Proper Breathing Techniques?

[Antagonist]

This may be a stupid question, but when diving what are the techniques you use to conserve your air. I wastch some youtube videos and as I am listening to them breathe and it sounds like they are holding their breath. My sac is .68. I am just curious that all.

 

[Paladin]

Long, deep breath followed by long, full exhalation. I'm not concerned about my SAC rate or conserving my air. I use what I use. I'm usually having too much fun to worry about how much air I'm using.

 

[TMHeimer]

Same here. After learning that you take long slow deep breaths I think I do that naturally pretty much all the time.

 

[Stealth Mode]

Yep what they said,I generally inhale for almost 10 seconds and then exhale nearly 10 seconds.I get over 2 hours on an alum 80 in 20 feet of water.

 

[261311]

You also have to consider natural pauses that extend your breathing rate, no one inhales and exhales immediately. Don't mistake a pause however for holding your breath. Pauses can last between 1-3 seconds depending on your depth of breathing (not to be confused with depth you're diving at).

 

[DevonDiver]

Sometimes I think divers see 'breathing techniques' as some sort of "5-minutes Abs" quick-fix for improving their air consumption.

1) Focus on getting your weighting, buoyancy, trim and propulsion perfected.

2) Become slower, more relaxed and methodical on your dives.

3) Identify and eliminate task-loading, frustration and stress on your dives.

4) Improve your cardio-vascular fitness.

5) Breath normally and in a relaxed manner, as you would do on the surface.

 

[Antagonist]

Sometimes I think divers see 'breathing techniques' as some sort of "5-minutes Abs" quick-fix for improving their air consumption.

1) Focus on getting your weighting, buoyancy, trim and propulsion perfected.

2) Become slower, more relaxed and methodical on your dives.

3) Identify and eliminate task-loading, frustration and stress on your dives.

4) Improve your cardio-vascular fitness.

5) Breath normally and in a relaxed manner, as you would do on the surface.

I just just wondering what it meant to others about "breathing techniques" and to read other people ideas.

 

[t-mac]

Exactly what Devon Diver said. Basically get comfortable and relaxed and stay that way as much as possible. Aside from fitness, all other items on the list are aimed at that.

---------- Post added February 26th, 2013 at 12:40 AM ----------

I just just wondering what it meant to others about "breathing techniques" and to read other people ideas.

I would be careful with too much "technique." That usually means skip breathing, which can result in CO2 build up and very bad things. I practice relaxation and basically normal breathing and regularly record dives with SACs in the 0.3 range, which is half of what I did as a new diver.

 

[supergaijin]

Sit down, relax.
For the next good minute or 2, lengthen each inhalation/exhalation. Eventually you'll start breathing around 8-10secs.

Try to do that underwater.

Relax before entry, get properly neutrally buoyant, get in trim, stop kicking, hover horizontally, slow down everything. Next dive or 2, with a willing buddy, forget about fish, just focus on diving.

 

[DevonDiver]

Relax before entry, get properly neutrally buoyant, get in trim, stop kicking, hover horizontally, slow down everything.

I find that most 'pre-dive relaxation' goes out the window during the course of water entry and floating around on the surface. Novice divers can get flustered during that process.

One of the best 'import' practices from technical diving is the concept of the 'bubble/descent check'. I teach all my students to do this. Stopping the descent at ~5m depth, attaining proper neutral buoyancy and trim, get calm and relaxed, visual inspection of buddy (the 'last' part of a buddy check) and reinforcement of good buddy awareness... then continue the descent in a relaxed and controlled manner. It helps most divers...a lot.