ON THE BOTTOM
Air Consumption Calculation
How can you tell how long your cylinder will last at a
given depth if you’ve never been that deep before? By
using some simple mathematics. All you need is your air
consumption rate at a shallower depth, the chart below
and a sharp pencil or calculator.
actual bottom time
1. Start by obtaining a record of your air consumption
from your dive log. The more dives you work with, the
more accurate your calculations will be. Also, dives
made primarily at a single level will be more useful than
multilevel dives. For each dive, record how many bar/
psi you use, the actual dive time and the depth.
DEPTH CONVERSION FACTORS
Converting to Converting from
Metres Feet Surface Rate Surface Rate
0 0 1.00 1.00
3 10 1.60 0.76
6 20 1.60 0.62
9 30 1.91 0.52
12 40 2.21 0.45
15 50 2.52 0.40
18 60 2.82 0.35
21 70 3.12 0.32
24 80 3.42 0.29
27 90 3.73 0.27
30 100 4.03 0.25
33 110 4.33 0.23
36 120 4.64 0.21
39 130 4.94 0.20
2. Determine your bar/psi per minute surface rate with
this formula:
psi used
(MPa or bar) surface air
conversion factor =
X (Converting consumption rate
to Surface
Rate for dive depth)
For example, on a 12 metre/40 foot dive for 20
minutes in which the diver uses 100 bar/1500 psi:
100 bar/1500 psi used divided by a 20 minute
bottom time x .45 = 2.25bar/33.7 psi per minute
surface rate.
By recording your bar/psi per minute surface rate over
several dives and averaging them, you can determine
your normal air consumption rate. Note: Make all your
calculations with the same type cylinder. If you use
different size and/or pressure rated cylinders, you must
determine your air consumption for each independently.
3. To convert your surface rate to your planned depth
rate, multiply your surface rate by the Converting From
Surface Rate conversion factor for the planned depth.
Based on the previous example, if you plan to dive
to 30 metres/100 feet, you can expect your air
consumption to be about 9.1 bar/136 psi per minute
(2.25 x 4.03 = 9.06/33.7 x 4.03 = 135.8). If your
cylinder is filled to 200 bar/3000 psi, you could
expect it to last about 22 minutes (before allowing for
your reserve).
When calculating air supply, keep in mind that
excitement, activity and cold all increase your breathing
rate, so allow room for error in your dive planning, and
always watch your SPG closely. With experience, you’ll
become proficient at predicting how long a cylinder will
last you at a given depth.
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