One of the biggest issues with scuba divers is that they burn through the air in their tank too fast. And many search for scuba diving breathing exercises to slow down their breath cycles so they save air while scuba diving.

Beginning divers in particular search for ways to breathe slower while they’re underwater. It’s natural to suck air like you’re pushing it through a wind tunnel at the start of your scuba life.

You have exercises available for different breathing techniques, but how you breathe underwater is not the only concern when you’re trying to sip your air slowly.

Quite a few different factors affect your breathing speed while you dive. Some you have control over. Some you don’t.

One factor to be aware of is body composure. You have very little control over this condition. Divers with large body makeup often breathe through their air faster than small people.

Your body is what it is. Maintaining a healthy diet, and an exercise program to keep your body trim and fit helps. They’re the only things you can do to help your breathing rate in relation to your body makeup.

When you’re out-of-shape you fatigue quicker. And the more tired you are the faster you breathe. A healthy, in-shape diver naturally breathes air at slower rates.

Your scuba diving equipment creates various levels of friction as you fin through the water. This depends on dive gear design, setup, and position.

 

You have different choices of buoyancy control devices (BCD). You make the BCD selection depending on your body size, and your style of diving. The larger your body the higher amount of lift capacity you need to get you back to the surface. The higher you go in lift capacity the higher air volume your BCD bladder holds. The bigger the bladder when inflated the more friction as you move through the water. The more friction (water resistance) the faster you tire. And the faster you tire, the faster you breathe.

A skill that directly influences buoyancy control is selection of weights for each dive. Too much weight and you need to add air to your BCD bladder constantly to keep from crashing into the bottom. Too little weight, and you keep floating toward the surface – or you can’t descend at all. When you fight for position in the water because of an improper weight condition you wear yourself out quickly.

Scuba diving accessories also affect your breathing when they drift around your body. If you don’t secure your console, spare regulator, dive light, dive slate, and other tools close in they also increase water resistance.

 

You breathe faster, or slower, based on your emotional state. When you dive you spend time in an alien environment. Creatures that you don’t normally associate with live in that water.

Often, especially during our early dives, our emotions go into overdrive at the thought of entering that environment. And we get nervous knowing that if we run out of air at 80 feet to 100 feet we have all that water to go through before we find breathable atmosphere.

There’s also a feeling of excitement because you’re about to experience new sights. The calmer your emotions, the slower (and more controlled) your breathing.

The position of your body in the water (body trim or diving profile) is a factor. The more level you swim horizontally the less friction. Divers with poor trim swim vertically through the water. Head up or fin up positions create more water resistance.

The faster you fin through the water the quicker you get tired.

The breathing technique you use has an impact. Some techniques help you breathe slower, and more measured. Those techniques let you save air while scuba diving. Other techniques make you suck your air too fast.

Consider all these factors for your diving preparations. And find a breathing technique that works best to let you save air while scuba diving. Then practice your scuba skills, and preparation activities to sip your air slowly, and dive longer.