Mom monitoring teen air supply- computer suggestions

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Thank you for your response. Any suggestions for a computer for her , my 12 year old that is simple and easy and doesn't cost as much?

Due to patent infringements the Oceanic and Galileo computers no longer monitor buddy air, and even when they did the range was only about 5 feet.

You can use a single Liquivision Lynx on your wrist, with a single T1 or T2 tank transmitter on your daughter's tank. To save money you can omit the transmitter on your own tank.
If you want a cheap computer for your daughter, the Suunto Zoop is probably the most popular.

Eric Fattah
Liquivision Products
 
If you this this is hard, wait until she starts driving!

Hi Mom... As Donnah has pointed out, she is certified and as you are a good buddy, you guys should be (and apparently are) exchanging this information frequently.

My concern about the approach you are pondering, is that you might run the risk of relying on a fancy electronic gizmo to take the place of best practices in buddy pairs. A solid SPG, frequent checking and staying together will do the job. As a 12-year old, presumably she'll be staying very shallow, so a tank of air should last forever anyway.

(As an aside, been there, done that. My daughter took up diving, but not until she was in her early 20s when she moved to Utila for a winter. I had to go visit to make sure she was behaving, and that week of diving was one of the best weeks of my life. And yes, I kept her in my viewfinder constantly!)
 
Interesting discussion about computers.

I have to agree with others here in that I don't believe a computer is the "best practice" for your issue.

If you can't relax enough to allow your daughter to rely on her skills, perhaps you can buddy her with someone you trust. I can't believe the computer will solve the issue of your anxiety.
 
Another vote for just relaxing and being a good buddy.

If you two communicate each other's air supply as a normal part of your diving, you'll be instilling an excellent practice to your daughter that will serve her well throughout her diving life.

There's no need for you to keep her air supply under electronic surveillance.

MUCH better for you two to routinely practice out of air drills. Now, THAT will have a real effect of boosting both of your dive safety.
 
Not air integrated, but very simple and easy to read. I have a 15 year old daughter who has her age level advanced open water. I put a very well priced Sherwood Amphos on her wrist, and it worked out very well. It has an optional cable, that I made great use of. We would sit down at night, and look at her dive profile, and there was no way for her to BS me about her depth etc. Used the profile to work with her on her depth, as well as bobbing up and down. In just a week of using, her dives got much better, and she told me she was finding it easier to relax, and was using less air on her dives.
I picked up the Amphos on ebay for $250 with the cable. Once home, I realized that she was going to need her own, I picked up another with the cable for $205. These were both brand new units in the box .
 
Uwatec transmitters, at least, don't do a very good job of monitoring buddy air. You have to be very close and in exactly the right positions. I have a Galileo Sol and most of the time when I want to look at my buddy's Uwatec Smart Z air, the signal just isn't there. It is a neat feature when it works but it is unsuited to be part of a dive plan. (And now it's gone due to a patent dispute? That sucks.)

I think OP would be better off just asking more often. Teach the kid to frequently check and ask the adult for updates too. This will reinforce staying close enough to communicate, and other good buddy skills.

I love gadgets, but I don't think a gadget is the best solution to this problem.

If you want to buy a communication gadget, get a pair of very good lights and learn to use them for signaling. Once you learn how to do OK, attention, alarm, and direction signals with lights, you'll feel a lot more connected to your buddy.
 
However, my diving was more stressful because I wanted to check her air even after she would check and show me.

Or you could just keep an eye on her after checking periodically. If she's really working up enough of a breathing rate to harm her air supply (12yr old females tend not to have enormous lung capacities), you'll notice it in her trim, movement, and breathing rate. Are you seriously better on air than a 12 yr old girl, even accounting for her likely using a tiny tank?
 
My daughter age 12 just became certified. We went diving in Belize for a week and she did great . However, my diving was more stressful because I wanted to check her air even after she would check and show me. I have noticed the new computers that show your buddy's air supply. Can someone suggest the models they prefer and if they like the ability to monitor their buddy's psi, I feel like it might help me be more at ease? Also, she is using dive tables but would like a computer for her with back light and very simple to start out with, suggestions for her? Thanks!

My 3 kids were 15, 13 and 11 when they started diving. After they finished OW, I was their "dive master" (we shore dive year round here).

My recommendation is to keep things as simple and straight forward as possible. Do not start substituting expensive gadgets to compensate for basic dive skills.... such as monitoring depth, time and air supply.

What I do is check how much air each diver has in their tank at the start of the dive. They all know how to use hand signals to indicate how much air they have remaining whenever I ask them, and I ask fairly frequently, so I can compare their consumption rate to my own, and alter the dive plan as needed "on the fly" so that no one ever even gets close to a low-air situation. I also give them specific SPG readings at which they must alert me (usually 2,000 lbs, then 1,500 lbs), even if I have just asked for their gauge reading a minute before. This ensures that they are monitoring their own pressure, and not waiting for me to ask.

It gets easier with time, but it is great that you are vigilant with your young diver.

Best wishes.
 
My daughter age 12 just became certified. We went diving in Belize for a week and she did great . However, my diving was more stressful because I wanted to check her air even after she would check and show me. I have noticed the new computers that show your buddy's air supply. Can someone suggest the models they prefer and if they like the ability to monitor their buddy's psi, I feel like it might help me be more at ease? Also, she is using dive tables but would like a computer for her with back light and very simple to start out with, suggestions for her? Thanks!

As other people here have said, I think the real problem here is your stress and trying to keep her in cotton wool. I have three children and have taken them all diving. I understand the stress from a loving parent, however as others have also said, if you continue this process she wont wish to dive with you, or will drop the idea altogether. If you also apply this to the other things in her life she may well totally rebel. Its not easy being a parent who cares, you have to be there for them when they need you, but also give them the room to learn and grow.

You check her air and she does for you, and then that should be it, YOU must believe in the diving ability of both of you, if you haven't seen a huge pool of bubbles then why the need to recheck immediately. Trust in yourself and her. Also you should get her to start checking you, helping her to be a good buddy as well. Don't take her down the path of fussing and doing everything for her, or she will be useless when buddied with another person. Help her grow by letting her develop her skills, let her make small mistakes so she learns, if you never let her make a mistake, she wont do as good. You discuss with her how often you both should check air and on each other, then take it in turns so she learns too. It also then justifies why you are doing what you do.

There are many cheap computers on the market and I am sure she will pick up how to use one in a flash, before you or I would. Do you have s computer? If so perhaps one like you have so you are both familiar with each others gear. That's one thing I did with my wife and I, we both have same regs, computers, DSMB, reels so we are both familiar with what each other has.

Ensure she sets up her gear and NOT mum. Take her through the routines of checking then after that let her pre-empt the routines, if she misses one, discretely check so you know both are safe then ask her if she checked AFTER the dive, then discuss what might have happened and show her why she should do these things.

All this helps her become a better diver, and give you both confidence. Thus your stress levels drop and you ACTUALLY begin to enjoy diving with her, and her with you and that's what I bet you want from all this.

You both want enjoyable safe diving but for it to work it has to be both of you, not just mum.
 
I agree with the other posts. Even though the Liquivision Lynx allows you to monitor air supplies a long distance away, and locate divers who wander off, it should not be seen as a substitute for safe diving practices. Stay in close proximity, always use analog gauges, communicate frequently. The electronic monitoring is only an added bonus.


Eric Fattah
Liquivision Products
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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