We all have a goal to keep improving our air consumption so we can dive longer. In reality, people have various rates of air consumption. Women naturally consume less air than men. The size of the lung also affects the consumption rate. We all want to control every single breath of air to buy us more time enjoying the underwater world.
Here are some tips on improving your air consumption when scuba diving.
Dive More
Gather up diving experience. The more you dive, the more you will be able to feel familiar with your breathing. Having more experience in scuba diving can help you with your air consumption rate slowly but surely.
Relax
More movement underwater needs more air consumption, so relax and enjoy. Fidgeting and making unnecessary moves will just empty your tank faster. Look at your surroundings of what are interesting. Use your fins only when needed and go with the flow.
Take Longer Breath
Having rough, fast, and shallow breath not only increases your use of air but also exhausts you. Imagine meditation, deep inhale and deep exhale slowly. But remember, do not hold your breath.
Reduce Leaks
Sometimes when diving, your equipment or tank can leak. Before the dive, make sure to check all of the components that are able to cause air leak. O-ring, hose, BCD and so on. If you happen to find a leak, fix it on your own or consult your buddies. Leaks can be little, but it sure will affect your air consumption.
Be Neutrally Buoyant
Having constantly adjusting your air in the BCD can increase air consumption. Sometimes you’ll need to release air, or sometimes you need to add air into your BCD. This will give you less air to breathe. So try to find your own neutral buoyant state and use control air in your BCD as little as possible. Learning on your perfect weight adjustment can help you with finding neutral buoyancy. More on neutral buoyancy after you learn from SSI or PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty Course.
(Cliff Jordan)
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