The Amazing Air Sucking Vacuum

[TheRedHead]

Probably overweighted. You said you were finning quite a bit and that to me is the real culprit. Were you finning more than your group? And maybe you were a little bit excited diving in a new environment.

 

[Jamdiver]

Seriously overweighted bro, I dive those same waters with a 3mm shorty and use about 7 lbs.
As other posters have noted, factors that might have contributed to your high air consumption are
- Excitement of diving in a new environment, maybe you 're not used to all that vis :14:
- Overweighted, having to constantly fin/ add or dump air from BC.
- Don't think it was the depth..

But hey don't worry, keep working on your consumption and i'm sure that by the next time you're in warm water you'll do much better .

 

[oly5050user]

Here goes my self-incriminating thread....

Just got back from a week in Jamaica and managed to get in 7 or 8 dives and still keep the wife happy (but that's beside the point). Here's what concerned me a bit: On almost every dive, I happened to be one of the first people to run low on air (first to 1,000 psi). Every other person on the boat had rental gear, while I lugged my own stuff down there with me. I usually dive colder water back home and tend to be right on par with my dive buddy when it comes to air consumption. Why would I use more air than people diving in their t-shirts and bathing suits, who dive twice a year (22 minutes BT at 70', 2,900 psi starting pressure, surfaced with 600 psi after safety stop)?
So, my question is this: What do you fine folks think might be the case? I'm 5'10", 220 lbs, exercise regularly and made about 20 dives this year. I was wearing a 3 mil shorty with 18 lbs of weight and was using my new Mares MR22/Abyss 05 reg.
My guesses are as follows: New reg uses air like a mofo or too much weight or bad gauges or leaky reg (had it serviced two weeks before trip) or .... ???
Any suggestions??

sounds like too much weight on belt-but also -do you smoke??What do you mean by exercise regularly?? Run?bike ride? Get to cardio/vascular system working??Take stairs regularly instead of a elevator?Try long inhalations/long exhalations..do not use hands to propel yourself..Above all relax-think of diving as a walk in the park seeing the animals interact-don't chase them..

 

[ScubaThor]

sounds like too much weight on belt-but also -do you smoke??What do you mean by exercise regularly?? Run?bike ride? Get to cardio/vascular system working??Take stairs regularly instead of a elevator?Try long inhalations/long exhalations..do not use hands to propel yourself..Above all relax-think of diving as a walk in the park seeing the animals interact-don't chase them..

Don't smoke, run 3-5 times per week. The only thing my hands do under water is fold over each other in front of my chest. I take deep long breaths and try to take several seconds to do so. Always take stairs over elevators. Most dives were drift dives, so not much chasing after stuff in general (I actually stayed close to the DM, once I realized I was having air issues). I really think I was seriously overweighted.

 

[AndyNZ]

Probably overweighted. You said you were finning quite a bit and that to me is the real culprit.

Totally agree. Kick and glide, kick and glide. Even better, learn to frog kick rather than fluter kick as this inherent has a glide built into it....

 

[allistoy]

We are not that far apart I'm 5'10" and 215# in a 3mil shorty I use 6 lbs. in salt water and 2# in fresh water. When I have divers who complain they use more air than others and they tell me they can not drop weight I tell them to try dropping 1# per dive until you find your ideal weight. This is sometimes much easier to sell to someone than the conventional floating at eye level with a tank at 500#. I just used this method with 2 very experienced divers and they cut their weight in half and the bottom time doubled after only 5 dives. They are still shaking their heads at all the weight they were using for all those years. There are many methods that can be used to reduce your weight and increase your bottom time this is only 1 method I like to use with experienced divers who appear to have their minds locked into 1 train of thought. It's easy to do and no one is the wiser to what you are trying to accomplish so no one losses face in front of their piers.

 

[limeyx]

Seriously overweighted bro, I dive those same waters with a 3mm shorty and use about 7 lbs.
.

Interesting that a couple of people in this thread have said they are using 6-7 pounds in this config. That seems if anything a little light to me.

Assuming an AL80 which at500 psi is (I think) in general, +5 pounds buoyant and a 3mm suit which at 15 feet is still going to give you some lift maybe 5-6 pounds ?(and that you want to ascend slowly from 15 upwards if you can).

Maybe some people are naturally negative

can you hold 15 feet stop on empty tank w/out finning down or holding something?

 

[gangrel441]

I have a pretty good baseline for comparison for you. I am a Chicago diver as well, and a little larger than you (5'10, 240 lbs), and dive the quarries here in a 7/5 jumper with a 3mm hood. Did my first fresh water dives this summer with 18 lbs and sank like a rock. I took 4 lbs off before my next dive, and was still too negative to be comfortable. By the end of my second weekend, I had my weighting down to 10 lbs. In Belize this summer, I dove 3mm with 6 lbs quite comfortably.

Your comment that you were finning quite a bit is probably the key. When you are negative, your finning may give you the feeling that you are neutral. Also, if you use your BC to significantly alter your bouyancy, you will more drastically alter your bouyancy with small incremental changes in depth. This results in either adding more air to your BC or finning to keep yourself neutral. Both lead to significantly higher air consumption.

I would say you are getting more comfortable in the water, which leads to being more relaxed, and needing less weight. But by still carrying the weight, you are giving back those gains through increased finning effort and air added to BC.

Best advice I can give...log some pool time and play with your weighting. And have fun!

 

[gangrel441]

Interesting that a couple of people in this thread have said they are using 6-7 pounds in this config. That seems if anything a little light to me.

Assuming an AL80 which at500 psi is (I think) in general, +5 pounds buoyant and a 3mm suit which at 15 feet is still going to give you some lift maybe 5-6 pounds ?(and that you want to ascend slowly from 15 upwards if you can).

Maybe some people are naturally negative

can you hold 15 feet stop on empty tank w/out finning down or holding something?

Actually (and anyone out there feel free to back me up on this one...), we are all negative in salt or fresh water without any gear. Bodies sink, then rise to the surface when decomposition starts.

Sorry for the morbid example...

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

I agree...6-7 pounds with a full 3mm does seem a bit light...at least for me.

More like 10-12 if I remember. Then I could hold safety stops.