What is SAC?
Succinctly, SAC is the amount
of air that a person consumes at sea level in one minute while at rest
and under 'normal' envirnonmental, physiological, and emotional conditions.
What is the SAC rate for the
average person?
The 'average' person theoretically
consumes one cubic foot (28.3 liters) of air in one minute (females generally
consuming less than males).
Why do I care?
Using your SAC rate, you can
estimate how much air you will consume at various depths.
This will enable you to estimate how long you can stay at depth
or how much air you will need to stay at depth for a set amount of time.
Should I bet my life on calculations
made from my SAC rate?
NO!!
There are far too many factors that come into play when actually
at depth (let alone just determining your SAC rate). That is why
you have a submersible pressure gauge and a timing device, right?!
SAC is good for estimating air usage at various depths and in starting
bar fights.
As was promised in the book,
SCUBA Scoop, Answers to Your Commonly-Asked
SCUBA Diving Questions, the following references will give you
further information regarding SAC, its calculation, and usage. The
links are presented in no particular order. Ernest
Hill Publishing does not necessarily agree with nor do we advocate
your use of any information obtained from them. Use your head!
http://diverlink.com/lhtgascalc.htm
http://www.spearfishing.org/java/sac.html
http://home.flash.net/~table/gasses/sac.htm
http://www.siesystems.com/prod03.htm
http://www.scubatoys.com/education/sac.htm
http://www.off-gas.com/dive/sac.htm
http://aquaholic.com/gasses/sac.htm
http://www.siesystems.com/sharky/surface.htm
http://www.techdiving.org/divecalculators.html
is not just another scuba diving training manual.