Computer sales

[scubadada]

I have no interest in attributing relative risk of DCS to choice of computer or decompression algorithm. I would simply like to know what choices are made by divers given the information available out there to make decisions. I will leave the risk of DCS to DAN Project Dive Exploration or some other extensive database.

I've previously seen dive computer sales data, would love to see contemporary information.

 

[NC Air Hog]

Even if you knew how many computers were sold... you'd have no idea how many dives were conducted with each one, much less what computer was worn during an accident.

That said - what would be "damaging" to the manufacturer if someone got themselves bent while diving "Brand X" computer? You say you "get the feeling" that if a diver got hurt it may have been something "a bit off" that they did... rather than a problem with the computer? Other than a catastrophic error in the employed algorithm - which would have been detected on first use - I can't imagine ANYTHING a computer could do to be the cause of an incident.

Allow me to clarify,

If an incident occurs while wearing (not waring as I originally said) a certain computer, it would likely be determined to be the diver's error and not the computer. I view my dive computer as a tool to use during a dive. If you service a regulator and it does not work, you wouldn't blame the spanner wrench.

 

[RJP]

I've previously seen dive computer sales data, would love to see contemporary information.

At DEMA many board members were bemoaning the relative unwillingess of manufacturers to report sales that would be blinded and aggregated at the industry level (ie "10,000 computers sold industry wide") so unlikely that folks would be willing to go the extra step to have their own data reported in detail.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Not sure it matters - isn't it always user error?

I would think how many times you used your DC prior to getting bent could be a factor - perhaps unfamiliar with the unit could be a cause or how to read it.
What you were doing when you got bent - were you spearfishing / using photography and pushed the envelope to get that last shot and were not paying attention to your DC?
Were you on a very aggressive dive profile when you got bent - were you responsible for your actions and you took the known risk?
DSAT or Pelagic Z+ adding in or not conservatism based on your age and body type - are you honest about your physical abilities and overall health?

Not sure that strict numbers would help in the analysis - don't you need to know the conditions, profile and user information for it to be relevant?

 

[scubadada]

At DEMA many board members were bemoaning the relative unwillingess of manufacturers to report sales that would be blinded and aggregated at the industry level (ie "10,000 computers sold industry wide") so unlikely that folks would be willing to go the extra step to have their own data reported in detail.

Thanks for the reply, the information is not unexpected. The scuba industry may benefit from some transparency. What is the harm is letting us know what are the top selling dive computers?

 

[RJP]

Thanks for the reply, the information is not unexpected. The scuba industry may benefit from some transparency. What is the harm is letting us know what are the top selling dive computers?

No harm in telling us. Lots of harm in telling your competitor.

If any manufacturers did release figures to DEMA you can be sure none would allow them to be specifically broken out. (Ie we would only hear that 100,000 computers were sold industry-wide, but not how many of any individual model.)

 

[Hatul]

My guess is Suunto sells them most.