opinion To breathe efficiently under- water, you have to develop a controlled long, slow style, pull the dense air down deep into your lungs with each inhalation and then expel it in a long, slow exhalation.

Text by Simon Pridmore Photos by Peter Symes

Confronted by a genie with a lamp and three wishes, many new divers would ask for a magic spell to make their air last longer on a dive.

The good news is that you don’t actually need a genie or a lamp and the key to better air consumption is not a secret. Divers usually find that their breathing rate drops as they become more experi- enced, simply as a consequence of their becoming more relaxed and comfort- able in the water. There are also a num- ber of other things you can do, such as wear less , work to improve your control, avoid unnecessary Scuba Confidential movement when you swim and learn to keep a horizontal, streamlined position in the water. However, the single most effective way to reduce the amount of air you con- sume on a dive is to learn to breathe like The Perfect Diving Breath a diver.

Don’t just breathe normally and dispel their fears. ing through your regulator, an artifi- breathe haphazardly without thinking gen-carbon dioxide exchange having Despite what many new divers are told When you are underwater, you are cial device that extends the distance about it, as you do on land, turbulence taken place—which is the whole point of when they begin, you do not breathe breathing air under and the between your lungs and the source of within the dead air space will prevent breathing after all! “normally” when you are underwater on air is therefore denser than the air you the air, something referred to as “dead much of the air you breathe in from So to breathe efficiently underwater, scuba. Instructors only say that to try to breathe from the atmosphere when air space.” reaching your lungs. You will just breathe you have to develop a controlled long, reassure new students that diving is easy you are on land. You are also breath- Because of these two factors, if you it all out again without the important oxy- slow breathing style, pull the dense air

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APRIL10–12 SUNTEC CITY FEMALES ENTER FREE! (10am to 12noon every day) SINGAPORE down deep into your lungs with lation will also ensure that the you are riding the bus, sitting in each inhalation and then expel it transfer of gases is as effective as your car in a traffic jam or watch- in a long, slow exhalation. possible. More of the oxygen you ing TV. A good exercise is to lie ASIA DIVE EXPO 2015 IN CELEBRATION OF FEMALE DIVERS NEW breathe in will be transferred from on the floor, put a dive weight Featuring members of the Women Divers Hall of Fame and the phenomenon of the Mermaid! The perfect diving breath your lungs to your bloodstream on your stomach and focus on You need to learn to breathe and more carbon dioxide will be moving the weight up and down *Speakers subject to change from the diaphragm, rather than removed from your body. by slowly breathing in and out. the chest. How do you do this? This benefits enor- The idea is that your chest should When you inhale, push your mously. A build up of carbon move as little as possible during stomach out so that it distends dioxide in the body induces stress the breathing cycle. As you do to allow your lungs to expand and anxiety and can lead to this, breathe through lips pursed, WOMEN DIVERS HALL OF FAME and draw as much air in as pos- , so breathing in such a way as they would be around your Valerie Taylor Guest-of-Honour (Australia), Amanda Cotton (USA) Cristina Zenato (Italy), Jayne Jenkins (Australia), Michele Westmorland (USA) Ai Futaki (Japan), Anne Adijuwono (Indonesia), Ellen Cuylaerts (Belgium), Indra Swari (Indonesia), Judi Lowe (Australia), Jiu Hong (China), Lia Barrett (USA), sible. Push it all the way out. Don’t as to reduce your carbon dioxide regulator mouthpiece. Draw the Dr Lindsay Porter (Hong Kong), Dr Loh Tse-Lynn (USA), Phoebe Lu (Hong Kong), Dr Putu Liza Kusuma Mustika (Indonesia), Sherry Hsu (Taiwan), worry, no one is watching! levels helps you become more air in slowly and release it slowly, Suzan Meldonian (USA), Simone Reymenants (Thailand), YZin Kim (Korean) When you exhale, compress relaxed. don’t guzzle and belch! ALSO FEATURING your stomach muscles to reduce It also enables you to deal Practice until the perfect diving Ernest H Brooks II Guest Judge (USA), Bob Hollis VIP Guest (USA), Laurent Ballesta (France), Pierre-Yves Cousteau (France), Gianluca Genoni (Italy) Aaron Wong ADEX Ambassador of Photography, A.G Sano (Philippines), Alex Santos (Philippines), Casey McKinlay (USA), Daren Marshall (Australia), your lung volume to a minimum better with problems that occur breath becomes an automatic Dave Ross (Philippines), David Strike (Australia), Dharshana Jayawardena (Sri Lanka), Gideon Liew (Singapore), Henry Jager (Switzerland), and breathe out slowly and con- underwater, as a calm mind can component of your diving behav- Imran Ahmad (Singapore), Leslie Leaney (USA), Michael AW (Australia), Michael Maes (Belgium), Michael Menduno (USA), Mike Bartick (USA), Mike Vietch (Canada), Paul Toomer (UK), Paul Trainor (New Zealand), Richard Taylor (New Zealand), Shawn Heinrichs (USA), Simon Pridmore (UK), tinuously until it feels like there is think rationally. Additionally, if you iour. You will be impressed at the Tim Ho (Malaysia), William Tan (Singapore), Wu Lixin (China) no air left to exhale. have developed your long, slow difference it makes to your com- Then breathe in again. Ideally, breathing technique to the point fort level in the water and you will NEW each inhalation should last for where it has become instinc- notice your air consumption rate TEKDIVE CONFERENCE VOICE OF THE OCEAN OCEAN ARTISTS SURFACE INTERVAL five to seven seconds and each tive, your breathing rate will not start to drop dramatically—no exhalation at least seven sec- increase in an emergency, giving magic required!  PHOTO VIDEO ZONE FREE SCUBA TRY DIVE ADEX AMBASSADOR KIDS ZONE onds, giving you a breathing you more air and time to solve cycle of around 12 to 15 seconds the problem. Simon Pridmore has been part and therefore a very efficient of the scene in NEW FILM FESTIVAL breathing rate of about four to Get into the habit Asia, Europe and the United Celebrating generations of films about the ocean, introduced by the people who made them five breaths per minute. Breathing from the diaphragm States (well, Guam) for the past Valerie*All screenings Taylor subject presents to change Blue Water White Death, Pierre-Yves Cousteau presents the work of his father, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Krov Menuhin and Leslie Leaney present the work of Professor , Official t-shirt for ADEX 2015 does take a little getting used to, 20 years or so. His latest book, Michael Aw presents ELYSIUM Shackleton Antarctic Visual Epic and more! but you do not have to be actu- Scuba Confidential, is available + Avoiding stress The groundbreaking documentaries, Blackfish and The Cove As well as reducing your breath- ally diving to practice the tech- in paperback, audiobook and ing rate, this extended cycle of nique. This is something you can e-Book on Amazon. deep inhalation and full exha- do any time, anywhere, while

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