Sac?

[CWMurf]

I have recently come across the designation SAC. I cannot remember what it stands for. I am thinking it has something to do with rate of air consumption. Can anyone refresh my memory please? Thanks.

 

[Chris Sawallich]

Surface Air Consumption.

 

[riguerin]

FYI ... Here's a link to online SAC calculator, if you're curious:

http://www.spearfishing.org/bruces_tips/java/sac.html

Efficient breathers typically have SAC rates of 0.5 or lower.

 

[fire_diver]

I used that same online SAC calculator link . I was really surprised at how varied my rates were from dive to dive. My lowest was .31 and my highest (in cold water w/o adequate protection) was a .53

But I noticed up to .15 difference from dive to dive. Haven't found the correlation yet, but there should be a reason for the swings. Maybe it's just human physiology. Anyone else have swings like this, or are you pretty consistent?

FD

 

[riguerin]

I recently found an online SAC calculator link from a thread here on SB. I was really surprised at how varied my rates were from dive to dive. My lowest was .31 and my highest (in cold water w/o adequate protection) was a .53

But I noticed up to .15 difference from dive to dive. HAvent found the correlation yet, but there should be a reason for the swings. Maybe it's just human physiology. Anyone else have swings like this, or are you pretty consistent?

FD

It's hard to say without analyzing what was going on in your dives in further detail. It would be expected to fall within some range. All other things equal, however, there's probably a pretty close correlation to your stress level on a particular dive and your SAC rate. I know that I see my SAC go up when diving under adverse conditions, such as diving in strong currents. For some reason, it also seems to go up when hunting bugs ... especially around the season opening ;-)