Air Usage by Teenagers

[Boat Chick]

I too would like an explanation on this. My 12 year old, less than half my size uses more air than I do and my SAC ain't nothing to write home about. He has about 50 dives and I too think he is extremely comfortable in the water.

He does like to fiddle around underwater though, I do look over sometimes and he is upside down looking around, or floating along on his back, he does backflips and you name it underwater.

You just described my 17 year old step-son...lol...very frustrating diving with him because it's always like "where's your buddy dude?" And he wonders why he has a headache after he dives...he's all over the place, that's why! After our last trip with him, I told my husband that I am not going to dive with him anymore because his is unsafe...:shakehead

 

[Halthron]

My just certified daughter uses about the same amount that I do on dives. This bothered me at first, considering the "itty-bitty" lungs and that she's 1/2 the weight but then I thought about how much movement she does and figure that's the reason. Economy of movement isn't something she enjoys yet, she'd much rather do a flip for no particular reason or wave at me while standing on her head.

As long as she's safe and having fun, I don't mind buying more air.

 

[jdcpa]

Cynde:

My 12 year old is actually very safe, and he is a good buddy.

Even though he is upside down, on his back, sideways, doing flips or whatever, he is still only three feet away almost all of the time. He closely watches his dive computer and mine as well. He closesly watches RBT and gas left. He knows whhen he has to start his ascent based upon his depth. He does all of that in a manner that appears effortless to me. He never runs off and leaves or falls too far behind. I rarely have had to chase him around.

He does his safety stops perfectly, even if it is on his back, upside down or whatever.

Your only concern as his buddy is that although you know he is close by, you still have to figure out where his head is so you can locate the rest of his equipment.

Amazingly, he almost always sees more of the little things than I do. He is an amazing photographer for what he does.

But boy does he suck the gas. Where does he put it all?

 

[Boat Chick]

Cynde: Your only concern as his buddy is that although you know he is close by, you still have to figure out where his head is so you can locate the rest of his equipment.

That's the problem, he is NOT close...he is jetting 30 feet below us, then 30 feet above us...literally, ALL over the place. He says he is watching his air, but his profiles look like a bad EKG....if he did have a problem (or we did and needed his assistance) it would be UGLY...sigh...that is why I refuse to dive with him until he shows a little more responsibility while diving. Hard to tell a 17 year old (who is almost 18) who lives with you what to do though (at least for his parents!)

 

[cascbagrl]

I think its pretty common for some one who is new to diving to use more air than someone who has been doing it for longer. There is a certain amount of anxiety for a new diver, regardless of how comfortable they are in the water, give him time

 

[beach89]

I use less air than my dad.(I'm 16) I usually run or workout every day though. Actually, I used pretty much the same air as my instructor. I just breathe slowly and try to exhale as long as possible.

 

[jdcpa]

Cynde:

That would make me crazy. I can understand your frustration. He is basically solo diving and making his buddy do the same.

My son knows if he did that he would be on the boat for at least the next dive. I would basically eat him a new one for doing that and then let everyone else jump. I agree with your opinion.

Make Dad dive with him and let him experience the frustration you feel, then laugh at Dad when he comes up all out of shape over it.

But as you know, most kids think their parents are stupid.

 

[lamont]

That's the problem, he is NOT close...he is jetting 30 feet below us, then 30 feet above us...literally, ALL over the place.

that makes me worried about DCS. what he's doing to his blood is like shaking up a soda bottle repeatedly.

 

[OHGoDive]

I've always heard, anectdotally, that teens use air much faster than adults. One instructor summed it up as teens have adult sized lungs, but kid sized brains. They move around more quickly, are rarely still, and I suspect, physiology and metabolism are at play also. Same reason why my teenage sons can eat like some sort of massive food sinkhole and never gain weight.

Bottom line - average teens using air faster than average adults seems pretty much the norm.

 

[ZenSquirrel]

I think that SAC has more to do with breathing technique than activity. When you are on the surface just breathing, you only process about 1/3 of the oxygen in the air that you inhale.

That means that if you are careful, you can slow your breathing down (longer inhale and exhale). If you inhale/exhale a breath over 10 seconds instead of 5 then you just cut your air consumption in 1/2.

If you are relaxed, then you can still move around and breath at a slower rate. The probelm comes when people just breath like they do on the surface, they breath more because they are stressed, or they breath more because they are "running" around and not managing their breathing.

A slower breathing rate is the "magic" that people are talking about when they say to improve your SAC you just need to dive more and it will improve. You naturally start to slow down your breathing.

Yeah, "running" around underwater is going to make you "pant" all your air away. I would be suprised if a teen breathing slowly still used more air than an adult.

Want to improve your SAC? Take a Tai Chi class and learn some qigong (a form of standing meditation). When you are diving, breath like you are doing qigong.