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

[Doc Harry]

As others have said, there are many other factors that determine your air consumption.

As an anecdote, one of my diving buddies is a Mt. Everest climbing guide. He is shorter than me and weighs less than me, but our air consumption is the same. Our wives consume 40% less air than we do, so we always get the bigger tanks on holidays.

 

[Doc Harry]

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

Totally false.

 

[iliketopetsharks]

Really? So we can breathe pure nitrogen or helium?

You would suffocate, but you wouldn't feel it. More like falling asleep.
That's why working with liquid Nitrogen is so dangerous.

 

[Doc Harry]

You would suffocate, but you wouldn't feel it. More like falling asleep.

Totally false.

 

[iliketopetsharks]

Totally false.

Nice elaboration

 

[Doc Harry]

Nice elaboration

Not my job.
Adults are responsible for their own education.

 

[dmaziuk]

Really? So we can breathe pure nitrogen or helium?

Yes, but only for a couple of minutes.

 

[iliketopetsharks]

Not my job.
Adults are responsible for their own education.

Absolutely, so maybe you could read up on Inert Gas Asphyxiation.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @Sure Squintsalot

The main effect of living and exercising at altitude is an increase in your hemoglobin/hematocrit to increase your oxygen carrying capacity to compensate for the decrease in atmospheric pressure. Do you happen to know your hgb/hct? I do not intuitively see why this would adversely affect your gas consumption while diving at sea level.

The major stimulus for breathing is the carbon dioxide concentration in your blood, dictated by CO2 production and elimination. Good buoyancy and trim, efficient propulsion, and relaxation may result in less exertion and CO2 production. A good breathing pattern may increase the efficiency of CO2 elimination. There are individual factors that contribute to gas consumption that are more difficult to pin down. There is much more to it than gender and body size/composition.

Average gas consumption has been the topic of an ongoing thread for 7 1/2 years and illustrates the wide spectrum of consumption rates. Do you happen to know your gas consumption rate?

Average Gas Consumption

There has been extensive discussion lately regarding average gas consumption. A poll may help give us a better idea of what the normal distribution of RMVs is. 1 cu ft = 28.32 liters 1 liter = 0.035 cu ft 28.3 l/min

scubaboard.com

 

[tarponchik]

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.

I believe, the solution is in adopting to higher levels of CO2.