Never hold your breath, except...

[BDSC]

Are you holding your breath, or are you actively just not breathing? The difference (to me anyway) is when you aren't breathing, your airway is open, but you aren't flexing your diaphragm. When holding your breath, you close the airway and relax your diaphragm. If I am maintaining buoyancy for video/lionfish stabbing, I may be breathing very shallowly or not breathing at all, but I'm not holding my breath. Semantics? Maybe, but I see a distinct difference.

You're getting to technical for me bro but I'm definitely doing one or the other.

 

[Avonthediver]

Picture it sicily you have just seen the mother of all catfish and as you lay on the bottom awaiting your pray it come from his hiding place from the rocks and you dont dare spook him and exhale so you hold and slow your breathing till BIG Blue come from his hole and BANG! right through the gills and you let all your air out in a shout cause you just landed the 50 lbs catch of the day!

 

[Lorenzoid]

I'm not holding my breath that this thread will reach much of a conclusion.

 

[Bob DBF]

Originally Posted by FlyingSquid

…From day 1, I thought that not holding your breath, period, was a safe way to make new divers lose this habit without thinking much. So, just NEVER do it. Easy to remember it like this, without exceptions...

I suppose everyone is wired differently, but it appears that the rule is not all that well remembered. I don’t ever recall hearing of an air embolism in the 60s and 70s. It is all too common now — granted there are a lot more divers.

Actually, the entire quote from my instructor was:

Never hold your breath while ascending in SCUBA or your lungs will explode in your chest and you will die a horrible death.

Maybe it’s just me, but that is memorable.

Yeah, but that was from the olden days when SCUBA diving was dangerous. Now that it is safe for everyone we don't have to talk about such things, it might scare the children.



Bob
-------------------------------------
"the future is uncertain and the end is always near"
Jim Morrison

 

[DaleC]

I was told to never hold my breath and would spend much of my early dives fixated on my respiration to make sure there were no "gaps"... mama mia. Then I began vintage equipment diving without a BC and learned how to hold my breath to effect small buoyancy changes, which I do routinely. The original rule is still valid, as it is intended, but not the scaled down version, which is not.

I don't believe in teaching simplistic rules to new divers. I know of a woman who got bent because she looked at her spg and saw it had dipped below 500psi so she bolted to the surface.

 

[captain]

I suppose everyone is wired differently, but it appears that the rule is not all that well remembered. I don’t ever recall hearing of an air embolism in the 60s and 70s. It is all too common now — granted there are a lot more divers.

Actually, the entire quote from my instructor was:

Never hold your breath while ascending in SCUBA or your lungs will explode in your chest and you will die a horrible death.

Maybe it’s just me, but that is memorable.

I am a self taught diver and back in the day (1957)when I was learning the number 1 rule emphasized in all the books was never hold your breath WHEN ASCENDING. I imprinted that rule into my brain to the point of it being automatic. Do I hold my breath at times, sure when ever I find the need to but never while ascending.

 

[261311]

I don't believe in teaching simplistic rules to new divers. I know of a woman who got bent because she looked at her spg and saw it had dipped below 500psi so she bolted to the surface.

The why is always more important, I'd like to say I agree here after learning a great deal of things that have been elaborated on from the simple rules. What's more important? Getting to the surface safely or busting a $250 tank? I bet re-compression cost her 100x that. I'll assume she was diving with a buddy too but those just exhibit signs of someone who spooked. She was in no danger of drowning, didn't check the spg as frequently as possible and didn't communicate to her buddy, sad

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . .
I don't believe in teaching simplistic rules to new divers. I know of a woman who got bent because she looked at her spg and saw it had dipped below 500psi so she bolted to the surface.

What about the "simplistic rule" never to ascend faster than a foot per second? I don't think simplistic rules are entirely to blame. The woman made a choice between two simplistic rules she was taught. If you're going to teach simplistic rules, there's no reason you can't teach a simplistic order of precedence in their importance, and I believe this is in fact typically what is taught.

 

[Akimbo]

What about the "simplistic rule" never to ascend faster than a foot per second? I don't think simplistic rules are entirely to blame. The woman made a choice between two simplistic rules she was taught...

The dumbed-down training curriculum is to blame. There is no need for dependence on simple-minded rules when training is adequate. A thorough understanding makes divers less apprehensive and likely to panic in the first place.

 

[KD8NPB]

I'll breath off the top 25% or the bottom 25% of my lung capacity as a method of finely tuned buoyancy control : Or the ONLY buoyancy control with my doublehose!