If air hunger is trigger by high pCO2 why we do not feel it at depth?

[Apnea Costa del Sol]

Hi all,

I am very likely missing something but I can not find what.

If the air hunger (urge to breath) is triggered by high pCO2, and if as we go deeper the pCO2 also increases due to an increase of external pressure... why we do not feel the urge to breath at all by going deeper?.

Kind regards.

 

[MarcinB]

In contrast to pO2, partial pressure of CO2 in blood does not rise with depth as much as expected. It results from much higher CO2 solubility. Excess CO2 just dissolves in tissues.

 

[Apnea Costa del Sol]

In contrast to pO2, partial pressure of CO2 in blood does not rise with depth as much as expected. It results from much higher CO2 solubility. Excess CO2 just dissolves in tissues.

Thanks for the quick and on the spot answer...any clue about time between succesive dives to avoid build up o co2 in the tissues?

 

[MarcinB]

CO2 build up shouldn't be an issue if you stick to the general rule of surface intervals twice as long as the dive time. The exact time likely depends on how deep you dive and how much work you perform under water. From my experience I can say that for shallow dives (~10m) that last up to 1:30 min. it doesn't take longer than 2 min.