Less is More, Gas Consumption
Good gas consumption is something every diver wants, no one wants to be the first to run low on gas n cause the dive to end!
Depending on your age, sex, and body size; there will be a limit as to how good your gas consumption can be. Even a very experienced older, male instructor may not be able to compete with a young, small female. This is primarily down to the physiology of body/lung size.
So that can also mean, that someone maybe very fit and do a lot of aerobic exercise (resulting in larger lungs); may still have bad air consumption if they can’t master the correct breathing.
So achieving good gas consumption is a combination of multiple factors, and can only be achieved by plenty of practice.
Be careful pushing yourself beyond your comfort/experience level as this could easily escalate into a dangerous situation.
BUOYANCY
Buoyancy is a scuba diving fundamental and plays a key role in the ‘gas consumption formula’. If your buoyancy is bad, and you’re constantly moving up and down the water column you won’t be able to control your breathing. Likewise, if your trim is out there is no way you can minimize the effort needed to move through the water.
FINNING
A good finning technique allows you to minimize the amount of energy needed to move through the water. It doesn’t matter if you use a flutter kick, frog kick, or even a dolphin kick. If it is comfortable for you and does the job with minimum effort, go ahead.
Just avoid the dreaded ‘bicycle’ kick (a bad flutter kick), as they cause almost no movement and can burn a lot of energy.
BREATHING
Breathing is the most obvious thing linked to your gas consumption, breathing in a slow, steady pattern helps to ensure your body has plenty of oxygen in your blood to power your muscles and brain.
REMEMBER: NEVER HOLD YOUR BREATH, NEVER SKIP BREATHE, AND NEVER HYPERVENTILATE WHEN SCUBA DIVING.
COMFORT & RELAXATION
Comfort and relaxation have an effect on all the other parts of the ‘gas consumption formula’. If you aren’t comfortable and relaxed while underwater, your gas consumption will never be good.
Experience helps greatly in your comfort and relaxation, as does having a good buddy. Visualization (running things through your head, and thinking about what you will do when) of new dives/stressful dives can help reduce anxiety. Knowing your own abilities, and not diving beyond them is also key to reducing anxiety.
All RAID training centers & instructors will be able to offer advice on improving your gas consumption. If you can’t find a dive center in your area, let us know.