Quiz - 9 - Diving Knowledge Workbook - Diving Physiology

[Pedro Burrito]

From the Diving Physiology Section of the PADI Diving Knowledge Workbook Version 2.02 © PADI 2009:

2.2 Question 2

The practice of breathing slowly when scuba diving is important in order to:

a. minimize resistance caused by turbulence in the airways.

b. compensate for the decrease in energy from immersion in cold water.

c. avoid the potential for thoracic squeeze.

d. All of the above are correct.​

I will post a daily question from my exams to help newer divers and to encourage more experienced divers to interact gracefully and helpfully with the newer divers.

Reminder - this is a post in the Basic Forum and it is a green zone. Please be nice and on topic.

Thank you for your patience while we try to give people something to discuss other than Covid-19 and/or Politics. I will post the answer covered by the spoiler tag later today.

 

[TMHeimer]

Oh, tricky version of previous one. Think I got this right too.

 

[loosenit2]

These physics questions are making me feel uneducated.

 

[Angelo Farina]

I find very interesting that these questions are based on the concept that while scuba diving one should breath deeply and slowly.
Of course this is correct.
I was not trained by PADI, I come from CMAS (actually FIPS, which is substantially the same here in Italy as BSAC in UK, etc.):
Getting a good control of breathing was considered of upmost importance since the beginning.
My two sons, instead, were certified by PADI instructors, both OW and AOW, and what they were told was always to "breath normally", NOT to breath slowly and deeply.
Of course I and my wife did already train them since many years, and so they were breathing VERY slowly and VERY deeply. The PADI instructor was not really happy of this, and asked several times them to "breath normally, as at surface", which means shallow and more quickly.
So I wonder if this concept of having a correct breathing control is something that PADI reserves for advanced level of training , for DMs and Istructors, and not for beginners...
Any PADI instructor here providing some insight on this?

 

[Vitesse2l]

Having just completed (and passed) the exam for Bsac Dive Leader and being fairly crammed full of *Important Diving Knowledge* I really dont have a clue for this question. I have ideas of what it's not but nothing jumps out as what it is.

 

[Storker]

The way I've always understood it is that fast breathing often leads to shallow breathing. Which isn't good for CO2 ventilation. By breathing slowly, you more or less have to breathe deeply, which facilitates CO2 ventilation.

So, my choice would be "none of the above"

 

[tursiops]

I find very interesting that these questions are based on the concept that while scuba diving one should breath deeply and slowly.
Of course this is correct.
I was not trained by PADI, I come from CMAS (actually FIPS, which is substantially the same here in Italy as BSAC in UK, etc.):
Getting a good control of breathing was considered of upmost importance since the beginning.
My two sons, instead, were certified by PADI instructors, both OW and AOW, and what they were told was always to "breath normally", NOT to breath slowly and deeply.
Of course I and my wife did already train them since many years, and so they were breathing VERY slowly and VERY deeply. The PADI instructor was not really happy of this, and asked several times them to "breath normally, as at surface", which means shallow and more quickly.
So I wonder if this concept of having a correct breathing control is something that PADI reserves for advanced level of training , for DMs and Istructors, and not for beginners...
Any PADI instructor here providing some insight on this?

I'm afraid your sons did not have a very knowledgeable instructor. PADI emphasizes slower breathing more and more post-OW because it is more important as you go deeper, which happens in the post-OW training, but it should not be de-emphasized in OW training. Perhaps, for that instructor, slow deep breathing IS normal breathing?

 

[Angelo Farina]

I'm afraid your sons did not have a very knowledgeable instructor. PADI emphasizes slower breathing more and more post-OW because it is more important as you go deeper, which happens in the post-OW training, but it should not be de-emphasized in OW training. Perhaps, for that instructor, slow deep breathing IS normal breathing?

I really do not know...
A the the time my sons were very young (12 and 16), and perhaps he was not expecting to see them making 2, max 3 inspiration each minute and staying 15- 20 seconds without emitting any bubble...
He probably was fearing of them suffering of lung over expansion... So he was often signalling them to exhale, to breath...
I and my wife did not want to interfere and did let him do his job.

 

[Pedro Burrito]

Spoiler: Answer

a. minimize resistance caused by turbulence in the airways.

Slower breathing reduces the tendency for the air flow to become turbulent. Turbulence results in increased resistance and, therefore, an increased breathing effort.