Recent Opinions On Air Integrated Computers For Technical Diving

Where does air integration fit in your diving?

  • I have no use for air integration

    Votes: 39 25.8%
  • I would use air integration but it is too expensive

    Votes: 15 9.9%
  • I use air integration for rec diving but SPGs for technical diving

    Votes: 5 3.3%
  • I use air integration for technical diving with an SPG as a backup

    Votes: 49 32.5%
  • I am interested in air integration but I am too comfortable to switch from my SPGs

    Votes: 8 5.3%
  • I use air integration for all my diving

    Votes: 42 27.8%

  • Total voters
    151

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I have only been sidemounting since last year and only recently set up my own rig. I wear a Teric and a Perdix. On one line on the Teric I have the left and right pressure separated by my tissue loading. On my Perdix I have the same thing separated by the PPO2 of my chosen gas. It is nice to not move and be able to check pressures at a glance. Am I feeling a bit low on the right side? A quick glance confirms it is time to switch to that regulator. I could absolutely check two spgs but.....

I have button spgs on the 1st stages and I have SPGs on 6” hoses in my spares bag. I am interested to learn what my instructor says. I would bet my rig he won’t say to ditch the AI in open water and probably not ever. Like I say, I’m interested in what he does say. He is one smart cookie.
 
I'll bet that if/when WAI becomes a standard part of tech diving, it will probably be in the sidemount community. That seems to be the place where you actually get a significant advantage.
 
It's my understanding WAI failure typically results in no tank pressure reading; however, an SPG can fail to give an accurate tank pressure, resulting in the diver believing they have more gas than they really do.

To me, it seems WAI is the safer choice. If you were strictly WAI or SPG, and either device stopped reading available gas you would end the dive regardless. However, the SPG could get stuck. That could be a terrible failure for any diver, not just a technical diver.

I dive solely with WAI. Doing technical diving I think it would be good practice to use both. You get the benefit of recording the AI data and the backup of an SPG. But given the way AI fails, IMO, if I had to choose one or the other only, I'd choose the WAI... The one SW uses.
 
It's my understanding WAI failure typically results in no tank pressure reading; however, an SPG can fail to give an accurate tank pressure, resulting in the diver believing they have more gas than they really do.

To me, it seems WAI is the safer choice. If you were strictly WAI or SPG, and either device stopped reading available gas you would end the dive regardless. However, the SPG could get stuck. That could be a terrible failure for any diver, not just a technical diver.
Excellent point. I hadn't thought of it in that way. Better to have NO reading than a false high reading!
 
"like the idea of the Scubapro heads up product mounted on the mask. It's not AI but, compass and dive computer type data. I haven't tried it yet however."

New Scubapro heads up display is indeed AI. All the same information your DC has right there on your mask to look up at when you like.
 
Who, me? Instructor has no issue with it. I’m doing open water dives, no caves or tight squeezy places. The only wreck penetration I do at this time is in wide open cargo holds.

My post was meant for the OP. I should re-phrase though, I doubt many tech instructors teaching OC back mount courses would advocate using WAI. The instructors I know don't.
 
If I could go three days without issue with my phone connecting to my truck, my head set... I just don’t see a need at this point and reading gauges on SM bottles s pretty easy.

For those diving HUDs that need glasses for reading, how does that work for you guys? My SM gauges are right where I need to hem to be. I use stick on lenses to read my computers. I would think the HUD would be impossible for me to read but I know that can’t be the case.
 
If I could go three days without issue with my phone connecting to my truck, my head set... I just don’t see a need at this point and reading gauges on SM bottles s pretty easy.

For those diving HUDs that need glasses for reading, how does that work for you guys? My SM gauges are right where I need to hem to be. I use stick on lenses to read my computers. I would think the HUD would be impossible for me to read but I know that can’t be the case.

I use gauge reader lenses in my mask to read my DC (and glasses for reading). The Scubarpo HUD has a small slider that adjusts the focal length of the display. I tried it for one dive and could see it very clearly.
 
http://cavediveflorida.com/Rum_House.htm

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