Is the Teric’s temperature supposed to be accurate at the surface?

[Albert Street]

Diving with a new Teric, and while I believe its underwater temperature readings to be correct (checked with buddy), above water the temperature reads 10-15 degrees F above the ambient temperature.

Just want to confirm if this is normal.

 

[Amy B-G]

I've had the same problem with my perdix. Long conversations with shearwater tech support with no resolution. Hopefully they fix the problem in a firmware update at some point.

 

[Albert Street]

I've had the same problem with my perdix. Long conversations with shearwater tech support with no resolution. Hopefully they fix the problem in a firmware update at some point.

Glad to know it’s not just me. Also, hello fellow San Diegan!

 

[DiveClimbRide]

My belief is that it is due to the way we measure and define temperature. Ambient temperature is defined as air temperature in the shade. If you dive computer is on (or in the sun) it will heat up above ambient temperature and give false readings. Conversely if it's wet and in the wind it will give false low readings

 

[Amy B-G]

My belief is that it is due to the way we measure and define temperature. Ambient temperature is defined as air temperature in the shade. If you dive computer is on (or in the sun) it will heat up above ambient temperature and give false readings. Conversely if it's wet and in the wind it will give false low readings

Yes but my point to SW was that it should only be recording temps while in dive mode not before or after. In my case, my watch is submerged in surface water for at least a 20 min surface swim and then if it stops reading as soon as dive is over it shouldn't be recording ambient (non-water) temps once the dive is over. I think there is something that needs changed in the logic of what it displays as max temp because when you look at the graph and follow the temp line, what is recorded as temp during the dive is correct, but what is displayed as surface/max is not correct.

 

[Albert Street]

My belief is that it is due to the way we measure and define temperature. Ambient temperature is defined as air temperature in the shade. If you dive computer is on (or in the sun) it will heat up above ambient temperature and give false readings. Conversely if it's wet and in the wind it will give false low readings

It’s a valid idea, but even inside with no sunlight the temperature is way off.

 

[ATJ]

I can't speak for the Teric but I do have a Perdix. The big problem with the Perdix is the device itself. It is large and black and so not only absorbs any heat but gets really hot in the sun. Being so large it takes a long time for the Perdix itself to cool down - or just change temperature at all. This affects any temperature readings it makes.

On a hot day the initial temperatures are much hotter than the water temperature and on cold days they are much colder. It can take up to 15 minutes to reach the ambient water temperature. The maximum and minimum temperatures do not reflect the temperatures measured at the surface but those actually measured on the dive.

Here's an example of a dive I did in January this year. It was a very hot day (well over 30ºC). The Perdix cooled down somewhat on the surface but not enough to measure the correct temperature until 15 minutes into the dive.

The reverse happens on a really cold day. It was only around 10ºC when I jumped in:

Now, it is worthwhile mentioning I also have a Garmin Descent Mk1 which is of a similar size to the Teric. I see the same issue with the Mk1 but it is not as pronounced as it is with the Perdix because it is a lot smaller.

 

[ATJ]

By the way, here are the dive profiles from my Mk1 for the same dives (showing similar but not as severe issue):

For comparison, I used to also dive with a Citizen Hyper Aqualand dive watch. It's temperature readings are accurate and also have more precision (one decimal place). It only logs temperature every 5 minutes. It is way smaller than the Mk1 and is mostly silver. It does not heat up very much and quickly reaches ambient temperature. Unfortunately, the battery has died and because of COVID I haven't had a chance to do anything about it. However, here is a comparison of the readings from all three devices for the dive back in January:

 

[CuzzA]

Why does is matter? I don't believe I've ever looked at what the temp was on a dive, until after the dive in the log and that would only be in a situation with a thermocline where I was curious what the shift in temp was. As for surface temps, the weather man or buoy data would report that, which I may check in the spring or fall before heading out on a trip as those seasons are less predictable.

 

[Curtis Hopper]

Diving with a new Teric, and while I believe its underwater temperature readings to be correct (checked with buddy), above water the temperature reads 10-15 degrees F above the ambient temperature.

Just want to confirm if this is normal.

My new Teric reads 87f. My mercury temperature gauge reads 66f. This really is horrid given the cost of it.