Yes, it is very possible to have that much variation between computers.
What you could have done differently was to plan your dive. It appears you did nothing to compare expected bottom times between the two of you given probably different air consumption rates, and the different size tanks.
Ken
What you could have done differently was to plan your dive. It appears you did nothing to compare expected bottom times between the two of you given probably different air consumption rates, and the different size tanks.
Ken
I was doing a 100 ft plus dive on a wreck this Friday and got paired up with this other diver. Through out the dive we were fairly close to each other, diving a similar profile but then my tank started to run low as it was an AL 80 and we swam towards the end where the anchor line was. I swam my way up from sand towards the anchor line while she swam parallel to the floor. When we got to the anchor line I was hanging to it 15 feet higher than her. I started moving up the anchor line for my first deco stop but it seemed as if her computer was asking her to do a safety stop much earlier and deeper than mine was. In my training we were taught to stay close to the buddy but I was diving an AL-80 and she was wearing a bigger tank. If I had stuck with her at that depth I would have pushed it on gas. So while keeping her in view I rose up the rope until my computer showed my safety stop which was much higher than where she was hanging. Even when my stop was over I noticed that hers was not. I dive a Suunto Gecko which is a very conservative computer. I was thinking why the hell would she not come up? Is everything ok? I used a sign signal to which she gve me a thumbs up but still wont come. I prolonged my safety stop a few minutes more just so that she could climb up the rope and meet me. By the time we came out I was almost empty on gas.
Later on I was thinking, what could I have done differently? I mean firstly is it possible that two dive computers would show this much of variation in ascent that following them would cause buddy separation of tens of feet? Secondly if that happens to you listen to your computer and abandon your buddy or do you ignore your computer and stick with your buddy?