Realized I was breathing wrong during deco stops after 4 years

So I've been diving commercially for about 4 years now, mostly inland and some harbor work near Tacoma. Turns out I was holding my breath during deco stops without even knowing it, just tensing up from the cold or impatience. A dive supervisor on a barge job called it out after watching my tank pressure swing on his gauge. He showed me how to do slow exhale counts and now my stops feel way smoother and my air lasts longer. Anyone else have a basic habit that took forever for someone to point out?

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finleythomas15d ago

Funny you mention that, took me about two seasons before someone pointed out I was gripping my reg like a lifeline and basically shallow breathing the whole dive. Once I started counting my exhales out loud in my head, made a world of difference for the deco stops too.