Question High Altitude Athletes.... Less efficient at depth?

[boulderjohn]

I am reminded of a student I once had for an advanced open water class. He was slim, trim, and fit. He went through air at an unbelievable rate. I have never seen anyone else like it. I tried to work on it with him, but I did not make as much of a difference as I hoped. (He was remarkably immune to instruction.) When we did the deep dive, the problem got much worse. After that (very short) dive, I told him that the most important thing he had learned about deep diving was that he should not be doing it until he got his breathing under better control. It was simple. He was just breathing too quickly, and the deeper he went, the faster he breathed.

In contrast, I certified two friends years ago, and from the very beginning (OW certification dives) both of them were better than I am, and I'm not bad. We go on trips together, and the end of the dive is usually determined by when we've had enough of that dive and want to get back on the boat.

My point is that learning good, efficient breathing is the primary way to improve your rate of air usage. Some people come to it easily and naturally, for others it is a real challenge, and most people are somewhere in between.

 

[VikingDives]

I am reminded of a student I once had for an advanced open water class. He was slim, trim, and fit. He went through air at an unbelievable rate. I have never seen anyone else like it. I tried to work on it with him, but I did not make as much of a difference as I hoped. (He was remarkably immune to instruction.) When we did the deep dive, the problem got much worse. After that (very short) dive, I told him that the most important thing he had learned about deep diving was that he should not be doing it until he got his breathing under better control. It was simple. He was just breathing too quickly, and the deeper he went, the faster he breathed.

In contrast, I certified two friends years ago, and from the very beginning (OW certification dives) both of them were better than I am, and I'm not bad. We go on trips together, and the end of the dive is usually determined by when we've had enough of that dive and want to get back on the boat.

My point is that learning good, efficient breathing is the primary way to improve your rate of air usage. Some people come to it easily and naturally, for others it is a real challenge, and most people are somewhere in between.

I'm working with a highly motivated diver who I can't move out of the pool.

He cannot stop exhaling through his nose (problem 1) and his air consumption is so high that it appears that there is a constant stream of bubbles coming from his mask (and I'm not exaggerating).

He is the first student that I've considered putting in a full-face mask just to vary things up a little and maybe slow down his breathing. It's bizarre.

I've had three other instructors look at him and each, when seeing the bubbles coming from his mask, said that they didn't believe a human could do what this guy was doing. I should shoot some video and post it in the I2I...

 

[dmaziuk]

I'm working with a highly motivated diver who I can't move out of the pool.

He cannot stop exhaling through his nose (problem 1) and his air consumption is so high that it appears that there is a constant stream of bubbles coming from his mask (and I'm not exaggerating).

He is the first student that I've considered putting in a full-face mask just to vary things up a little and maybe slow down his breathing. It's bizarre.

I've had three other instructors look at him and each, when seeing the bubbles coming from his mask, said that they didn't believe a human could do what this guy was doing. I should shoot some video and post it in the I2I...

Detune his reg. I've had this problem with rental regs more than once: if I don't forcefully puff into it at the end of the inhale, it'll just freeflow into my mouth and out the nose.

Also, why is exhaling through the nose a problem? -- I do it half the time and the only downside is spit/baby shampoo does not work as well as Sea Drops. So I use Sea Drops.

 

[tarponchik]

How interesting...Sometime ago when I said that aerobic shape has no connection to air consumption and that sportsmen with large muscle mass consume more air, this caused a sh1tstorm here on SB. Yet today this seems to be a banality.

 

[VikingDives]

Detune his reg. I've had this problem with rental regs more than once: if I don't forcefully puff into it at the end of the inhale, it'll just freeflow into my mouth and out the nose.

Also, why is exhaling through the nose a problem? -- I do it half the time and the only downside is spit/baby shampoo does not work as well as Sea Drops. So I use Sea Drops.

Normally, it isn't a problem, but this guy is able to constantly inhale and exhale at the same time. It's like a slow freeflow...

Exhaling through your nose is not a problem, unless you do it at such a taste that you are constantly flooding your mask... Again, probably not a problem unless you're just learning to dive.

 

[tarponchik]

I'd say, though, that since life at high altitude results in higher hemoglobin concentration in your blood, you should consume less air when diving because every breathe you take brings more O2 into your body than a breathe of the same volume of air by an average person. Or, to put it another way, you need to inhale less air than an average person to deliver equal amount of O2 into your body. Thus, altitude works in your favor and high air consumption must be caused by something else.

 

[Vicko]

O2 has nothing to do with the need to breathe. Co2 is the triger.

 

[johndiver999]

I'd say, though, that since life at high altitude results in higher hemoglobin concentration in your blood, you should consume less air when diving because every breathe you take brings more O2 into your body than a breathe of the same volume of air by an average person. Or, to put it another way, you need to inhale less air than an average person to deliver equal amount of O2 into your body. Thus, altitude works in your favor and high air consumption must be caused by something else.

No we get much more oxygen than we need when diving, especially deep and with nitrox. The challenge of respiration when diving is primarily eliminating co2. About the opposite of the situation for an athlete at altitude.

Learn how to efficiently remove co2 ( primarily by deeper exhalation and reduction of dead airspace in respiratory system) and air consumption should decrease if the person in calm, comfortable and not cold.

 

[tarponchik]

O2 has nothing to do with the need to breathe. Co2 is the triger.

Really? So we can breathe pure nitrogen or helium?

 

[boulderjohn]

Really? So we can breathe pure nitrogen or helium?

What he meant was that the urge to breathe is triggered by a buildup of CO2. The body does have a trigger telling you that you need oxygen, but it is barely perceptible. We do not feel an urge to breathe because we need oxygen.