SDI Open Water Scuba Diver Practice Exam

What technique should you use to breathe efficiently from a scuba tank?

1. Breathe slowly and deeply

2. Breathe quickly and shallowly

3. Breathe in bursts

4. Hold your breath to conserve air

The correct answer is: Breathe slowly and deeply

Breathe slowly and deeply is the technique recommended for efficient breathing from a scuba tank. This method ensures that the air you inhale is maximized, allowing for better gas exchange in your lungs. When you take deep breaths, your lungs can expand fully, enabling you to utilize the available oxygen from the tank more effectively. This approach also helps to reduce your overall air consumption, allowing you to extend your dive time and enhance comfort underwater. In contrast, breathing quickly and shallowly can lead to increased air consumption as it does not make full use of lung capacity. Breathe in bursts might create erratic air usage, potentially leading to hyperventilation, which is not conducive to diving safety or efficiency. Holding your breath is especially dangerous while scuba diving as it can lead to serious injuries such as decompression sickness or lung over-expansion injuries.