How do you breathe?

[RadRob]

I would not suggest the breathe in and pause method. Talk about a headache. Regular breathing and watch your physical exertion. Like someone else stated, do some cardio excercises to keep you from panting like a dog after a long run.

Skip breathing causes more headaches than it is worth. Breathe normally.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

As a diver, I've learned that I can't breathe through my nose because it will cause my mask to come unsealed, and I can't breathe through my mouth because it's stuffed full of the reg. I've had to learn how to breathe through my azz. The Rectal Swim Bladder specialty course is available for the low low price of just $300. Good luck!!*




*offered only ONLY in the spirit of humor. Don't get your drysuit undies in a twist...

 

[boulderjohn]

There is a lot to consider. I just checked my log book, and I found the following dives for comparison, both on June 29, 2005.

#1: Maximum depth 89 feet; average depth 47 feet; bottom time 52 minutes. Got on the boat with ~700 pounds in an Aluminum 80.

#2: maximum depth 48 feet; average depth 33 feet; bottom time 80 minutes. Got on the boat with ~600 pounds in an aluminum 80.

So what does that tell you? Less than you think.

The first dive was to a wreck (the Jane C in Aruba), and there is only so much time you can spend there. We came up to a very shallow part of the reef and explored it for quite a while. The first half of the dive was a somewhat active dive, meaning that in exporing the wreck, I had to use my fins and propel myself, sometimes against a mild current. The second half had a lot of exploring near the boat mooring until I had had enough--very gentle.

The second dive was a drift dive in a very mild current. I slowly worked my way to a shallower and shallower level by moving closer to shore as I drifted. At the end, I was exploring at safety stop depth and barely breathing. I only surfaced at 80 minutes because my buddy was low on air and wanted to go up.

Everything affects your time on a tank of air: your maximum depth, your average depth, how hard you are working, the water temperature. I have done dives on (for example) the Spiegel Grove in a raging current where my bottom times are not all that impressive.

BTW, I agree with all the breathe in and out s-l-o-w-l-y posts. Under the right circumstances, I almost try to feel as if I am falling asleep.

 

[Talon]

Boulder: Your SAC for the first dive was about .5
Your SAC for the second dive was about .4

*** assume a standard AL80 and filled at 3000 to start.

 

[*Floater*]

I'm averaging about 55 minutes on a tank and I was wondering what the master breathers are doing. When underwater do you breath deeply or do you take shallow breaths? Do you breath in fast and exhale slowly or do you breath in constant?

I tend to breath in deeply and exhale slowly... it works well but my bouancy changes more than I would like.

I'm by no means an expert breather, and still working on my technique, but if I'm in shallow waters then I try to use smaller breaths so that my buoyancy isn't affected too much. to lower your air consumption, you can skip breath (hold you breath between inhalation and exhalation), but it causes co2 buildup which is bad and can cause headaches among other things. A compromise is to just exhale really slowly, so it's almost like holding your breath, but not quite and people seem to accept it as a legitimate way to breath.