how did you lower your air use

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jord1990

Contributor
Messages
107
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27
Location
Haarlem the netherlands
# of dives
25 - 49
I know all the basic answers, but there has got to be more cause I've met some divers that don't breathe during a dive.
meaning doing a 45m 30 meter/95 feet dive
And then coming up with 90 bars.
On a 200 bar tank.
 
we have smaller lungs than you do.
 
I think there are many things, but all go toward expending less energy.

- improve trim. Moving through the water horizontally and streamlined takes much less effort.
- move slowly and efficiently. A frog kick with a long glide works well for this
- practice basic skills so they are effortless.
- get a regular exercise plan and stay in shape. Well, this would expending more energy but it is on the surface so it doesn't count :)
- breathe slowly and deeply

of course these are all basic answers that you already know, so alternatively, get a bigger tank
 
Everything Nimoh listed is correct, but I would add to the list buoyancy control. Constantly adjusting your BCD and struggling to remain trim & neutral consumes gas and expends energy needlessly.

Also, being calm in the water takes time and practice, and with that comes an increased level of comfort, and with that comes a normal breathing cadence and better SAC.
 
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Jord 1990 has described my wife Debbie exactly. One of those divers who seem to have gills. Low rate air consumption divers, if you watch them, tend to be people ( females mostly but not exclusively) with relatively small lung capacity. They are properly weighted, have good buoyancy control, have a good body position and appear to move effortlessly through the water with minimal effort. They are attendant to their gauges, monitor their depth, and, don't chase around after things during their dive. They also are likely to be fairly or very experienced divers. They make great dive buddies. I call Debbie my "spare air." I am very good on air use, but Debbie is better.
DivemasterDennis
 
Fill the lift bags off your buddy's tank.

On a more serious note, don't get hung up on the numbers. You need the air you need, and depriving yourself of that air with a trick can put you in a situation worse than going through your air fast. Become a better diver as has been outlined above and your SAC rate will go down. Just keep in mind the rate will go back up when you are stressed, working hard, and filling lift bags.

It's just a number, the real question is "Are you having fun?"



Bob
------------------------------
"No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously" -Dave Barry
 
avoid unnecessary arm movement (a.k.a. - swimming). You will notice that low air user also just seems to "flow" effortlessly....

also, body type will make a difference. I'm a former collegiate athlete, and at 6'7', the fuel to run my body is quite different that my 5'2" wife.....

no matter what I do, I'm stuck at a SAC of 0.6 when diving a bunch in a comfortable environment, and climbing to 1.0 for deep & cold water diving...

A plus of my size, is that a HP120 or HP130 is not too big to handle.....
 
Jord 1990 has described my wife Debbie exactly. One of those divers who seem to have gills. Low rate air consumption divers, if you watch them, tend to be people ( females mostly but not exclusively) with relatively small lung capacity. They are properly weighted, have good buoyancy control, have a good body position and appear to move effortlessly through the water with minimal effort. They are attendant to their gauges, monitor their depth, and, don't chase around after things during their dive. They also are likely to be fairly or very experienced divers. They make great dive buddies. I call Debbie my "spare air." I am very good on air use, but Debbie is better.
DivemasterDennis

I know husband and wife teams that share gas early on in the dive in order to extend both their dives :)
 
1 thing I noticed is that at some point in the dive I stop thinking and my air use goes down significantly. I wish I could have that the whole dive
 
For me UTD Essentials of Rec did wonders. My air use used to be roughly double my wife-buddy's. Now we are on par. Sometimes I do even better than her.

I suspect that trim was a major factor. Also improved buoyancy control. Switching from splits to non split stiff fins probably helped a lot. Also using kicks that used the minor muscles (modified frog) probably cut it down somemore.

I also use some tricks to save air. I orally inflate before jumping in. Otherwise when on an LOB I pump my BC full after a dive so its inflated by leftover air, saving the fresh tank. If I'm really stingy I oral inflate when I descend and hit bottom.

I stopped taking fresh breaths to clear my mask. I just wait till I need to exhale and use that to clear. Plus other tricks I can't remember right now.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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