Are Alarms Needed

[AdivingBel]

The audible alarms on my DC are turned off. If you choose to dive with yours on that's fine, your choice. Everyone makes their own risk assessments. Dive and let dive. If you do so please understand how to respond appropriately in order to silence your audible alarms or if unable to do so, end your dive responsibly. Please be considerate and don't continue to dive around other divers while beeping your a$$ off.

I happily dived for years without a DC. I appreciate the benefits of the technology and do my best to use mine knowledgeably and safely. IMHO, it is a tool that provides additional information that I combine with other tools, my own situational-awareness, experience, and training in order to dive responsibly. If there is any point in a dive my self-awareness is compromised to the point I can't respond to a visual DC alarm (I make it a point to check often; same as my SPG) my dive is over. Again, IMHO, a dive computer is for information. It's not a seat belt, not life-support equipment, or any other like-analogy and certainly not a dive nanny. I realize many of these things are said as harmless clichés , but if a DC is truly fulfilling these roles for you as a diver, you're better off on the boat. Use your brain and dive safely. All IMHO, YMMV.

 

[Joneill]

I don't like audible alarms - they all sound the same and everyone is looking to see where it came from (along with beeps being annoying as they disturb the normal peacefulness under the surface). However, I do like the haptic (vibration) alarms on my Teric as I get the alerts without disturbing or confusing others diving in the vicinity!

 

[scubadada]

This topic has been discussed many times. As an experienced diver, I have no use for alarms. I know my gas consumption and pay periodic attention to NDLs.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

We all must make choices to the amount of risk we wish to assume. Skills and awareness degrade with time and not everyone gets to dive every weekend (or more often).

I’m not going to denigrate anyone for using alarms. I don’t use them, but that’s my choice. With regards to the class, some remedial training was needed. It should never get that bad in the open water,

 

[tomfcrist]

My computers don’t have audible alarms. Personally I like it that way.

 

[dmaziuk]

Registered in the log; I don't recall it beeping.

That's OK: if you moved your hand 1 foot in less than 2 seconds, your computer has exceeded the safe 30 fpm ascent rate, and that fact is recorded in the log. The beeping starts when you keep exceeding it averaged over some pre-programmed amount of time, that how they all work -- the ones that have the alarm, that is.

Leonardos are more sensitive than many with beeping as well, but like I said: you can't turn it off, it's annoying, so you learn to control your buoyancy better to make it stop. If I inhale a bit too early and move my hand up holding on to the corrugated hose to vent the wing, I can make mine beep. Moving the hand alone won't do it, but will probably get logged as the little yellow warning sign.

 

[saxman242]

Assuming you have a dive computer that lets you set thresholds for some of the alarms, and they're set for emergency situations (not to notify you of half a tank, for example), I can't think of any good reason to not have them turned on.

I totally agree that when set as general reminders of things like turn pressure, etc they get to be very annoying, especially if the diver in question doesn't know how to stop the beeping.

 

[Joneill]

Assuming you have a dive computer that lets you set thresholds for some of the alarms, and they're set for emergency situations (not to notify you of half a tank, for example), I can't think of any good reason to not have them turned on.

I totally agree that when set as general reminders of things like turn pressure, etc they get to be very annoying, especially if the diver in question doesn't know how to stop the beeping.

Ah...the beauty of haptic alerts - no beeping to worry about: just a subtle vibration.

 

[saxman242]

Ah...the beauty of haptic alerts - no beeping to worry about: just a subtle vibration.

That would be nice, although for an emergency alarm, I'd prefer both

 

[aviator8]

I understand the arguments for quiet and solitude, but as a safety factor I use them. Particularly because i will dive with my children. Anything that adds and extra check, particularly for the new stages of diving where without routine and practice things can be overlooked is a plus for me. If my daughter is approaching NDL(not likely as a new diver I know), running low on air, ascending to fast, I want something to get her attention. It would be a last crutch warning as training, and I will stress routine, practice, and check, check and recheck. There is no reason in my mind not to have an extra layer of safety enabled if it is there.