Basic Breathing Technique

[Phil_C]

I too will regularly breathe out through the nose, or sometimes through nose and mouth at the same time, especially when on a very relaxed dive when I breathe out continually, slowly through my nose when I am not breathing in. It does help with controlling my breathing and keeping it even. It has the side benefit of preventing mask squeeze, but I don't do it for that reason.

I do it just because it seems natural and comfortable. I find it can lead to fogging sometimes, but I also regularly and deliberately partially flood and clear my mask.

I agree with the previous posters though - ask the instructor if you understood what was said correctly, what was meant, and what the reasons were.

But don't rule out breathing out through the nose out of hand.

P

 

[Peter Guy]

You just have to love all the "I know the right answer" people here -- in particular the ones who KNOW the "Instructor was wrong." No, he wasn't (necessarily) wrong!

At the beginning of one of my Open Water Classes each student will hear me say "Breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose." They will hear that before they hear me say "Breathe in and out through your mouth." I want (need) to know if the student CAN breathe in through their mouth and out through their nose and I want to know that ASAP -- hence the requirement (demand) that they do so at the very beginning of their "scuba experience" (actually, at the very beginning of their snorkeling experience but that doesn't matter). I can certainly imagine a student coming away with the thought that I want them to always breathe in through their mouth and out through their nose even though I tell them later to breathe in and out through their mouth.

OTOH, I also tell my students that I, personally, breathe out through my nose at least 50% (if not more) of the time. Guess what -- my mask doesn't fog, it doesn't leak and it doesn't squeeze. For those who say it will fog -- well, you are just wrong (unless you are right!). If the inside of the lens isn't properly prepared, yes, it will fog -- but if it is properly prepared, it won't fog. Guess what -- the solution is to properly prepare the inside of the lens!

One might ask WHY I breathe out my nose so often:

a. I HATE BUBBLES, especially bubbles coming out of my 2nd stage and going past my ears. By exhaling through my nose, the bubbles seep out the top of my mask and don't make any where near the amount of noise they do coming through the 2nd stage exhaust.

b. I normally dive in cold water with a hood that is over the mask skirt. By exhaling through my nose, the warm air from my lungs goes into my hood and provides warmth and insulation. It also provides a steady stream of bubbles coming out of my hood/head and has lead at least one new buddy to look for a leak from my valve/first stage.

c. I am primarily a "nose breather" and it is just more comfortable for me to exhale through my nose -- as I am doing now while typing this.

d. It does seem to have the effect of slowing my breathing pattern.

I do not believe there is a "right way" of breathing -- other than, while on scuba, you had better be able to breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose. It doesn't work to be able to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth (unless you have a FFM!).

[Note -- I just wrote you need to be able to breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose -- NOT that you have to do that all the time!]

 

[Rhodesaz]

I have a XS Scuba mask. It has a one way valve below the nose. I breath out through my nose all the time. The only time my mask fogs is when I failed to "defog it" properly before the dive. This is resolved via flooding the mask and clearing it. In over 100 dives I have never had "mask squeeze". This is now so common for me, when I tried a new mask with out the one way valve, I was un-comfortable through-out the dive. I had to go back to my old mask.
Ask you instructor!!!

 

[GrimSleeper]

Just to echo what the more reasonable posters have said: ask your instructor what they meant. Your instructor should be the first place you go with questions, rather than a random bunch of strangers (self included) on the internet. If you really are being told to always breathe out through your nose, ask why: if the instructor can't give you a reason that makes sense, then (a) feel free to breathe out through your mouth (except when clearing your mask) and (b) consider a different instructor!

As someone else posted, we throw a LOT of information at you in the first couple of days of training. It's easy to get the wrong end of the stick, or only take in half a sentence because your mind has moved on to some other aspect of what is, for most, an exciting and challenging experience.

 

[MX727]

I condole you for asking the question,
~MIchael~

No grieving or sorrow from me. Not sure I even condone the question, since I don't think it was bad, I guess I commend him for asking the question then.

condole: intransitive verb

1. obsolete : grieve

2. to express sympathetic sorrow

archaic : lament, grieve



condone: transitive verb

: to regard or treat (something bad or blameworthy) as acceptable, forgivable, or harmless <a government accused of condoning racism> <condone corruption in politics>

 

[Oldbear]

I have been busted by the "Grammar Police" and found guilty.

No grieving or sorrow from me. Not sure I even condone the question, since I don't think it was bad, I guess I commend him for asking the question then.

condole: intransitive verb

1. obsolete : grieve

2. to express sympathetic sorrow

archaic : lament, grieve



condone: transitive verb

: to regard or treat (something bad or blameworthy) as acceptable, forgivable, or harmless <a government accused of condoning racism> <condone corruption in politics>

Let's try this again...

"I commend you for asking."

commend: transitive verb

1. Praise somebody or something: to praise somebody or something in a formal way

• She was commended for her bravery.

1. Cause something to be acceptable: to show something to possess worthwhile qualities

• The plan has much to commend it.

1. Endorse somebody or something: to endorse somebody or something as being worthy of approval

• I had no hesitation in commending her to them.

Maybe I should have a few of more cups of coffee in the mornings to clear my thought.


If Bill Gates is so smart than how come MS Word generates text that we type in and not text that we really mean? :admin:

~ME~

 

[UnderwaterMedic]

I LOLed at the grammar tangent in this thread; sadly, it sorta made my day a bit brighter

 

[farsidefan1]

Dennis beat me to it. I was going to add the part about equalizing the mask. Also if you are anal about having any water in your mask you might get a mask which has an "escape" port in the nose peice in which case you can actually (while holding your mask in place) expel a bit of air which clears that last bit of water from you mask. Of course such a mask also introduces another "failure point" to your gear. I have masks with and without that feature and I like it, but I carry a spare which does not have it.

 

[Fajabird]

Another possibility: When I descend, I do it at a rate that I equalize my mask and ears on every breath. In effect, I'm breathing in through my mouth and out my nose with every breath. Maybe the instructor was describing this?

 

[Doomnova]

The biggest thing I would say is talk with your instructor and ask for clarification. In the depth of the moment you might have missed a word or two from them and lead to this question.

Also its a good thing this thread as changed from a tangent to a secant.