Randy43068
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I hold my breath every dive, too. I don't know a diver who doesn't, actually. Keep your airway open which is easy and just as easily to train.
If your regulator fell out of your mouth...
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I think "never hold your breath" is a good way to teach beginning OW divers-everyone understands what that means and how to do it. But I've also found that simply keeping an open airway is just as easy and much more useful once I started gaining comfort in the water, and it doesn't lead to any instinctive or learned breath-holding when stressed or distracted.
If someone has been trained to and always practiced constant exhaling, it's probably not worth the effort to try to change that behavior, and vice versa.
If someone has been trained to and always practiced constant exhaling, it's probably not worth the effort to try to change that behavior, and vice versa.
DevonD -- you say you never hold your breath -- what about in this scenario:
You've started your descent in not so good viz, dropping down and you find yourself about 5 feet from the bottom -- what do you do? Me, I'm taking a big breath and popping my drysuit inflate button to slow down/stop before hitting the bottom -- once I've realized I'm really slowing down, I return to normal breathing. BUT, for a little while, whilst dropping, I've taken a big breath and "held" it to keep from smacking the bottom.
You NEVER take a big breath and stop -- even for a tiny pause?
You've started your descent in not so good viz, dropping down and you find yourself about 5 feet from the bottom -- what do you do? Me, I'm taking a big breath and popping my drysuit inflate button to slow down/stop before hitting the bottom -- once I've realized I'm really slowing down, I return to normal breathing. BUT, for a little while, whilst dropping, I've taken a big breath and "held" it to keep from smacking the bottom.
You NEVER take a big breath and stop -- even for a tiny pause?
R
redacted
Guest
That is another rule that has its exceptions. Not really any problem as long as you understand the risks that generated the "rule".
Doh! Of course, my bad. Please read what I meant to write, and not what I did write. Darn it. I need to edit that post. Amazing how I can fit my foot in my mouth with a scuba fin, eh?
ScubaBrett22
Lionfish Slayer
I think the question here is really what you should tell a new diver. Is it:
"Never, ever, ever hold your breath. It's dangerous, could result in lung overexpansion injuries and just isn't worth quibbling about."
Or, is it:
"The key is to always keep an open airway. It's not quite as easy to explain as 'never hold your breath,' but it's just as easy to do, equally protective, and taking advantage of this gives you a useful tool to adjust your buoyancy and other tasks."
I imagine for some people, the blanket, hard-stop rule works better; they know as long as they follow it, they're pretty much covered, even if it requires more than what is necessary and introduces a set of ancillary issues.
For others, especially those who think about the issue and come away asking why it doesn't address some basic exceptions, the latter is a much more satisfying system, because it addresses the issue directly and narrowly, doesn't leave you with inconsistencies in practice and effect, and "lets" you perform some actions which are perfectly safe but which violate the more overinclusive rule above.
So what do you tell new divers? My guess is it depends on the person, their level of preparedness and the amount of time needed to be spent on the issue.
SurDo2
Contributor
DevonDiver
N/A
ha ha!
I certainly fall into the first category mentioned by Gombassa. As a dive educator, I stick with a firm message. I believe in training to an instinctive level, because this is how you react when your brain is otherwise occupided or overwhelmed.
Having read reports of lung expansion injuries occuring from as little as 5m depth..I just don't take chances when it comes to preparing other divers.
Holding an open airway is a possibility, but I think the concept requires considerably more experience and understanding. In addition, I do not think it is as easily moulded into an instinctive, programmed behavior at entry-level.
Remember, we are talking about introducing this technique to the same people who post on this forum, saying that they have problems exhaling from their nose to clear their masks... or who can't manage a valsava maneouvre.
Even as a moderately experienced diver, I had a close call myself 5 years ago. I was doing some breath hold diving in the vacinity of friends who were collecting scallops on scuba in a shallow bay. I did a breath hold dive down to 12m and met up with my friends on the bottom. Just for fun, I took my friend's AAS and accompanied them on the bottom for several minutes. Then I returned the AAS, waved goodbye and headed back to the surface.
It wasn't until later on, that it dawned on me that I had, in effect, completed a CESA from 12m. I wasn't on scuba myself....and it didn't even occur to me at the time that I had exposed myself to a very real, potentially fatal risk of air expansion.
The only thing that kept me safe, was my deeply ingrained habit of exhaling on ascent.
It wasn't deliberate...and I honestly feel that if it hadn't have been an instinctive, sub-consious routine, then I would not be here today.
Hence the reason for being pedantic in my views on breath holding
I certainly fall into the first category mentioned by Gombassa. As a dive educator, I stick with a firm message. I believe in training to an instinctive level, because this is how you react when your brain is otherwise occupided or overwhelmed.
Having read reports of lung expansion injuries occuring from as little as 5m depth..I just don't take chances when it comes to preparing other divers.
Holding an open airway is a possibility, but I think the concept requires considerably more experience and understanding. In addition, I do not think it is as easily moulded into an instinctive, programmed behavior at entry-level.
Remember, we are talking about introducing this technique to the same people who post on this forum, saying that they have problems exhaling from their nose to clear their masks... or who can't manage a valsava maneouvre.
Even as a moderately experienced diver, I had a close call myself 5 years ago. I was doing some breath hold diving in the vacinity of friends who were collecting scallops on scuba in a shallow bay. I did a breath hold dive down to 12m and met up with my friends on the bottom. Just for fun, I took my friend's AAS and accompanied them on the bottom for several minutes. Then I returned the AAS, waved goodbye and headed back to the surface.
It wasn't until later on, that it dawned on me that I had, in effect, completed a CESA from 12m. I wasn't on scuba myself....and it didn't even occur to me at the time that I had exposed myself to a very real, potentially fatal risk of air expansion.
The only thing that kept me safe, was my deeply ingrained habit of exhaling on ascent.
It wasn't deliberate...and I honestly feel that if it hadn't have been an instinctive, sub-consious routine, then I would not be here today.
Hence the reason for being pedantic in my views on breath holding
kanonfodr
Contributor
Hmm...I'm kinda in the same boat as DevonD here. I can't even dive into a pool without blowing little bubbles. But yet I can freedive and keep my mouth shut the whole time.
I guess one could look at it as being a different set of instincts for a different activity. Think about when you graduated from riding your bike to driving a car. You had to learn different techniques to handle similar situations. Little example:
When you were riding your bike, you learned to pull the brake handle to slow your bike down for a stop sign. When you started driving a car, you learned to press the brake pedal, a way different action to achieve a similar end-state (stopping the vehicle you are controlling).
But back to the topic of holding your breath under water: Yes I do. If I'm coming down fast on a reef I will definitely suck it in and hit the inflator a few times. But if my regulator gets knocked out of the mouth (has happened) I immediately start blowing small bubbles, on instinct. Replace the reg and keep on truckin'.
In the end, analyze what techniques you wish to make second nature and practice that until it's an instinct.
Peace,
Greg
I guess one could look at it as being a different set of instincts for a different activity. Think about when you graduated from riding your bike to driving a car. You had to learn different techniques to handle similar situations. Little example:
When you were riding your bike, you learned to pull the brake handle to slow your bike down for a stop sign. When you started driving a car, you learned to press the brake pedal, a way different action to achieve a similar end-state (stopping the vehicle you are controlling).
But back to the topic of holding your breath under water: Yes I do. If I'm coming down fast on a reef I will definitely suck it in and hit the inflator a few times. But if my regulator gets knocked out of the mouth (has happened) I immediately start blowing small bubbles, on instinct. Replace the reg and keep on truckin'.
In the end, analyze what techniques you wish to make second nature and practice that until it's an instinct.
Peace,
Greg
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