The first scuba skill most divers want to improve is scuba diving air consumption. Better air consumption means longer bottom times. Most divers can improve their bottom times up to 15-25% by improving their breathing patterns. This means they go from 25-30 minute dive times to 45-50 minute dive times. This makes the diver and their buddy happy. No more short dives. Try these scuba air consumption tips to improve your bottom time.
The Zen of Diving
Have you ever observed a Yoga class and watched how the students breathe? They use slow, even breathing patterns to help their bodies relax. They inhale slowly and completely before exhaling, and they exhale completely and slowly on each breathing cycle. The same patterns apply to diving. They help promote low air consumption, prevent hyperventilation and enable a diver to relax while diving. The more relaxed you are the less air you use and you have a longer bottom time.
I have watched divers practice these slow, even breathing patterns just before getting in the water. As they make their descent, you can see that scuba Zen breathing kick in. They are now one with the ocean.
Here are some more tips to help you perfect good breathing techniques.
Neutral Buoyancy: Use a slow, even breathing pattern to help you stay neutrally buoyant. This will help you maintain you position in the water with less effort and prevent you from wasting your scuba diving air. You will find that by using your breathing to control your buoyancy you have less scuba air consumption because you take shallower breathes.
Streamline: Swim with your body in a horizontal position, arms folded in front of you or along your sides. Make sure your gauge console and alternate air source are attached to your BCD. Clip you scuba accessories close to you body. By creating less drag helps you use less air.
Less Movement: Watch the experienced divers and dive leaders in your dive group. They seem to glide effortlessly through the water. They use a slow, even, fluid fining movement (try not to bicycle). Remember, less effort means less scuba air consumption. Less air consumption means more bottom time.
Stay with Your Buddy: Always know where you dive buddy is and what they are doing. Check each other air gauge often to have a good idea of the remaining scuba diving air that each of you have.
Dive Shallower: If you are still concerned about running out of air to soon, you can always dive a little bit shallower than the rest of the dive group. Even 10 feet/9 meters will help you get a little more bottom time. This is something that is taught in a basic scuba certification course.
Check Your Scuba Gear: Do a good pre-dive safety check of you scuba gear. Make sure you are familiar with you equipment and you know exactly where each item is stored. Look, listen and feel for any air leaks. Leaks can cut you bottom time short.
Dive, Dive, Dive: Nothing beats time in the water when it comes to improving any scuba skill. The more you dive, the more comfortable and relaxed you become in the underwater world. Dive as much as you can, practice in the pool with you dive club and soon you will see that you have less scuba air consumption than before.
Safety First: Remember what you where taught in you basic scuba certification course. Absolutely, positively never hold you breathe while scuba diving. Breathe holding is for free divers, not scuba divers. And skip breathing is not a good idea either. A strong current is a sure way to blow through air too soon. If the current is to strong, get out of the water (unless you're doing a drift dive).
Follow these scuba diving tips to prefect good breathing techniques and you will soon find yourself using less scuba diving air and enjoying your diving more.
