Breathing

[PfcAJ]

I just learned to breathe differently when wrestling, fighting and especially if your in a bad spot. Breathing techniques are proven to work everywhere but scuba, it's basically to help your mental state reduces stress and anxiety levels. But it could just be hogwash too.

Ya. Cuz when yer scuba divin you ain’t rasslin’ or havin a fisticuffs.

 

[TONY CHANEY]

some things that I feel should have been asked or said.
1) it will get better with more dives. You listed with the 25-49 number of dives. What is the actual number?
2) having your own gear and being one with your kit really helps. Your regs are tuned, your BC / harness fits you well without being overly restrictive. (I remember when just getting started and used mine or rented jacket style BC’s with the cummerbund and the integrated weights on the side. I would pull that cummerbund so tight that was hard to breathe, like a full stomach and tight belt after a thanksgiving dinner). I now have a BP and wing with a simple harness.
3) not that it matters too much but if you are diving with a female, have then dive with a small tank or you with a larger one. Almost all men cannot match a women’s SAC rate.
4) how is your physical condition?
5) get rid of excess lead and anything that can cause drag that you don’t need for the dive.
6) if all else fails, get a rebreather and / or a scooter!

 

[Stoo]

At some point, your gas consumption will be what it is for your own metabolic needs. If you need to take a breath, take a breath. Don't get too caught up in trying to pause.

This. Trying to enforce some artificial breathing rate is dangerous and silly. Your body needs what it needs, and to deny it is asking for trouble.

Others have mentioned the skills you need to develop... good trim, relaxing, proper weighting etc. But I have found over years and years is that those who have really high consumption rates tend to be "larger" people. Define "larger" any way you want... tall, wide, thick. If any of these are you, and you have the ability to change it (I guess that's the "thick" part) then do what you can.

And get fit, if you aren't.

But if you're simply a large person, embrace it! One of my occasional buddies is simply huge. He's 6'7'' and must weight 350 pounds. He's not obese, he simply large. He was burning through air at an alarming rate. His solution was to start to dive side mount. SM can generally be accomplished anyway assuming you have the backplate, wing and regulators. I can't see any charter operator or resort preventing you from diving this way.

 

[KristenK]

Curious what people think about meditation as a practice that will help with diving. Seems that it would help breathing, focus, relaxing, awareness, and maybe even channeling a shark or turtle.

 

[Ryan Mcshane]

Forget about the tai chi breathing techniques and just go diving, lots.

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

KristenK - I don't meditate in the formal sense, but I think about certain diving aspects that for me create peace in my mind. I like going to bed at night and instead of counting sheep I think about gear assembly and donning my gear (I do most of my diving in sidemount gear), Gear check, Right to left, Top to Bottom, Front to Back (similar to PADI BWRAF), and the feeling of having a regulator in your mouth and putting you head underwater and starting the dive. That moment when the dive actually begins is when you should already be relaxed. I take myself through that whole process of building, donning, gear check, starting the dive in my head while relaxing to go to sleep. And it is nice to see a women participating in a conversation on this site and topic. There should be more of you.

 

[Saniflush]

Lots of good info above as usual but I would add this. I was a terrible air hog when I first started (still am by a lot of people's measuring stick). One thing that has helped me tremendously outside of just more diving is practicing my breathing before a dive. I practice when I'm commuting to a site for a weekend of diving, on the boat ride out, sometimes throughout the week when I am going back and forth to work. Point being is in my limited experience, controlling your breathing is a skill just like any other. It needs practice to get better.
Personally I work on taking four complete breaths over a one minute time period. One complete cycle of breath (inhale and exhale) every 15 seconds.

 

[mmerriman]

KristenK - I don't meditate in the formal sense, but I think about certain diving aspects that for me create peace in my mind. I like going to bed at night and instead of counting sheep I think about gear assembly and donning my gear (I do most of my diving in sidemount gear), Gear check, Right to left, Top to Bottom, Front to Back (similar to PADI BWRAF), and the feeling of having a regulator in your mouth and putting you head underwater and starting the dive. That moment when the dive actually begins is when you should already be relaxed. I take myself through that whole process of building, donning, gear check, starting the dive in my head while relaxing to go to sleep. And it is nice to see a women participating in a conversation on this site and topic. There should be more of you.

Spectacles, testicles, wallet and watch - phrase meaning and origin

 

[Doppler]

Curious what people think about meditation as a practice that will help with diving. Seems that it would help breathing, focus, relaxing, awareness, and maybe even channeling a shark or turtle.

Works for me.


For the record, writing a piece for the ScubaVerse blog on breathing for divers this week. Might be worth looking up in a couple of weeks when it's published.

 

[Compressor]

Lots of great advice above by very seasoned divers.
So lowering air consumption is multi-factorial but take home message is to move less, relax (comes with experience), good trim and buoyancy and try not to think too much about your respiratory rate. Relax and enjoy your dive. Kind of like watching a good movie --> you are relaxed and are not thinking about your breathing rate.

I really like the post about using frog kick. Allows you to use less air.