Every beginner diver realizes how important it is to monitor air under water and use it effectively to prolong the enjoyment of diving. Nobody wants to force their group to ascend from interesting locations earlier because someone finished his air too soon. Here are a few simple yet effective tips for the beginner pros.
- The first and the utmost factor is your experience. Dive more often, dive more. By diving you acquire experience and naturally start using air more sparingly.
- Do not fuss under water. The more movements you do the faster you consume air. Do not flip against currents if you do not need it. Let the current carry you and have fun.
- The worst mode of breathing under water is brisk and sketchy. You need the opposite. Think and breathe slowly and deeply. To make such breath natural for you practice at home on land. Remember what you were taught at diving courses, never hold your breath under water.
- Master and perfect your neutral buoyancy. If you have problem with staying at one depth and you constantly have to adjust your BCD you waste lots of air. It is your resource that can help you improve air consumption.
- Your other resource is various leaks. Sometimes they are insignificant but with little bits here and little bits there you can save some store. Check the sealing rings, BCD, hoses and connectors. This is by the way one of the purposes of check dives.
- The next tip has to do with your position under water and the resistance of water. You will have the least resistance when your body is in horizontal position. Every deviation will lead to increased water resistance and more intensive air consumption. If you have difficult time with your position adjust weights, cylinder and BCD. This is by the way another purpose of check dive.
- Your equipment cannot be fixed loose. It also creates some resistance and steals your air.
- If you are unsure and worry that the dive may be shorter because of you (simply because you used all your air earlier than the rest of the group) you can always move slightly higher than the rest of your group. It can be just a couple of meters. It is the way to reduce air consumption.
- And, let me repeat myself, avoid any fuss. Act slowly and easily. No fuss means more enjoyment. Relax and have fun contemplating the beauty of marine world. After all, enjoyment is the reason why we dive.