Garmin Descent S1 Buoy

[spatty99]

Garmin just announced a new diver communication buoy that integrates with their existing ecosystem. A lot of very cool features, like topside diver tracking (up to 100m), diver buoy finder, post dive route heatmap, etc...

Garmin Descent S1 Buoy | Diver Communication Buoy

Garmin Descent™ is a diver communication buoy that enables topside crew members to track their dive groups & exchange preset messages with divers below.

www.garmin.com

 

[Landau]

The requirement for all the divers to have Garmin Descent computers makes this very expensive.

But it is also very interesting. I can see many potential applications.

 

[brsnow]

Especially with litigation becoming more prevalent this might be good for shops

 

[johndiver999]

Assuming the basic technology works, my biggest concern is operational limits. They mention a diver/buoy distance of UP TO a 100 meters separation is workable, with (I think) the understanding that sea state (among other things) could reduce the range.

If that is correct, it would seem to preclude the use in deep water and also drift diving in strong currents (where the receiver would presumably be towed behind the dive boat). It would be a nearly impossible task to navigate the dive boat adequately to track a diver who transitions from drifting to stationary, within that limited range.
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If it had 300 yard range, the practical utility for a lot of situations would change tremendously.

I sounds like, if the intent is to communicate between stationary divers and a stationary location, then this would be pretty cool.

Of course, if the drifting divers towed a buoy, then it might have some utility, but who wants to tow a buoy in deep water and in a current?

 

[JMarc]

The requirement for all the divers to have Garmin Descent computers makes this very expensive.

The "line of sight" constraint is another big one. I saw no mention of thermocline nor the effects of reflection which could also strongly limit the area covered and the reliability. (But note that garmin is already a supplier of boat equipment, they aren't discovering this)

The limit to 8 divers is something else which could reveal itself a limitation.

I wonder who is the target market.

 

[Still Kicking]

Cool but not $2,500 (+ watches) cool.

 

[NothingClever]

The Garmin buoy is towed by a diver using a spool or reel.

The target market is nervous people with money.

I go diving to get away from text messages.

I could see this having value on expedition-grade dives.

For Basic OW “kiddie pool” dives, I can foresee myself responding like Bluto (John Belushi) in Animal House to the folk guitarist in the stairwell.

 

[JMarc]

The Garmin buoy is towed by a diver using a spool or reel.

Seems that you are writing about something else.

 

[NothingClever]

I read the manual.

 

[scubadada]

Garmin launches Descent S1 Buoy for surface-underwater diver comms

Garmin has launched a game-changing two-way communications device for scuba divers and surface support with the Descent S1 Buoy

divemagazine.com