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10 Tips To Conserve Air When Diving

10 Tips To Conserve Air When Diving

Written by Noreen
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Published on October 5, 2009
drysuit diving diver in water

While Scuba diving, making your air last long is a big deal for divers. Why? Cause it means more bottom time and a longer dive. The air in your Scuba tank is the most important resource when you dive and there are a number ways  and techniques of conserving that precious air underwater.

Here are 10 ways of conserving air when Scuba Diving-

1. Breathe slowly and deeply. Learning how to breathe properly underwater with Scuba equipment is essentially the best way of conserving air when you dive. What you don’t want to do, is take short shallow breaths as this will shorten your air supply as your body doesn’t absorb enough oxygen with each breath. Think yoga, consciously breathe  slowly- both inhale and exhale deeply, but comfortably. Don’t consciously try to lower your intake, hold your breath or expand your lungs beyond their capacity. Practice breathing deeply at home to get used to this kind of breathing, as natural as breathing seems when you get underwater paying a little attention to this can go a long way.

2. Perfect your Buoyancy Control. Not being able to control buoyancy during a dive results in a diver using extra energy, either fighting to keep of the bottom or from continually floating to the surface. The  energy spent doing this directly relates to the consumption of air. Another reason that good buoyancy control helps make your air last longer is that you tend not to inflate and deflate your Buoyancy Compensator or BCD, which uses air from your tank, as much during a dive.

3.  Streamline. Decrease resistance and create less drag while swimming by streamlining your body and the Scuba gear you wear. Swim horizontally, head first in the direction you want to go. Staying nice and streamlined with your arms close to your body and all gauges and other gear tucked away will create less drag and reduce your air consumption.

4. Dive Slow. Slow and steady does it when you dive. Scuba diving isn’t about how fast you can swim, nor how much ground you can cover. In fact, divers tend to compete on who surfaces with the most air. If that’s the case the only way you’ll win those bragging rights is to slow down, relax and take the sloth approach when you dive. Avoid darting around, go with the flow and enjoy every minute.

5. Use the Snorkel on the Surface. You tend to spend a considerable amount of time on the surface during a lot of dives, whether just swimming to the anchor line to descend or waiting for your buddy or other divers to get into the water. Snorkels are obviously a great way to swim on the surface without using up air from your Scuba tank. With annoying, choppy waves slapping into your face and threatening the you with a mouthful of salt water, it’s advisable to breathe through your regulator instead.

6. Dive Shallower. Remember what you learned in your first Scuba course? – The deeper you dive the more air you consume and the shorter the dive. You can easily dive a few feet apart from the rest of the group or just above the coral shelf and see just as much, to conserve a bit more air.

7. Fins. Yes, didn’t think fins could affect your air consumption now did you? Well, since it’s the main piece of  equipment responsible for our movements underwater they can make all the difference. To decrease energy use and in turn air, it makes sense to use more efficient fins. The rate of your breathing and your air consumption is directly related to your kicking style and that’s where the necessity for good Scuba diving fins comes into play.

8. Go with the flow. Use the environmental conditions to your advantage. Plan your dive keeping in mind currents and make the most of them when choosing the direction you want to go. Drift diving is a great way of using currents to your advantage and conserving energy and air. In case of swells and waves near small islands swim along with them if they’re in the right direction and if not wait till the swell passes before swimming in the desired direction. Swimming against it won’t get you far and will only use up more air.

9. Reduce leaks. Check your o-rings, inflator hose and connection points carefully for any leaks before a dive. Have all your Scuba equipment serviced regularly and by professionals. It’s a simple but important  way to stop unwanted wastage of air.

10. Dive, Dive and Dive some more. The more you dive, the more comfortable you get underwater, the better your buoyancy control gets and you will automatically notice your air consumption gets better and you can dive longer.