A resident of Chicago, IL, Marc Morale serves as the owner of Hamilton Construction. He has led the company for over 20 years, following 11 years spent at Epic Construction as a project manager. Outside of work, Marc Morale loves scuba diving and has been a certified scuba diver and instructor trainer for more than two decades. When you are just learning to scuba dive, you will likely hear that you should never hold your breath. This has to do with the physics of swimming and diving.
On the surface, the amount of air that fills your lungs is greater than when you’re underwater. This is because of the surrounding water pressure. As you descend, the volume of air in your lungs decreases. By about 32 feet below the surface, this volume is roughly half what it was above water.
The problem with holding your breath appears when you ascend. Since the volume of air decreases when you go deeper, it’s only natural that it increases as you get closer to the surface. If you take a breath underwater and then hold the air in while ascending, the volume of that air grows and can result in your lungs expanding or rupturing. It may also lead to air bubbles in your bloodstream. Such conditions can be fatal if you don’t address them immediately.
To prevent this, the key is breathing normally throughout your dive. By breathing normally, you give the air in your lungs a natural way of escaping. As you ascend, the air that is expanding is released because you maintain an open system where air can enter and exit your lungs normally.
On the surface, the amount of air that fills your lungs is greater than when you’re underwater. This is because of the surrounding water pressure. As you descend, the volume of air in your lungs decreases. By about 32 feet below the surface, this volume is roughly half what it was above water.
The problem with holding your breath appears when you ascend. Since the volume of air decreases when you go deeper, it’s only natural that it increases as you get closer to the surface. If you take a breath underwater and then hold the air in while ascending, the volume of that air grows and can result in your lungs expanding or rupturing. It may also lead to air bubbles in your bloodstream. Such conditions can be fatal if you don’t address them immediately.
To prevent this, the key is breathing normally throughout your dive. By breathing normally, you give the air in your lungs a natural way of escaping. As you ascend, the air that is expanding is released because you maintain an open system where air can enter and exit your lungs normally.
