Inadvertent gas switch on Shearwater?

[AJ]

So, I put my computers on as soon as I put my suit on. And take them off at some point after I've gotten my BP/W off and secured (thus, sometimes needing to reach between tanks on a boat bench while still wearing computers - if the boat is rockin', getting tanks secured is a much higher priority than taking my computers off and stowing them somewhere safe).

I put my computer on last and it comes off first thing. I can't get my arm under my webbing with the computer on my arm. It's just an other way of doing/thinking which suits me fine, but I understand your problem with the Petrel.

 

[NAM001]

That is one of the several reasons I sold my Petrel 2. Reaching the button on the "far" side (e.g. left button with right hand), especially if you are trying to hold the computer straight out in front of you, is very awkward (for me, anyway).

I also couldn't feel the buttons very well - especially with gloves on - to operate them without having to actually look at my finger placement.

This new (to me) issue of accidental button presses is just one more reason why I don't miss my Petrel.

You may not have ever had an accidental button press on a SW, but it seems like it would be pretty hard to argue against it being a lot more likely to happen with buttons squarely on the side than buttons on the front or top.

Inverting the display and putting the buttons on top did not help?

 

[Searcaigh]

Up until now the only change to my Petrel 2 has been the compass to display as the right hand button has been pressed accidentally by ??? I don't wear anything on my wrist except this computer, my back up timer (Suunto computer on gauge mode) is strapped onto one of my strobe arms.

Moving to a gas change would involve pressing the left hand button at some point. Perhaps this is possible if dumping from the butt valve on a wing especially if there are stages hanging on the side or other gear.

 

[AJ]

That's one reason why I carry my DC on my right wrist, not on my left.

 

[clownfishsydney]

I fail to see why wearing the computer on the right wrist makes any difference to what is talked about in this post. Can someone please illuminate me?

 

[RainPilot]

It seems most divers have less clutter on the right wrist so less inadvertent button pushing. I wear mine there for controlling ascent rate. In turn that leads to whether or not one should flip the screen to put the buttons on top for fewer "oops" moments

 

[The Chairman]

I fail to see how any of it happens. I could be wrong, but I think people are blaming Shearwater for their own inattentiveness. You shouldn't go into a tech dive without checking, double checking and triple checking. I get this would not happen if they followed a written check list. Again, I'm not sure I'm right here... I just find the logistics of this to be dubious at best.

 

[AJ]

I fail to see why wearing the computer on the right wrist makes any difference to what is talked about in this post. Can someone please illuminate me?

Wings do have a dump valve on the left back. The more clutter you have on your left wrist the more chance you have on getting stuck or pushing buttons somewhere while reaching for this valve. Especially if you dive with stages and argon bottles, it's a bit crowded over there.

An other advantage on having your computer on the right wrist is being able to check depth while controlling ascend with left.

 

[Oldbear]

I have 390 dives as of this weekend with my Petral and so far I have not seen any gas switching. Nor have I seen any screen for that matter. I wear my Petral on my right and I usually also have either a ScubaPro Bottom Timer with me. Or if I have a student on air and I am on Nitrox, I will also wear a Zoop set to 21% O2 on my right wrist also. Knock on wood I have yet had my gas switch on me.

I wear my compass on my right along with my Timex and the compass is constantly switching my watch from time mode to something else via the compass hitting the watch' button.

 

[bamafan]

I have a Predator and a Petrel. I wear one on each wrist. I have had them inadvertently change the gasses underwater as well as I have forgot to change them back to backgas and left them on O2. I remember a dive on the Oite Destroyer in Truk where I was sidemount so I had to Superman one bottle to get through the rear section deck hatch on the stern section. It apparently went to O2 during this. After coming back out of the destroyer I noticed it was on the wrong gas. I changed it back and it was freaking out as it thought I was at 200+' on O2. The deco was in hours. I had tables cut but ran my other computer on the way up as it was fine. It fixed itself on the way up and cleared at basically the same time as my other computer. I am of the belief you shouldn't be doing any dive unless you have some plan. Even shallow dives with no deco you should have a general idea of how long you can stay down and what if any your deco will be.