How to Improve your Dive Air Consumption

Most divers don't understand initially that air consumption is a dive skill. This skill is often subtle in your dive certification, and some Instructors explain it outright. Regardless, this is a personal skill and may need several dives to learn. Here are some tips to improve your air consumption while diving. 

1. Start by making sure you are diving with the correct amount of weights. Remember...you are starting your dive with enough weight to compensate for a less-heavy scuba cylinder at the end of the dive. If you drop in with too much weight, you will need to inflate your BCD more, which uses cylinder air, and this will create an oscillating effect during your dive. As you breathe more gas down, you'll have to add more and more air to the BCD bladder. If you wish to descend further, you'll have to release air from that bladder. This inflate-dump cycle elevates your heart rate and consumes more energy, which equates to cylinder air consumption and less dive time. 
2. Try to maintain a horizontal position. An angled or near-vertical diver creates more drag with their own body. This means you have to kick harder, which then means more air consumption and...wait for it...less dive time. By achieving a horizontal position, you require less effort to kick and that equates to slower breathing and less air consumption.
3. Exhale slowly. You were most likely taught that you must fully inhale and fully exhale in your training. This is true, but the exhale will lower the carbon dioxide in your body and that will delay your need to inhale for the next breath. Try to achieve 5 to 6 seconds for your exhale. Normally, divers exhale in 2 to 3 seconds, which over the course of the dive will in fact shorten the dive. 
4. Try to reduce your movement. Using your hands to stabilize yourself uses more air from the cylinder. Look at fish.... they are streamlined to move more efficiently in the water. So should you. Tuck your arms in, or hold your hands out in front, or even swim like Superman. Just don't flail your arms. Your BCD and fins are sufficient to keep you horizontal, especially if you've achieved the previous tips. 

5. Try diving with a thinner wet suit, or none at all. If the water is warm, a rash guard top and pants will protect your skin from most of the itchy sea critters. The more insulation you have, the warmer you will be, which results in elevated heart rate and more air consumption. Too much insulation not only means you need more weight in your BCD, but you also run the risk of getting overly hot on the surface between dives. 

   All of these tips take practice, which means more diving. But that is why we love doing this, right? Don't forget to ask your Instructor or Guide for help or even take a buoyancy class while you're here with us at Sea Dwellers. Thanks for reading!