great deal. I thought about doubles when I was new and still realize that it would not have been the right choice at that time.

 

[rhwestfall]

Explain, to what level of consumption you are at? What is your body type/build? What condition are you in? 0-24 is not really a fair time to ascess yourself. Things will likely improve with more diving. Things like bouyancy control, proper weighting, not arm swimming, etc. will result in lower air consumption. Aslo, i can likely say "slow down".

What size tank are you diving now? Yes, for some, a bigger tank is the solution. Get some more diving experience before heading the doubles route....

 

[oldschoolto]

I know this sounds "BORING" but, Go to a nice calm cove or even a pool..... Get in the water and "JUST" think about breathing slowly... Go slow... Don't try to fill and empty your lungs every time.... Don't hold your breath.... It makes your next breath even bigger.... I think you'll be amazed at how fast you'll learn to dive without sucking the tank dry in 20 minutes.... And as a added bonces your buoyancy will get much better....

Jim...

 

[jeangadbois]

Kinda what I figured, just dive more, assumed it wouldent hurt to ask tho. What is a good reason to go the doubles route?

 

[ScubaSteve]

Kinda what I figured, just dive more, assumed it wouldent hurt to ask tho. What is a good reason to go the doubles route?

That is a good decision when you have run out of cool things to spend your money on ....just kidding. That will never happen . I would say that switching to doubles would be a good idea when your diving requires it and you have the training and abilities to dive them safely.

And one thing I will offer one solution that goes against some advice......do not focus on your breathing. Just focus on the dive and your surroundings and enjoying yourself/relaxing. For many, this rule applies: The more you focus on your breathing, the longer it will take to drop.

There is not one catch all solution here so try something, everything some mixture......everything you try will in theory have you in the water so that means you are doing just what you need to do......dive.

 

[mselenaous]

I had a friend who was a monstrous air hog. He would suck down half a tank just on his decent.
I watched him dive and noticed the following:
1-He was overweighted and his weight was not well distributed so he was almost vertical instead of horizontal.
2-The extra weight meant he had to adjust his BC to compensate creating drag.
3- Drag required extra energy breathing (more air than being relaxed)
4-The extra weight made him feel unbalanced so he was swimming with his hands. A waste of energy (& air). And Newton's Law of Equal and Opposite Reactions: If you push water down, the water will push you back up....creating a vortex of overcorrections and wasted energy.
5-Because he was continuously up and down from hand skulling & being in a vertical attitude, he was always venting his BC, dropping too fast, then adding air.
We concluded that most of his air was being wasted in his BC.

I put him on bigger tanks and that helped a bit as he is a big tall muscular guy with big lungs. Bigger tank helped to distribute the weight better, so he was horizontal.
We worked on being horizontal and holding his hands together either in front of him to help keep him horizontal or hug himself to reduce drag.
Next we worked on the "set it & forget it" concept...adjust your BCD for your depth then make small adjustments to go up or down a foot or two with just your lungs.
We worked on frog kicks, hovering horizontal, and turning with fins only- no hands.

His gas consumption is now hugely better cutting his SAC rate by almost half.

The moral of the story is go dive & practice, get more experience, find a good mentor/instructor to help you fine tune your current skill level and help you become a more relaxed diver.
If you do decide to go technical with doubles tanks, you have to have mastered all of the above skills first.

 

[oldschoolto]

More working time... The deeper you go, the faster you go through your gas.... It's not a " I just want to hump these doubles to look cool " but a need for the extra gas for the dive planned...

Jim...

Think "YOGA" but underwater....

 

[Bob DBF]

Listen to them.

I am an air hog, not so much now, but being in cold water and doing long surface swims and covering ground underwater takes it's toll on the air supply. I just use a tank a bit larger than my buddy and it works out.

The simple fact is that the less you do underwater, the less air you will use. As you get your buoyancy under good control, you don't waste air adjusting the BCD. It's a lot of little things that take time, and going to doubles will just mask the problem and empty your wallet, and if everyone else dives doubles you are back in the same spot. Oh, did I mention that getting used to new gear can increase your air use.

Take your time, have fun, relax, and learn, it's just diving



Bob
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There is no problem that can't be solved with a liberal application of sex, tequila, money, duct tape, or high explosives, not necessarily in that order.