13 Ways to Run Out of Air & How Not To

DAN’s Smart Guide to Air Consumption

Our self-contained underwater breathing apparatuses are only useful as long as the tank contains sufficient breathing gas. Scuba equipment allows us to breathe underwater, extending our ability to explore. Without breathing gas, our time is limited by the dangers of asphyxia and drowning.

During dive training you learned how to:

  • Understand breathing gas needs
  • Calculate the limits of available gas
  • Monitor the remaining gas pressure
  • Return to the surface in a timely manner with enough gas to inflate your BCD

Even so, running out of breathing gas is the most common dive incident and the number one cause of diving fatalities. Even the most skilled divers can make mistakes and run out of gas. In this guide, we’ll cover the 13 most common errors that lead to out-of-air emergencies and how to avoid these situations.