I'll never forget the day I finally admitted I have a problem. The Caribbean Sea off the coast of Belize is only so big and I was determined to see all of it on my first salt water dive. I swam carefully above the beautifully exotic scenery, a big change from the rock quarries of Indiana, sucking down air as if I received a free toaster with every tank completed.

When I signalled our young divemaster Adolfo that I had reached 1000psi, he swam over to inspect my gauges. He looked, tapped them twice, and made a little shrug of his shoulders before he signalled the okay and swam on.

Naturally I took another look at my gauges and tapped them a few times for myself. They seemed fine so I decided that maybe I had signalled incorrectly or perhaps our group had received an extremely conscientious and overly cautious divemaster, which can't be a bad thing when you're diving for the first time in Central America.

Nearing 500 psi I approached Adolfo again and received the okay to ascend for a safety stop before surfacing. The three minutes passed quickly as I hung suspended above the ocean floor. I saw the other members of our group gathered around some feature Adolfo had pointed out, something I had probably already discovered. I slowly surfaced to see Herbert, our smiling boat captain reaching for my fins.

Then it happened.

"Wow mon. You really suck de air, huh?" Herbert said through his toothy grin as he handed me a cold bottle of water.

I was dumbstruck. I didn't use air too fast. "Yea, I think I might have a little leak in my BC."

Where did that come from? My BC was brand new. I was working perfectly. Why did I say it was leaking?

I looked at my watch. Five minutes passed. Then six. Finally other divers began surfacing and climbing aboard the boat. Slowly, like off gassing after a deep dive, it dawned on me: I was an air hog.

Admitting you have a problem is the first step toward solving it. Maybe it's a male ego thing, but my first step was like an over-weighted diver stepping into the Marianas Trench. I realized that I had been in diving denial. I remembered the jokes, "I paid for the tank and I plan on using every bit of it, I breathe air professionally, I thought there was a prize for whoever finished first, did I win?" And the excuses, "The tank wasn't completely filled, I'm not feeling well, my computer malfunctioned, I think I have a leak in my (BCV, low pressure/high pressure hose, first-stage, second-stage, alternate), aren't we flying soon?"

After denial comes anger. But I'm not very good at being angry, especially with myself, so I skipped anger and moved right on to acceptance. I was an air hog, so what now? It seemed that some type of program was called for so I set out to assemble a 12-step program to help me deal with the affliction. I worked on the steps while diving however and ran out of air, so there are only eight steps:

The Universal Eight-Step Air Hog Intervention Ritual (U.8.A.I.R.):

1 I freely admit I am powerless over excess air consumption.

2. I have come to believe that a divemaster greater than myself can lead me to better air control.

3. I will make a searching and fearless moral inventory of my air use.

4. I will admit to the deity of my choice, to myself, and to another human being (other than my wife who will always nag me about using too much air anyway) the exact nature of my air consumption.

5. I will make a list of all the persons I have dove with that have had their dives cut short.

6. I will make direct amends to such people wherever possible while making it clear to all involved that making amends involves no monetary compensation whatsoever.

7. I will continue to make a personal inventory and when I find I am hogging air, I will promptly admit it.

8. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, I will try to carry the message to others.

Air hogs love company, so I set out to find other air hogs. I began frequenting oxygen bars and soon I found a group that were definitely divers, as indicated by a shirt that read, "Divers don't pass gas, we off gas."

Shortly after striking up a conversation I confirmed that they were also air hogs. Some readily admitted to the affliction while others vehemently denied it, bringing telling looks from others in the group. We formed a bond and began to meet on a regular basis. Our discussion revealed that there are steps that can be taken to improve air consumption. The following is a synopsis of notes from a meeting of the charter U.8.A.I.R. group:

Remember that diving is fun! Stress, anxiety and self-imposed pressures cause the blood pressure to rise and the breathing rate to increase, which naturally causes the Hoover response. Try to relax and enjoy the dive. Focus on your breathing but don't obsess over it. A twenty-five minute dive is better than no dive at all.

Streamline your movements and limit your exertion. The harder your body is working, the more air you'll require. We all secretly believe the turtle knew a shortcut, but slow and steady is still the best way to go. You can't see the entire world underwater in one dive, so don't try. Always save a little for the next dive.

Physical conditioning and stamina is essential to every athletic endeavour. If the only time your heartbeat increases is when you see a Victoria's Secret commercial, maybe it's time to get some exercise. Working up a good sweat a few times a week and shedding a few pounds is rarely a bad thing.

Improper weighting and poor buoyancy control is a great way to squander away your precious air. If you're using BCD controls like the buttons on an elevator, well, I think you get the picture.

Keep breathing. Inhale as deeply as is comfortable, and exhale more slowly than you inhale. But most important, dive, dive, and dive some more. Experience is the single best way to increase the quality of your air consumption. The more you dive, the more comfortable you become in the water. With experience and comfort comes the ability to control all the factors that lead to good air usage.

So now I meet with other air hogs on a regular basis. I have more experience. I have great buoyancy control. I am properly weighted. I am in great shape. But still...

My name is Terry, and I'm an air hog.

Editor's Comment:

In almost every case experience will undoubtedly improve air consumption. However, the problem with experience is that by its very nature it takes time to develop. In the short term there is a specific approach to extending your time underwater: simply stay a few feet shallower.

Everyone with a cert card has studied the physics associated with diving. At three atmospheres (30 metres or 99 feet deep in the ocean) for example, your air supply will only last one-third as long as it will at the surface, or one atmosphere. What we don't usually stop to consider is the fact that these pressure changes take place with every change in depth no matter how small. So every foot of depth makes a change in pressure, and, therefore, air consumption.

Until experience brings an improvement in the amount of air consumed, consider staying just a few feet above your group or dive partner. Just a small change, five or six feet, will add a few more minutes to your dive.

By Terry Reed - from the September 2004 issue of DIVER Magazine