Hi there! I'm a brand new diver (just completed my 6th dive) and have a question about air consumption rates. I check all the boxes that I've learned can increase this:
Is the best thing just to dive more locally, gain confidence, and work on my buoyancy? Or would more classes help? (at the moment I feel like I know what I should do and just need more practice to be able to do it consistently, but I can imagine finding the Advanced Open Water course useful at some point further down the road).
How much should I expect cold water (plus all the associated gear) to be a factor here? e.g. if I went on a trip to Cozumel tomorrow, without changing my current ability or experience, would the difference from Puget Sound waters be likely to affect air usage in any significant way?
- Inexperience = nervousness = high breathing rate
- Haven't mastered buoyancy yet (I'm getting better with each dive, but aware that I'm still sculling with my arms too much and adjusting BCD inflation more than I'd like)
- I'm a big guy (in reasonable shape, but 6' 2'' and 215 lb)
- Cold water (Puget Sound = 49 degrees)
Is the best thing just to dive more locally, gain confidence, and work on my buoyancy? Or would more classes help? (at the moment I feel like I know what I should do and just need more practice to be able to do it consistently, but I can imagine finding the Advanced Open Water course useful at some point further down the road).
How much should I expect cold water (plus all the associated gear) to be a factor here? e.g. if I went on a trip to Cozumel tomorrow, without changing my current ability or experience, would the difference from Puget Sound waters be likely to affect air usage in any significant way?