No scuba diver wants to have to end their dive prematurely because they have no more air left due to his high consumption rate. This can be very disappointing, in addition to taking a toll on your wallet in the form of extraneous air fills. 

You can find many simple methods to help you improve your air consumption underwater that won’t cost you a dime. Here are ten tips to help you enjoy longer dives.

How To Improve Your Air Consumption

Maintaining air in your tank for as long as possible underwater is an important scuba diving skill that enables you to extend your dive.

 As we previously told you about the factors affecting your air consumption rate, today we will give you 10 simple tips to improve your air consumption underwater as much as possible. These tips including:

• Exercise proper maintenance.
• Optimize your setup.
• Master buoyancy.
• Keep accessories small
• Look ma, no hands!
• Go slow.
• Stay warm.
• Relax!
• Plan your dive.
• Dive more!

Exercise proper maintenance

Ensure to make regular inspections of your scuba diving equipment to make sure there are no leaks. Also check o-rings and hoses and search for any wear or signs of deterioration, and replace them if needed.

Optimize your setup

It is important to be at a resting position in the water that is as close to horizontal as possible. The horizontal position is the most streamlined profile that makes you put in minimal effort.

Master buoyancy

Related to the previous tip, you should learn how to calculate the needed weight underwater. Doing that in the right way will keep you from having to adjust your BCD throughout your dive.

Adding and removing air several times will make you consume more air. Good buoyancy control is an important scuba diving skill that is considered necessary in a number of dive applications.

Keep accessories small

To be more streamlined, try to pare down any bulk. 

Look ma, no hands! 

Propelling yourself in the water is the job of your scuba fins, so, there is no need to use your hands for that, as this can cause unnecessary exertion which results in more air consumption.

Go slow

Slow deliberate movements are very effective and help you improve your air consumption underwater, as they expend less energy.

Stay warm

Knowing the conditions of the water is an essential thing, as that enables you to choose a wetsuit of the right thickness. When you feel cold underwater, your body will need more energy to stay warm, which in turn, means you’ll consume more air.

Relax! 

This is considered the simplest and the most important thing you can do while scuba diving. Just slow your breathing and keep calm, even breaths.

Plan your dive

If you are going to shore dive, keep in mind that you need an extra amount of gas to get to the site. Conduct snorkel swimming to the site and use surface air to save your tank air for your time under the waves.

Dive more! 

It is important to know that the more you dive the more relaxed and confident you will be in the deep blue, that in turn will help you improve your air consumption.