Good Breathing Techniques for Scuba Diving

Every scuba diver should master good breathing techniques underwater. Increased safety, enjoyment, and longer time underwater can come from improving breathing technique.

Bruce IliffPosted on Mar 27, 2010
Scuba Divers Should Improve Breathing - Bruce ILIFFGood breathing is an important consideration in scuba diving. The body needs adequate levels of oxygen for cells to function. This is especially important when undergoing the rigours of scuba diving.

Good breathing is also needed to remove nitrogen from the body. Though not as significant if a scuba diver is not entering into decompression times, removing excess nitrogen from the body is just as important as the need to get oxygen into the body.

Breathing for Scuba Buoyancy Control

Good breathing techniques can assist with buoyancy control underwater. A scuba diver will rise when taking a breath as the lungs expand with air and the body’s buoyancy increases. And when air is expelled from the lungs, a diver’s buoyancy decreases and the diver will sink.

This use of breathing techniques is something that all scuba divers should be aware of and practise regularly. For more information, on using the breath for buoyancy control refer to Suite 101 article: Scuba Diving Buoyancy Control.

Breathing to Address Stress and Anxiety Underwater on Scuba

Scuba diving is a stressful activity mainly due to the unnatural environment a diver’s body is in. The human body was not built to swim underwater like a fish, but fortunately innovation has allowed this to happen.

Good breathing control is one of the best ways to combat any symptoms of stress or anxiety while underwater, as the good flow of oxygen to the brain helps reduce rising anxiety.

One of the most common physiological signs of stress is a person starts to “chest breath”. That is, they take short, shallow breaths from the top of the chest, rather than the normal rhythmic long, deep breaths from the lower abdomen. This starts a cycle going whereby the oxygen to the brain is reduced, so the body starts to seek more oxygen and the breaths get shallower and quicker. This can lead to hyperventilation and sometimes, in extreme cases, fainting.

When underwater on scuba this can be a significant problem, so the need for good breathing techniques is vital for a safe and comfortable dive.

For more information on stress and anxiety while scuba diving refer to Suite 101 article: Scuba Diving Anxiety and Panic.

Breathing to Increase Time Underwater on Scuba

Good breathing techniques can lead to a decrease in air consumption. Some divers roar through their air, while others consume much less. This doesn’t always mean that one diver is more relaxed as it can also indicate that one diver may need more air than another.

However, in the majority of situations, good breathing techniques will help to reduce air consumption on scuba and consequently more time underwater.

Good Underwater Breathing Techniques

The main objective for good underwater breathing technique is to take slow, deep breaths.

When first starting on the practice of improving breathing techniques, the breaths should be deliberate. That is, a diver should concentrate on slow, deep breaths. And then gradually this will become a natural way of breathing.

Physically trying to relax underwater will also assist in breathing as the body won’t be craving the next breath. This can be quite easy on those relaxing dives, like a shallow drift dive on a coral reef. But for increased anxiety dives, such as decompression dives, or wreck penetration dives having a good breathing technique can be a bit more difficult.

As with every sport, practice is the key. A scuba diver should be concentrating on improving breathing techniques on those easy dives so when faced with the dives that result in a higher breathing rate, the rate doesn’t go to that frenetic pace that can lead to further problems.