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Save MORE Air

© Linda Gettmann

We can all improve our diving skills every time we take that giant stride off the back of the boat. Here’s a few more tips on getting the most bottom time out of your tank.

Streamline Your Gear

Reduce the drag factor by clipping all hoses close to your BC. Use the smallest, most efficient BC for your size and diving demands. Don’t wear a snorkel if you don’t use one and keep the excess gear to a minimum.

Maintain Your Regulator

Wash it thoroughly after each dive outing and have it serviced and checked out at least once a year. Set any flow adjustment to the easiest breathing position that doesn’t spill air. Use a high performance regulator if you can afford it. Let it do the work of breathing for you.

Don’t Waste It

Control leaks and free flows by securing your octopus in the down position. Use the power inflator on your BC to maintain neutral buoyancy sparingly. Get weighted properly and you won’t need to make constant adjustments. Air used to equalize, clear your mask and maintain buoyancy is necessary. Minimize those other air wasters on each dive.

Stay Fit and Warm

A major cause of fatigue when diving is loss of body heat. It’s a fact that warm divers use less air. The loss of body heat goes on in even the warmest tropical water. If it’s cooler than 98.6 degrees, it’s draining heat from you as you dive. Water removes heat from your body 25 times faster than air, so wearing a wetsuit or diveskin is always a good idea. Save air by increasing the thermal protection on your trunk, head, feet, and hands. The higher your level of fitness the better your body uses oxygen. Drink lots of fluids while diving, get plenty of rest, and avoid alcohol and of course, smoking. All of these will help your overall fitness and reduce air consumption.

Fin Like a Fish

Your experience, fitness, and skill as a diver using fins will outweigh the different performance characteristics in the many fin designs today. Be sure your fins fit comfortably and are not too stiff. Swim at a slow, relaxed pace. Stay as horizontal as possible as you move through the water. Kick from your hips using your thigh muscles and keep the legs straight to maximize fin efficiency.

The copyright of the article Save MORE Air in Scuba Diving is owned by Linda Gettmann. Permission to republish Save MORE Air in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.