How to Dive Like a Pro - Conserve That Air!
|
It's all about bottom time! Have you ever been amazed when another diver
surfaces long after you would have run out of air? Nitrox and computers
increase your bottom because you get less nitrogen loading. If you are an air
hog, you will still run short of air. Experience teaches us how to save air.
Here are some tips for beginning divers:
1. RELAX - Every new diver has some anxiety. This will rob you of air. The
more you dive, the more relaxed you will become. Prior to your dive, mentally
picture yourself floating effortlessly. Prior to your dive, take deep breaths
and exhale to the count of ten.
2. MAINTAIN GOOD BUOYANCY - Every time you put air in your BCD,
you are robbing yourself of breathing air. Make sure you are properly
weighted, not over weighted. Move your weights around for proper trim
(horizontal - reef, vertical - wall).
3. STREAMLINE YOURSELF - Look at a fish or a submarine. They are
streamlined to move through the water efficiently. Keep your gear (AAS,
console, etc.) attached with clips or retractors. Swim with your arms at your
sides or folded across your chest.
4. DEVELOP AN EFFICIENT KICK - Your thighs are the largest muscle in
your body. USE THEM! Keep a slight bend in your knees, point your toes
back, and kick from the hip. Watch the way a fish swims.
5. USE EXPOSURE PROTECTION - If your body is losing heat, even
though you don't notice it, you will use more air. Even a 1 mm wetsuit can help
in tropical waters. In colder waters, wear thicker suits or even a dry suit.
Wear a hood. More heat is lost through your head than anywhere else.
6. KEEP A LEVEL DIVE PROFILE - Every time you descend, you add air to
your BCD. If you do this many times in a single dive, imagine how much air
you have wasted. Descend to your level and stay there throughout your dive.
7. BE THE TORTOISE - Diving is not a race to see how much ground you
can cover. Slow down! You will be surprised how much there is to see right
under your nose. Look in those little cracks and crevices. You will see
critters that most divers miss.
8. LEARN TO NAVIGATE - Navigating efficiently will not only make you
look like an experienced diver, it will help you save air and make the dive
more fun. If you know where you are going and how to return, you will be
less anxious, therefore you will use less air. Practice using your compass on
land often.
9. USE YOUR SNORKEL - When swimming on the surface on the way to the
descent line or site, breathe through your snorkel. Save your air for the
dive itself.
10. INFLATE ORALLY - Before your dive and whenever on the surface,
use your oral inflator to fill your BCD. It may not seem like much, but it all
adds up.