Any Tips on Conserving Air?

[tbone1004]

because this should have been mentioned but hasn't.
What do your dive buddies/instructor look like? As a somewhat large male who's in good shape, I can personally guarantee you that your female instructor will ALWAYS have more are than you at the end of the dive. She doesn't need as much air to begin with so she won't use it. I have a rather good SAC for my size, 6'4" 285, muscle. It's .5-.6 kicking and .4 at deco. That's about average with everyone else, but my tiny better half has .35 kicking and .2 at deco. She just doesn't need the air.
Now, you're a soccer player. You're power is in your legs. That's great, except for the fact that those muscles are used to getting as much O2 as they damn well please when you're running. You're now underwater and your body wants to give them the same amount of O2 they usually get at the surface, so you breathe somewhat faster. It's normal, you can't really help it. You can try to breathe slower, breathe deep, etc, and it will help, but your RMV is likely higher than theirs at the surface. One of my dive buddies is a Navy EOD diver and he has a .5 deco and a .75-.8 kick. He doesn't have an ounce of fat on him and is in phenomenal shape, it's just how his body works. You will find yours start to creep down with experience, but don't focus on it

 

[Elvistheking]

... If you have to keep adding or taking away air from your bc, obviously this is draining your tank. ...

Really not enough to make any major difference, being properly neutrally buoyant will help your gas consumption much more than worrying about the tiny fraction of air your using to adjust it. That being said being correctly weighted will mean having to use less air to get neutrally buoyant as well as being easier during ascents and descents and staying neutrally buoyant.

 

[g1138]

The basics have already been covered by the above posters.
I'll make another suggestion. During your buddy check, try not to inflate your BC each time you check every dump port. Just inflate till it auto purges, then be sure to give each dump port a short tug to make sure it dumps, don't deflate your BC all the way till you have tested the last dump port.

Before you jump in the water, orally inflate your BC instead of power inflating it. Once you're in the water, orally inflate again to get positive.

Once you start your dive however, let the thought drift away with the current.
Basically the only time I ever worry about conserving air is during my buddy checks and when I'm rinsing my gear. That's it.

 

[Elvistheking]

...
Now, you're a soccer player. You're power is in your legs. That's great, except for the fact that those muscles are used to getting as much O2 as they damn well please when you're running. You're now underwater and your body wants to give them the same amount of O2 they usually get at the surface, so you breathe somewhat faster.....

The breathing response is controlled by the build-up of CO2 not the need for O2.

 

[Charlie99]

Spend 99% of the dive neutrally buoyant. (Translation: Hover as much as possible.)
Move slower. For most people, this entails finning less (provided that you aren't fighting a current).
Focus on being relaxed/comfortable.
Dive more.

Your recommendation lends itself to a "bumper sticker" condensed version:

To hoover less, hover more.

 

[Dive Hawk]

I don't really have any advice seeing as I'm pretty new myself. I just was curious what soccer team you play for?

Hope you don't mind the interruption.

I don't mind at all. Getting great information and then some! :cool2:

Technically speaking, we are called Real Shabab, though we really don't use a name. (It is semi-pro soccer in America, and most Americans could care less about soccer as I'm sure you know as a soccer fan). I play on three different teams, but that's the only one with a somewhat real name.

 

[Splitlip]

LOL.

Welcome! Time and experience will help. Don't focus too hard on it. Long slow breaths to expel the CO2. Move slowly. Get neutral and use your inflator and dumps minimally.

Enjoy the ride.

 

[RJP]

Any Tips on Conserving Air?

1. Slow down
2. Get your weighting dialed in
3. Slow down
4. Get your buoyancy control dialed in
5. Slow down
6. Get your trim horizontal
7. Slow down some more
8. Keep your hands/arms still
9. Slow down even more
10. Work on efficient propulsion techniques
11. You're still going too fast...
12. Get more comfortable in the water
13. Did I mention slowing down?

 

[TSandM]

HERE is an essay I wrote a while back on this subject. The Cliff Notes version is that efficiency and relaxation lead to optimized gas consumption. Efficiency is not moving any more than you have to (no hands!), being streamlined, being properly weighted, and being horizontal when you want to move forward. Relaxation comes with improved stability and buoyancy control, and when you are relaxed, you will use a more effective breathing pattern.

 

[SoccerJeni]

I don't mind at all. Getting great information and then some! :cool2:

Technically speaking, we are called Real Shabab, though we really don't use a name. (It is semi-pro soccer in America, and most Americans could care less about soccer as I'm sure you know as a soccer fan). I play on three different teams, but that's the only one with a somewhat real name.

Very awesome!!! I assume it's outdoor soccer.

I'm also a player, (on 3 teams right now). But, I am a rec player ever since I got out of college (though one team is a men's team). So, I competely understand. Good luck to you in your diving!