Four Essential Elements to Improve Your Bottom Time
Everyone knows that proper diet, regular exercise, as well as plenty of time in the water, is the best way to physically improve your diving. But not everyone is aware that you can increase your bottom time by using the right gear.
1. Warmth & Fatigue
Associated with loss of body heat and energy a warm body temperature keeps the muscles that control your breathing relaxed, and therefore operating more efficiently. When you shiver your body is wasting precious energy. A proper-fitting wetsuit will keep you warm, relaxed and in the water longer.
2. Neutral Buoyancy
Even without a wetsuit most of us are naturally buoyant. A weight belt compensates for the buoyancy of the human body and all the gear we use for diving and swimming. Weight belts allow a diver to simply sink downward, rather than kicking to the bottom which causes the large leg muscles to consume oxygen. Also, with a weight belt a diver can lie motionless on the bottom without straining to keep from floating to the surface or fighting the surge of the water.
3.Easy Mask Clearing
Low volume masks minimize the effort it takes to clear (release pressure in) them during descent. Volume refers to the total amount of air between your face and the mask (width x height x distance) of the mask. High volume masks require more precious air from your lungs to clear. A low volume mask in black silicone is the ideal mask for freedivers. Here are some tips on preparing a new mask for use.
4.Efficient Swimming
Imagine a device powered by your legs that could improve your swimming ability at least four times greater than even the best scuba fins. The freediving, or long blade fin, is almost double the length of the average fin and is made with high-tech polymer resins for extreme recoil. A long blade fin allows a diver to swim in currents and reach the ideal destination with less expended energy and allows a much faster and easier ascent from deep dives.
FROM http://www.bluewaterhunter.com/educa...ottomtime.html 
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