Are Suunto Zoops super conservative?

[rongoodman]

For the original poster, what mix were you and your buddies using on the dive?

 

[Russoft]

I ran into the same issue using a Mares Puck (set to the most conservative setting) on a 100 ft dive. I immediately called the dive and began my ascent! I subsequently reduced the conservatism of my computer to better match that of my dive buddy/wife so we'd have similar NDLs. I consider diving the computer in Nitrox mode if you aren't on Nitrox, or on a very different blend of Nitrox, to be dangerous.

 

[yle]

I believe that teaching students, especially in the entry level dive course, how to properly use dive computers is just as important as teaching them how to use dive tables and about the basics of deco. theory. Not to do so, is a disservice to these students.

I agree with you 100%. Students should be taught what computers do and what they can't do, and how they can be used to aid in making good decisions.

 

[84CJ7]

You will find scubaboard err's on the side of safety and can be a bit strong when they scold you for bad behavior, don't take it personally they do it to everyone.

Could just be that you were swimming slightly below the rest of the group more often and that tipped the scales into a different pressure group but who knows.

I think the zoop comes from the factory set to P0/A0 for the personal/altitude setting which is the least conservative its capable of, but you could check, its in the online pdf manual.
Assuming its already at its most conservative just ditch it for something else, non air integrated computers are so cheap used in good shape there is no reason to buy another one new or stick with one you don't like.

As far as training PADI gave me a nice dive table card with a book that I promptly forgot how to use but still drag along in my dive bag so in case my computer craps out I can abort and do the rest of the dives analog with restrictions. It was pretty well useless for me anyways as I never do flat bottom dives and calculating multi level dives requires a plan which I don't have.
Computers fit my "lets jump in and see whats down there" plan much better. Sometimes I do have a vague idea of what I want to do before I get in the water but its more goals to accomplish than a plan. I truly don't understand how people "plan your dive and dive your plan".
Deco is a dirty word to PADI, you are taught you did something wrong if you need deco time.

 

[stepfen]

I recently started a very similar thread Past NDL. And then this???
I thought until recently that my computer (Cressi Leonardo) is even more conservative than zoop (they are both based on RGBM algorithm anyway). You can go through that thread and you will read plenty of useful stuff.
With my very limited experience and knowledge I just want to tell you this:
All these computers try to do is to keep you safe. Keep in mind that there have been DCS cases with divers diving WITHIN the NDL limits of even "super conservative" computers like ours.
The more you dive near NDL, or even worst ignore it altogether, or even worst trick it (by setting it for eg 32% EANx instead of air) etc etc the closer you get to DCS. Yes you might be able to do 100s of dives like this and nothing may happen but you risk.
It's totally up to you to choose side.
Of course it also depends on other factors such as for example how near you are to the deco chamber or how attractive you find the idea of actually using it etc. After all you might like its' interior. You never know, but do you really want to find out?

 

[boulderjohn]

As far as training PADI gave me a nice dive table card with a book that I promptly forgot how to use but still drag along in my dive bag so in case my computer craps out I can abort and do the rest of the dives analog with restrictions. It was pretty well useless for me anyways as I never do flat bottom dives and calculating multi level dives requires a plan which I don't have.

There are two PADI OW courses--one still uses dive tables and the other teaches computers.

 

[scubadada]

Hi,

Just recently did a reasonably deep 2 tank dive. Kept a virtually identical dive profile as the others I was diving with - neither of them went into deco but somehow my Zoop put me into around 25 mins of deco. I decided to ignore it as my profile was identical to my buddies, and to go by their watch.

I have since set my zoop to 32% O2 - is there any other way to make it less conservative? Seems a bit ridiculous that it puts me into deco when others have around 15+ mins of deco time left.

Apologies if this is wrong place to post.

Thanks

Hi @Alex Locke

Your observation is relatively common and has been discussed multiple times on SB. You can review some of these in the computer forum Computers, Gauges, Watches and Analyzers

In my experience, divers are frequently unaware of the differences in the many decompression algorithms available. Suunto, Mares, and Cressi computers, running their own versions of a RGBM based algorithm, are generally on the more conservative end of the spectrum. It is important to compare, not only 1st dive NDLs, but how various algorithms deal with repetitive dives. You may find the following of interest, there is little information available for repetitive dives
http://ads.bonniercorp.com/scuba/PDF/ScubaLab-Computer-Test-September-2014-data.pdf

 

[kelemvor]

Just recently did a reasonably deep 2 tank dive. Kept a virtually identical dive profile as the others I was diving with - neither of them went into deco but somehow my Zoop put me into around 25 mins of deco. I decided to ignore it as my profile was identical to my buddies, and to go by their watch.

I have since set my zoop to 32% O2 - is there any other way to make it less conservative? Seems a bit ridiculous that it puts me into deco when others have around 15+ mins of deco time left.

Check your conservatism settings and/or get something other than a suunto.

Suunto isn't so good at making instructional videos. This one shows you what to do, but you'll need to have a manual handy in order to decipher the video. P0 (least conservative) is the default but it's worth checking to make sure it's not set to P1 or P2. I can't imagine anyone needing more than the base conservatism provided by any suunto, but apparently suunto can.
Manual: http://ns.suunto.com/Manuals/Zoop/Userguides/Suunto_Zoop_UserGuide_EN.pdf Video:

 

[Russoft]

There are two PADI OW courses--one still uses dive tables and the other teaches computers.

Personally, I'm glad I learned tables (before computers were widespread). Learning computers is important and should absolutely be included in OW. Divers should familiarize themselves with their computer thoroughly by reading the manual, doing online tutorials, or a few shallow dives to familiarize themselves with the interface. Divers should absolutely understand that computers only predict nitrogen loading and still work on the principle of: garbage in = garbage out. But I think it's silly to drop tables entirely. I still track pressure groups to stay in practice on tables. Unless it's multi-level diving, I"m still "on" the tables. If my computer ever craps out, I can keep diving with a wrist watch.

 

[Diver0001]

Hi,

Just recently did a reasonably deep 2 tank dive. Kept a virtually identical dive profile as the others I was diving with - neither of them went into deco but somehow my Zoop put me into around 25 mins of deco. I decided to ignore it as my profile was identical to my buddies, and to go by their watch.

I have since set my zoop to 32% O2 - is there any other way to make it less conservative? Seems a bit ridiculous that it puts me into deco when others have around 15+ mins of deco time left.

Apologies if this is wrong place to post.

Thanks

Suunto computers have three settings for conservatism. I once did a dive where I took my daughter's vyper with me and set it to the most conservative setting while I did the dive using my vytec on the least conservative setting. I wanted to see what the differences really were.

I think the vytec had something like 10 min of deco on it when we left the bottom. The deco cleared at the 9 meter stop after a slow ascent. The vyper, which was set to it's most conservative setting still had something on the order of 20 min of mandatory deco showing when finally decided to surface.

In other words, what you are saying doesn't sound completely out of the realm of possibilities. If your Zoop is set to it's most conservative setting then you may actually be getting results like this. To change it you need to READ THE MANUAL and find the appropriate setting in the menus.