Ricky B
Contributor
Here are the features I found important in choosing the Zoop:
1. Big, easy-to-read display.
2. Ease of use.
3. Nitrox ability (O2 setting of 21%-50%).
4. Audible alarms (user-adjustable as to whether they sound).
5. Altitude setting.
6. Personal adjustment (to make the computer more conservative).
7. Log book that does not require software to access.
8. User-replaceable battery.
9. Conservative algorithm
Here are features that I did not consider important, and the Zoop, being a basic computer, does not have them:
1. Air integration.
2. Tri-mix ability
3. Ability to switch gases during a dive.
4. Compass.
5. Fresh-water setting.
This is a long review, but here is the short story. Having used the Zoop for 17 dives in the Bahamas and having studied the manual, I am pleased with it, and I consider it an excellent device for the price. For $250, I give it high marks. This is an entry-level computer, and I assume that it will be purchased mostly by first-time users. Hence I go into detail below.
Algorithm
The Zoop uses the RGBM algorithm and is reputed to have a conservative algorithm. If you want a dive computer that will give you the most bottom time, this aint it. But a computer doesnt give you bottom time. All it does is make a prediction of when a dive for a theoretical person (not you!) will go into decompression.
Ease of Use
In terms of ease-of-use, the Zoop gets an A. Like most dive computers, it is water-activated. You jump in, and at 4 feet of depth, the computer automatically goes into dive mode. Like any dive computer, if you want to use a gas other than air, though, you need to set Nitrox and the O2 settings in advance, of course.
Buttons
The Zoop has three button (unlike, say, the Puck and the Leonardo, which each have one button). Some say that three buttons make for easier use (less scrolling through screens), and others say that one button makes for easier use (only one button to push). Having used only the Zoop, I cant say which is better, but I do like having three buttons (and fewer screens to scroll through).
Display
In terms of easy-to-read display, the Zoop gets an A+.
The user can set the Zoop to display imperial or metric units (feet or meters, ºF or ºC). But you cant set it to use metric units of distance with ºF for temperature.
All the data you that you would want to see during the dive at a glance is clearly displayed on the Zoop without the need to push any buttons.
In air mode during the dive, the default display shows the current depth and maximum depth, the elapsed dive time of (DIVE TIME) and the no-decompression-stop time remaining (NO DEC TIME), and current water temperature.
Nitrox
The Zoop can be set to Nitrox mode permanently, but the setting for percentage of oxygen will automatically revert to what amounts to the air setting after two hours unless a new dive series is started during the two hours. The default setting for maximum oxygen partial pressure is 1.4 bar, but you can set it between 1.2 - 1.6 bar.
The Zoop calculates separately for CNS oxygen toxicity and pulmonary oxygen toxicity. Both are scaled so that the maximum tolerated exposure for each is expressed as 100%.
In Nitrox mode during the dive, the default display shows the oxygen percentage (%O2), the oxygen partial pressure limit (P02), the maximum operating depth (MOD) (based on the oxygen percentage and oxygen partial pressure limit that have been set), and the current oxygen toxicity exposure (the latter via bar graph). The display in Nitrox mode also shows the current depth, elapsed dive time, no-decompression-stop time remaining, and current water temperature.
Audible Alarms
The only user-adjustable alarms in air mode that sound on the Zoop are the ones set for maximum depth and maximum time. The other audible alarms are not user-adjustable.
There is an automatic audible alarm for exceeding the ascent rate, the ceiling for a mandatory safety stop, or the ceiling for a decompression stop (continuous beeps for five seconds).
The Zoop signals a dive going into deco with an audible alarm (three single beeps with a two-second interval).
In Nitrox mode, if oxygen partial pressure is greater than 1.4 bar (or whatever value the user has set), there are continuous beeps for three minutes. There are three double beeps for five seconds if the oxygen exposure has reached the 80% limit and also if it reaches the 100% limit.
The audible alarms are adequate in terms of loudnessbut just barely. Of course, that may be just me, and that may be less of a problem as I get more accustomed to the sound of the alarm and thus perceive it more readily.
Audible alarms are accompanied by visual indications (e.g., blinking icons) on the display.
Ascent Rate Indicator
The Zoop has a graphical ascent rate indicator. There are blinking icons (as well as the audible alarm) if you momentarily ascend faster than 39 feet per minute or continuously above 33 feet per minute. An ascent at either rate will trigger a mandatory safety stop.
Safety Stop
The Zoop always signals a safety stop at 10 to 20 feet. For a recommended safety stop, the STOP icon is displayed with a three-minute countdown (instead of the no-decompression time left). The countdown is shown in minutes, not seconds. A mandatory safety stop (as opposed to a recommended safety stop) is indicated with both the STOP icon and the CEILING icon, and the countdown of the mandatory safety stop includes the recommended safety stop.
Dive Planning
The Zoop has a planning mode that can be used to plan dives. The planning mode accounts for: any (calculated) residual nitrogen, dive history for the past four days, and oxygen toxicity (Nitrox mode).
Uh Oh, Deco
If the dive becomes a decompression dive, the Zoop automatically switches into deco mode and shows the time needed to ascend (ASC TIME) instead of the no-decompression-stop time remaining. But you need to know what the icons mean. Some are symbols, not words. You really have to study the manual. And you cant use the Zoop to plan deco dives. The deco mode is there if things dont go as planned.
ASC TIME (the ascent time in a deco dive) is the minimum amount of time needed to reach the surface with all stops. It consists of: (1) the time needed to ascend to the stop ceiling at an ascent rate of 33 feet per minute plus (2) the time needed at the ceiling (the shallowest depth to which you should ascend) plus (3) the time needed at the mandatory safety stop (if any) plus (4) the three-minute recommended safety stop plus (5) the time needed to reach the surface after the ceiling and safety stops have been completed.
Continuous Decompression vs. Deep Stop
In the event of going into deco mode, rather than requiring you to make stops at fixed depths, the Zoop models continuous decompression, which does not require you to make intermediate stops.
Surface Interval
At the surface, the Zoop shows the surface-interval time (which counts up) and then the no-fly time (which counts down) by pressing the TIME button. There is a no-fly icon until the no-fly time has elapsed.
Backlight
The Zoop does not have a backlight, but I don't miss that feature. In all the day-time diving that I did, the display was always really easy to read. True the diving was in the Bahamas, where the water is very clear, but at 134 feet, there was no problem whatsoever reading the display. On the one night dive that I did, I had a light, and I could read the display with the aid of the light. The display is phosphorescent so it retains a glow, though that is not nearly as bright as a backlight. I simply spilled the edge of the light corona from the flashlight across the face and read it that way. If you have to push a button to turn on the backlight, I dont know that having to shine the light onto the face of the computer is much more of an inconvenience.
Gauge Mode
The Zoop cannot be used in gauge mode (unless you go into error mode).
Clarity of Manual
The Zoop manual could have been written better, but it is adequate. (Having looked at the manual for the Puck and the Leonardo, the Zoops manual is the best of the lot, with the Pucks being the least satisfactory.)
In most cases, the manual will be understandable by a novice dive-computer user (or perhaps to anyone new to the Zoop) only after doing some dives and getting some data on the computer and also getting some experience using the computer in different situations. A few of the warnings, however, require some memorization.
For example, the Diver Attention Symbol indicates that you should prolong your surface interval because of excess micro-bubbles (predicted, of course, not measured). But that symbol is simply a small exclamation mark in a small trianglenot exactly intuitive. You really, really have to read the manual, study the manual, and know the computer. Otherwise you are rolling dice with your safety if you dont understand what the computer is telling you.
Dive Log
The Zoop does profile sampling every 30 seconds, and the log book can hold 50 hours of dives.
The Zoop has a dive-history memory mode, which will display the maximum depth ever reached, the total accumulated dive time in hours, and the total number of dives. The dive-history memory can hold a maximum of 999 dives and 999 diving hours, after which it will reset to zero.
If you want to download the logbook onto dive logging software on your computer, the software is free, but the proprietary Suunto cable that is need to transfer the date is expensive. Since I don't do enough diving to need a computer program to log my dives, I found manually writing down the essential information and entering it into a spreadsheet to be sufficient for my purposes. The only information that would be tedious to record would be the profile of the dive, the depth of which is shown in the logbook mode every 30 seconds.
Battery
The battery is user-replaceable. All history and profile data, as well as the altitude, personal and alarm settings, will remain in the dive computer memory after the battery change.
The clock time and time alarm setting, however, are lost, and all nitrogen and oxygen uptake data are lost. Therefore the battery should not be changed until the no-flying time shown by the computer has reached zero.
Every time you turn on the Zoop, it gives you an indication of battery life, with up to four bars. There is also a battery icon the shows up when the battery is low. So if you are going on a trip and check the battery, you will know to change the battery when there are only two bars.
Wrist Band
The Zoops band is so long that it curls around the wrist until it covers the display. I had to keep pushing it away to read the display on the first set of dives, but then I trimmed it (easy to do because there are grooves where the material is thinner). Because I don't know how thick a covering might one day be on my wrist (say, a dry suit), I only cut the portion that overlapped the display, leaving a band that still left plenty of room to cover a thicker exposure suit.
Warranty
The Zoop has a 24-month warranty.
Conclusion
As an entry-level computer, the Zoop does an admirable job.
1. Big, easy-to-read display.
2. Ease of use.
3. Nitrox ability (O2 setting of 21%-50%).
4. Audible alarms (user-adjustable as to whether they sound).
5. Altitude setting.
6. Personal adjustment (to make the computer more conservative).
7. Log book that does not require software to access.
8. User-replaceable battery.
9. Conservative algorithm
Here are features that I did not consider important, and the Zoop, being a basic computer, does not have them:
1. Air integration.
2. Tri-mix ability
3. Ability to switch gases during a dive.
4. Compass.
5. Fresh-water setting.
This is a long review, but here is the short story. Having used the Zoop for 17 dives in the Bahamas and having studied the manual, I am pleased with it, and I consider it an excellent device for the price. For $250, I give it high marks. This is an entry-level computer, and I assume that it will be purchased mostly by first-time users. Hence I go into detail below.
Algorithm
The Zoop uses the RGBM algorithm and is reputed to have a conservative algorithm. If you want a dive computer that will give you the most bottom time, this aint it. But a computer doesnt give you bottom time. All it does is make a prediction of when a dive for a theoretical person (not you!) will go into decompression.
Ease of Use
In terms of ease-of-use, the Zoop gets an A. Like most dive computers, it is water-activated. You jump in, and at 4 feet of depth, the computer automatically goes into dive mode. Like any dive computer, if you want to use a gas other than air, though, you need to set Nitrox and the O2 settings in advance, of course.
Buttons
The Zoop has three button (unlike, say, the Puck and the Leonardo, which each have one button). Some say that three buttons make for easier use (less scrolling through screens), and others say that one button makes for easier use (only one button to push). Having used only the Zoop, I cant say which is better, but I do like having three buttons (and fewer screens to scroll through).
Display
In terms of easy-to-read display, the Zoop gets an A+.
The user can set the Zoop to display imperial or metric units (feet or meters, ºF or ºC). But you cant set it to use metric units of distance with ºF for temperature.
All the data you that you would want to see during the dive at a glance is clearly displayed on the Zoop without the need to push any buttons.
In air mode during the dive, the default display shows the current depth and maximum depth, the elapsed dive time of (DIVE TIME) and the no-decompression-stop time remaining (NO DEC TIME), and current water temperature.
Nitrox
The Zoop can be set to Nitrox mode permanently, but the setting for percentage of oxygen will automatically revert to what amounts to the air setting after two hours unless a new dive series is started during the two hours. The default setting for maximum oxygen partial pressure is 1.4 bar, but you can set it between 1.2 - 1.6 bar.
The Zoop calculates separately for CNS oxygen toxicity and pulmonary oxygen toxicity. Both are scaled so that the maximum tolerated exposure for each is expressed as 100%.
In Nitrox mode during the dive, the default display shows the oxygen percentage (%O2), the oxygen partial pressure limit (P02), the maximum operating depth (MOD) (based on the oxygen percentage and oxygen partial pressure limit that have been set), and the current oxygen toxicity exposure (the latter via bar graph). The display in Nitrox mode also shows the current depth, elapsed dive time, no-decompression-stop time remaining, and current water temperature.
Audible Alarms
The only user-adjustable alarms in air mode that sound on the Zoop are the ones set for maximum depth and maximum time. The other audible alarms are not user-adjustable.
There is an automatic audible alarm for exceeding the ascent rate, the ceiling for a mandatory safety stop, or the ceiling for a decompression stop (continuous beeps for five seconds).
The Zoop signals a dive going into deco with an audible alarm (three single beeps with a two-second interval).
In Nitrox mode, if oxygen partial pressure is greater than 1.4 bar (or whatever value the user has set), there are continuous beeps for three minutes. There are three double beeps for five seconds if the oxygen exposure has reached the 80% limit and also if it reaches the 100% limit.
The audible alarms are adequate in terms of loudnessbut just barely. Of course, that may be just me, and that may be less of a problem as I get more accustomed to the sound of the alarm and thus perceive it more readily.
Audible alarms are accompanied by visual indications (e.g., blinking icons) on the display.
Ascent Rate Indicator
The Zoop has a graphical ascent rate indicator. There are blinking icons (as well as the audible alarm) if you momentarily ascend faster than 39 feet per minute or continuously above 33 feet per minute. An ascent at either rate will trigger a mandatory safety stop.
Safety Stop
The Zoop always signals a safety stop at 10 to 20 feet. For a recommended safety stop, the STOP icon is displayed with a three-minute countdown (instead of the no-decompression time left). The countdown is shown in minutes, not seconds. A mandatory safety stop (as opposed to a recommended safety stop) is indicated with both the STOP icon and the CEILING icon, and the countdown of the mandatory safety stop includes the recommended safety stop.
Dive Planning
The Zoop has a planning mode that can be used to plan dives. The planning mode accounts for: any (calculated) residual nitrogen, dive history for the past four days, and oxygen toxicity (Nitrox mode).
Uh Oh, Deco
If the dive becomes a decompression dive, the Zoop automatically switches into deco mode and shows the time needed to ascend (ASC TIME) instead of the no-decompression-stop time remaining. But you need to know what the icons mean. Some are symbols, not words. You really have to study the manual. And you cant use the Zoop to plan deco dives. The deco mode is there if things dont go as planned.
ASC TIME (the ascent time in a deco dive) is the minimum amount of time needed to reach the surface with all stops. It consists of: (1) the time needed to ascend to the stop ceiling at an ascent rate of 33 feet per minute plus (2) the time needed at the ceiling (the shallowest depth to which you should ascend) plus (3) the time needed at the mandatory safety stop (if any) plus (4) the three-minute recommended safety stop plus (5) the time needed to reach the surface after the ceiling and safety stops have been completed.
Continuous Decompression vs. Deep Stop
In the event of going into deco mode, rather than requiring you to make stops at fixed depths, the Zoop models continuous decompression, which does not require you to make intermediate stops.
Surface Interval
At the surface, the Zoop shows the surface-interval time (which counts up) and then the no-fly time (which counts down) by pressing the TIME button. There is a no-fly icon until the no-fly time has elapsed.
Backlight
The Zoop does not have a backlight, but I don't miss that feature. In all the day-time diving that I did, the display was always really easy to read. True the diving was in the Bahamas, where the water is very clear, but at 134 feet, there was no problem whatsoever reading the display. On the one night dive that I did, I had a light, and I could read the display with the aid of the light. The display is phosphorescent so it retains a glow, though that is not nearly as bright as a backlight. I simply spilled the edge of the light corona from the flashlight across the face and read it that way. If you have to push a button to turn on the backlight, I dont know that having to shine the light onto the face of the computer is much more of an inconvenience.
Gauge Mode
The Zoop cannot be used in gauge mode (unless you go into error mode).
Clarity of Manual
The Zoop manual could have been written better, but it is adequate. (Having looked at the manual for the Puck and the Leonardo, the Zoops manual is the best of the lot, with the Pucks being the least satisfactory.)
In most cases, the manual will be understandable by a novice dive-computer user (or perhaps to anyone new to the Zoop) only after doing some dives and getting some data on the computer and also getting some experience using the computer in different situations. A few of the warnings, however, require some memorization.
For example, the Diver Attention Symbol indicates that you should prolong your surface interval because of excess micro-bubbles (predicted, of course, not measured). But that symbol is simply a small exclamation mark in a small trianglenot exactly intuitive. You really, really have to read the manual, study the manual, and know the computer. Otherwise you are rolling dice with your safety if you dont understand what the computer is telling you.
Dive Log
The Zoop does profile sampling every 30 seconds, and the log book can hold 50 hours of dives.
The Zoop has a dive-history memory mode, which will display the maximum depth ever reached, the total accumulated dive time in hours, and the total number of dives. The dive-history memory can hold a maximum of 999 dives and 999 diving hours, after which it will reset to zero.
If you want to download the logbook onto dive logging software on your computer, the software is free, but the proprietary Suunto cable that is need to transfer the date is expensive. Since I don't do enough diving to need a computer program to log my dives, I found manually writing down the essential information and entering it into a spreadsheet to be sufficient for my purposes. The only information that would be tedious to record would be the profile of the dive, the depth of which is shown in the logbook mode every 30 seconds.
Battery
The battery is user-replaceable. All history and profile data, as well as the altitude, personal and alarm settings, will remain in the dive computer memory after the battery change.
The clock time and time alarm setting, however, are lost, and all nitrogen and oxygen uptake data are lost. Therefore the battery should not be changed until the no-flying time shown by the computer has reached zero.
Every time you turn on the Zoop, it gives you an indication of battery life, with up to four bars. There is also a battery icon the shows up when the battery is low. So if you are going on a trip and check the battery, you will know to change the battery when there are only two bars.
Wrist Band
The Zoops band is so long that it curls around the wrist until it covers the display. I had to keep pushing it away to read the display on the first set of dives, but then I trimmed it (easy to do because there are grooves where the material is thinner). Because I don't know how thick a covering might one day be on my wrist (say, a dry suit), I only cut the portion that overlapped the display, leaving a band that still left plenty of room to cover a thicker exposure suit.
Warranty
The Zoop has a 24-month warranty.
Conclusion
As an entry-level computer, the Zoop does an admirable job.
