any knowledge of a suunto cobra 3?

[RJP]

ohhhh sorry i like read that differently ahhahaha yeah theres a feature for the air time but your talking about like it will be i guess "stricter" and make you come up sooner right? for your NDL right?

Like, correct, I think?

PS - note, that there are no computers currently available that will "make you come up." Even the most expensive, feature-laden computer on the market will happily allow you to kill yourself at whatever depth and time you choose.

 

[adjuster-jd]

The Cobra3 will show you Air Time remaining and No Deco time remaining - two different numbers. You can adjust the conservatism setting on the computer so that it gives you slightly more No Deco time. On multiple dives using regular air, it will still likely give you less available bottom time (no deco time) than a more liberal computer such as an Oceanic. Again, more conservative is not necessarily a bad thing, but if you have a buddy using a different brand and has still some no deco time left and your computer is saying time to ascend, that can result in some underwater disagreements.
It's best to discuss these differences before the dive so everyone knows what to expect.

 

[TheSmoothDome]

Bottom line is that no computer will make you come up, regardless of your tank pressure or your NDL. More conservative computers will put you into a decompression scenario before more liberal algorithms. Recreational diving, as a rule, is no decompression diving, but following deco instructions is not that hard if you understand your computer and are comfortable with the notion.

If you don't follow the computers instructions, it could lock you out and not compute nitrogen absorption until it clears all assumed nitrogen in your system.

 

[smartdog126]

yeah i kno what you mean having a blank day not a good day first day back to school and etc. lol and its been 4 months since my last dive so ima re-read the book and stuff but like i kno what your saying but im just not wording what im saying correctly. of course a computer wont make you physically come up lol. but when your diving you should be using your tables as well because a computer can have problems so use your table

 

[RJP]

You can adjust the conservatism setting on the computer so that it gives you slightly more No Deco time.

Technically speaking, this is not true. (Unless the Cobra 3 is completely different than previous Cobras, and every other Suunto computer.)

Several Suunto computers - such as the Cobra line - do in fact offer a "Personal Adjustment" option. However, this option only allows you to set the computer to be MORE conservative than the standard mode.

Your choices are

• P0 (standard)
• P1 (more conservative)
• P2 (even more conservative)

You cannot adjust Suunto computers to be LESS conservative - ie: "give you more time."

 

[scubafanatic]

Technically speaking, this is not true. (Unless the Cobra 3 is completely different than previous Cobras, and every other Suunto computer.)

Several Suunto computers - such as the Cobra line - do in fact offer a "Personal Adjustment" option. However, this option only allows you to set the computer to be MORE conservative than the standard mode.

Your choices are

• P0 (standard)
• P1 (more conservative)
• P2 (even more conservative)

You cannot adjust Suunto computers to be LESS conservative - ie: "give you more time."

...OMG !!! ...what genius at Sunnto thought it necessary to INCREASE the conservatism of a Sunnto computer ??? ....already all it takes to put a Sunnto into 'deco' is just high humidity...good grief!

 

[smartdog126]

so are you guys saying its not a good computer for diving then? noww im confused

 

[RJP]

so are you guys saying its not a good computer for diving then? noww im confused

To be clear:

• Suunto computers are more conservative than most other computers
• Some people do not like the fact that Suunto computers are more conservative than other computers

Does that mean that Suunto computers are not good? Of course not.

Volvo's are safe/conservative cars. Does that mean Volvo's are not GOOD cars? Of course not. However, if you are shopping for a sporty "ultimate driving machine" kind of car, a Volvo would probably not be a good choice for you.

Personally, I dive a Suunto Vytec DS. It's more conservative than other brands, but that's fine with me. I've never ended a 90min dive thinking "Damn piece-of-cr@p - I don't even feel any microbubbles!"

That said, I do have a 300bhp twin-turbo German car, and I drive it like I stole it! (You couldn't pay me to chug along in a Volvo.)

 

[smartdog126]

hahahah okay thanks well i it doesn't hurt to be conservative but i mean if you use your computer and tables to know what your doing you should be fine (which your supposed to).. now if i may ask lets say your computer starts being "conservative" what does it do to tell you just it just beep underwater? or what

 

[RJP]

hahahah okay thanks well i it doesn't hurt to be conservative but i mean if you use your computer and tables to know what your doing you should be fine (which your supposed to).. now if i may ask lets say your computer starts being "conservative" what does it do to tell you just it just beep underwater? or what

It doesn't "start" being conservative all of sudden. It IS conservative from the get-go.

As mentioned above, a computer uses a mathematical formula based on dive tables to calculate how much NDL time you have remaining, based on your actual depths and time at each depth during your dive.

For a simple analogy, think about how you use dive tables. You find your planned depth and go down that column to find your no-deco time limit. The PADI tables tell you that at 60 feet you can do a max of 55min and still be a No Deco dive. But that is the absolute MAX. Or, you can do 54min which would still require a 3min safety stop but is a little more conservative. Or you can be even more conservative and do 52min or maybe 49min, which would each still require a 3min safety stop. However, according to the tables, if you did 47min you would be well within No Deco Limits - and in fact at that point you aren't even required to do a safety stop. Obviously 47min is more conservative than doing 55min and running completely out of No Deco time.

So, say you want to be very conservative and plan your dive for 47min. You would start counting down 47min from the time you descended and during the dive you'd monitor how much time you had left. You wouldn't wait until 47min into the dive and THEN decide whether to be conservative or not. That's what a computer does - and depending on how conservative it's algorithm is it might tell you that on a 60ft dive that you have 55min, or 52min, or 49min, or 47min, etc, and count down accordingly. It wouldn't wait until 47min and all of a sudden start beeping "HOLY CR@P - TIME TO ASCEND!"

So you can see how a Suunto, being more conservative, might give you 47min of NDL on a dive, while your buddy's Oceanic, which is less conservative, might give 52min of NDL. Which one is right? Both of them!

PS - most computers can be set to beep or flash or do SOMETHING to alert you when you're starting to get close to NDL (and/or remaining air time if it's air integrated) indicating that it's time to go up. The Suunto will display the LESSER of your remaining air time OR your remaining NDL time. Since the shorter of the two is what is going to limit your bottom time.