Optimal Breathing

[ScubyDoo]

I have been told that with experience comes the ability to extend your bottom time by optimizing the amount of air you breathe. In OW class, we were taught that we need to take long deep breaths and exhale long and slow in order to increase the oxygen to Co2 ratio. I just read an experienced divers post on another thread who claimed that student divers burn air up to 4 times faster than he does. Like anyone else, I would like to burn up air slowly and extend my bottom time.

What is the methodology for optimizing breathing so your tanks will last longer?

 

[TexasMike]

Method? Simple....Dive.

Then do more diving.

Then dive some more

My experience is that at the beginning of my diving career, I would hoover through an AL 80 in less 25 minutes at 45 fsw (surfacing with about 400psi).

Now a year later, I am getting close to 45 to 50 minutes at the same tank/depth/profiles.

And the only thing that has changed since then has been my experience level and learning to relax underwater.

So the real big "secret" is to just relax, be calm, and enjoy the heck out of the dive. And keep diving.

 

[Aquamore]

Breathe normally, don't try and save air otherwise you'll give yourself a headache.

Your air consumption will get better as your 'Stamina', 'fitness/experience' and Watermanship (the efficient use of your SCUBA gear and Fins etc.) increases.

My wife breathes a mere 6 litres per minute (Equivalent surface capacity) where I am around 7.5 to 8 litres per minute.

Don't forget that Air consumption is also related to the amount of work you do underwater. You can try being less energetic and go with the flow!

Hope this helps

Aquamore

 

[Drew Sailbum]

A slight change of breathing pattern does help. While you don't want to hold your breath by closing off your airway, you may briefly pause in the breathing cycle after you inhale.

Typical surface breathing pattern is inhale, exhale, pause - repeat as needed :tease:

A good scuba breathing pattern is inhale, pause, exhale - repeat as needed :drown:

Anything you can do to limit the amount of energy you expend will also reduce your breathing requirements. Streamlined swimming, proper weighting, relaxing underwater, proper thermal protection, and keeping movements slow and deliberate all help.

 

[Scottri]

My experience has been that increased bottom time just comes with your comfort level and experience. The only recommendation I can make is to dive more and try and relax. Extended bottom time is a by-product of experience. My first 20 or so dives after open water I didn't notice a significant increase in bottom time but soon after I was getting longer and longer dives. This has to do with my comfort level, bouyancy skill and overall fitness. I don't think there is a magic bullet for better breathing other than time and experience. I wouldn't spend a lot of energy worrying about it. It will just come naturally.


Scott

 

[Uncle Pug]

I'll just add that learning to frogkick can do more than increase the visibility at your dive site.... the frog is so efficient that your air consumption will drop dramatically.

Of course a scooter is even better at reducing consumption....

 

[dc4bs]

Hey, noone has brought up bouyancy control...

The less you add/dump from the BC (or drysuit if not using argon) to achieve neutral at any given depth will leave more air to breath as well.

Proper weighting is a KEY element to reduced air consumption.

My air consumpion has skyrocketed since I got my new drysuit because I'm still working out my perfect weight and just how to distribute that weight most efectively. It's getting better each dive and I think I'll be back prety close to my wetsuit consumption in a few more dives.

The more diving you do, the better your bouyancy control gets untill you do it without even thinking about it.

When you have it down perfect, you won't be expending extra energy "swiming" to maintain the depth you want either. After enough practice, you'll get to where you can pick a spot in the water and just float/drift there without moving a muscle except to breath. That saves on air as well.

"Hovering" at depth is very usefull when diving any reefs as well. If you can simply float along and look at stuff, you won't ever accidently damage anything by bouncing off it...

 

[solodiver]

air consumption is directly related to your personal comfort zone.. the more diving you do the more comfortable you become the less air you well use...

 

[ebbtide]

nothing more that i can add to all of the posts here !
just remember never hold yer breath only pause there is a difference relax and with that comes bouyancy control,
it seems they go hand in hand i too am struggling with my weight trying to find the right amount andd where to put it 7mm bare wetsuit and i feal like a balloon in the water hahahah more like a beached whale lol

 

[AllenG]

Drew had suggested that "a good scuba breathing pattern is inhale, pause, exhale - repeat ." Ebbtide then suggests that you "never hold yer breath only pause there is a difference." What's the difference? Both sound like skip breathing?