Holding breath (not embolisim)

[jeffreyd]

This is a curiosity question and will not be done by me, and any diver reading this should follow their training and NEVER HOLD your breath after breathing off a scuba regulator while underwater.

At depth of say 33' where there is twice as much pressure as the surface and thus twice as much air. Since there is now "more" air is it realistic that the diver could use that air up longer than a similar breath at the surface?

For example "TOPdiver" takes a breath at the surface and holds it. "DOWNdiver" takes a breath at 33 feet (Off of scuba or surface supplied air, and only AIR not nitrox). Would DOWNdiver be able to hold his breath twice as long as TOPdiver (if they have the same surface holding times)?

I assume it would since there is now twice the air for the body to "put" CO2 and retrieve O2, however I think it would be a little less than two since breathing is based on the air touching the lungs and while holding a breath there is not much movent of air along the walls of the lungs.

I state again do NOT under any circumstances hold your breath while breathing compressed air.


Thanks,
JeffreyD

 

[Uncle Pug]

You will be producing CO2 metabolically at the same rate and thus still need to breath to get ride of it. In fact the increasing blood level of CO2 will compel you to breath as that is what drives respirations in normal folks.

 

[miketsp]

Without going into all the theory - no.
What you are trying to imply is that someone's SAC would be better on deeper dives which is just not true.
A diver at 40m (5 ATAs) is going to use/require 5 x more air than a diver breathing at the surface.
A diver at 40m does not get more duration out of a breath than one at the surface.