AI question - dive time remaining

[galvanni]

So I'm still having random thoughts - if the expense of AI is really worth it.

How useful (in the real world) is having the dive time remaining feature that considers stops, current consumption, etc..?

I'm wondering if this is so much more advantageous in deciding when to turn the dive than traditional planning.

 

[The Chairman]

I dive a wrist mounted AI PDC for a few reasons...

Less clutter with one less hose (wireless AI).
Convenient to read.
My PDC never gets narced.
Alarms if I exceed ANY limit (depth, time, gas, PPO₂).
Records my SAC during the dive.
Convenient to download all info into my work PC.

I do find it nice to see my tank pressure converted into minutes of diving at that depth, but it's not why I dive a wrist mounted AI PDC.

 

[flots am]

So I'm still having random thoughts - if the expense of AI is really worth it.

How useful (in the real world) is having the dive time remaining feature that considers stops, current consumption, etc..?

I'm wondering if this is so much more advantageous in deciding when to turn the dive than traditional planning.

An AI computer will tell you how much no-deco (or deco) time you have remaining as well as when you'll run out of gas. Not sure about all of them, but a good AI computer will complain if your current dive plan will run you out of air before getting you out of the water.

Also, Air-Integrated doesn't necessarily = hose. Many are hoseless.

OTOH, you don't need an AI computer. In fact, you don't need a computer at all. It's entirely possible to safely dive with nothing more than a pressure gauge, depth gauge and tables. It's really your choice and depends on how vigilant you are about checking your gauges and diving your plan.

flots.

 

[D_B]

I'm assuming that you could set it for some minimum gas pressure to reserve for the ascent ? .. that would be determined and set beforehand by the planned depth for that dive
If that's the case then ... dive time remaining to your minimum gas would vary on your workload and would seem to be a useful thing

can go two ways .. no hose and on your wrist, small display ... attached to your HP hose and bigger display and no transmitters

 

[vladimir]

How useful (in the real world) is having the dive time remaining feature that considers stops, current consumption, etc..?

I find it worthless and I pay it no heed. I like having my gas data on my wrist; that makes AI worth it to me. In general, I'd say if price is a consideration, skip the AI; it is an expensive feature of limited utility.

 

[The Chairman]

You don't have to put up with a small display on the wrist anymore, D_B. In fact, Oceanic, Suunto and Uemis have large clear screens for us old farts to see.

 

[galvanni]

I'm assuming that you could set it for some minimum gas pressure to reserve for the ascent ? .. that would be determined and set beforehand by the planned depth for that dive
If that's the case then ... dive time remaining to your minimum gas would vary on your workload and would seem to be a useful thing

This makes some sense - can anyone confirm that they do this with reserve?

 

[bkkchris]

Yes. I think most AI computers do. I have a Uemis and you can set a minimum gas pressure alarm to whatever value as well as a reserve tank pressure value and your remaining gas time will be calculated based on having whatever reserve tank pressure you set still available when the comp says zero. It also takes into account time to surface with an safety/deco stops included. Pretty great feature. That said I still dive with a backup small pressure gauge.

 

[ajduplessis]

An AI computer will tell you how much no-deco (or deco) time you have remaining

All DC's will give this info, AI or not. The only advantages of AI are the “value adds”, and not all will agree on this either.

• Pressure info displayed with the rest of your diving data, all in one place (on your wrist)
• Calculates your SAC. Great info for future dive planning. I also use this downloaded data to see where my workload increased, helps me learn about the way I dive.
• Backup pressure gauge (Use proper SPG as primary)

Lastly it can alert you to low gas supply (alarm). This is obviously useless if you don’t manage your dive and check gas on regular intervals.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

This makes some sense - can anyone confirm that they do this with reserve?

You would need to check the manual for each specific computer. All of the AI computers I've seen can be programmed with a user-selectable reserve.

As you gain experience, you'll find that it's quite easy to track NDLs on one device (computer) and gas remaining on another (analog SPG), although I can see the convenience in being able to glance at one wrist device that reports both NDLs and gas remaining. FWIW, I believe that gas management is something that you should learn to do on your own (manually)...don't rely on your computer to do this for you.

In case you were hoping to eliminate a hose by going with a hoseless/wireless AI wrist computer...
I did a dive last night at La Jolla Shores. As I was breaking my gear down afterward, another diver (not in my group) stomped back to his truck. He was cussing up a storm. I asked him what was wrong...because I found the conditions at depth to be quite nice. He complained about his brand new wireless AI computer. Upon initial descent, it had given him an "error" sign, indicating that it had lost the wireless signal from the transmitter on the first stage. He surfaced and tried to reset the computer several times but it couldn't hold onto the signal. Since he didn't have a way to monitor his gas, he was forced to "mess around in the shallows" -- where the vis was less than 5 ft. When I asked him why he didn't have an analog gauge attached to the free HP port on his first stage, he replied, "I'm trying to eliminate everything analog. I work for a dive shop. I'm going to complain to the owner about this. I just bought this computer." He was clearly frustrated (and didn't elaborate on why he didn't like analog devices).

Although the wireless technology for AI computers has improved significantly in recent years, it's still not as reliable as the analog SPG. I have heard that underwater camera strobes being fired in the vicinity can cause a loss of the wireless connection (but I've never actually witnessed this). Some wireless AI computers may also lose the signal if the tank valve is shut off after the pairing process. Of course, a diver wouldn't have this problem with an AI computer on a hose (non-wireless). Just something to be aware of. Hope this info helps...