New diver, looking at Suunto D5

[Wibble]

Changing to or from gauge mode or free dive mode with the Teric resets the deco tissues. The diver is responsible for taking this into consideration.

Not much nitrogen loading in a swimming pool.

Thankfully Shearwater chose common sense over pig-headed cover-their-arse and to hell with the customer’s inconvenience.

 

[Wibble]

Another thing I like about the Shearwater user interface is I think the only time I’ve referred to the manual is to explain GF99 (and truth be told, I still couldn’t explain it). It’s so obvious and clear to use you don’t need a manual.

The Suunto manual literally hides the lockout information. It’s also needed to find out the button pressing spells, such as changing gases underwater (it won’t change unless the PPO2 is less than 1.6 using their made up MOD calculation, so 100% oxygen is about 5m/17ft, not 6m/20ft) — think the spell is ascend above "their" MOD, long press on bottom RH button, select gas with short presses on the top LH button, then confirm with the bottom RH button.

 

[Robert H. Diver]

So. it's alright for Shearwater to have issues and failures but no other brand of computers?

Shearwater doesn’t purposely put a STUPID “feature” in their computer to lock you out and stop giving you deco information….This has been gone over multiple times with multiple examples of suuntos failing including me giving an example of the eon core locking my wife out for 48 hours for a “low battery.” A shearwater and lots of other computers will help you get to the surface and not try to kill you. There’s a reason people love shearwater and a reason people dump on suunto. Grow up.

 

[shark_za]

For the dissolved gas models, which these computers all are really, there are two things happening.

The first is constantly calculating the actual gas tensions in the model’s compartments. The second is comparing those gas tensions with some limit.

If you go over the limit then you can carry on calculating the actual tensions (1) eventually though the tensions will drop below the limit (as the diver off gases) and the ceiling will be above (2) the ambient again. It a choice about what to do, lock people out, like Suunto, or not, like Shearwater.

But some models dont take what happens where these tensions rise to form bubbles, and just ignore that issue.
Not diving for at least 24 hours does seem prudent in these cases?
The only issue is the lockout is too long right?

 

[Derek of So Cal]

I passed my OW cert in Monterey yesterday, now it looks like my credit card is going to be punished. I'm torn on what wrist dive computer to get. I understand the buy once, cry once view, but I might be crying more than I need.

I know I want AI. I have no plans on ever doing anything other than rec diving. I don't want to go crazy deep, push my limits, etc. I want to explore beautiful sites under the surface, probably taking a nitrox class in the near future. I've been looking at the D5, which is already over my original top budget of $1,000 (Ha! I had no idea how expensive of a hobby I was getting myself into when I saw that Discover Scuba booth by the hotel pool). The only reason I haven't bought it yet is because I keep seeing things about 48 hour lock outs if you do something wrong. I honestly don't think it would be an issue for me because at the moment I am still a tiny bit apprehensive about diving. But then I've seen a couple things where people were locked out in a pool, or diving at 6 meters and there should be no reason for it to lock. I would be super upset if that happened while on a trip. I like the size of the watch, my close up vision is not awesome, so the big numbers on the screen work for me, I like the looks of the app / downloaded logs.

I started off with first looking at the Aqualung i470TC, but I like the color screen of the D5 better. The other wrist watch I see everywhere is the Teric, which looks like a superior computer. But I can't justify the price as a newbie. Maybe if I get 100 dives under my belt I will be ok with crying again?

Firstly, congrats on your certification! Welcome to a wonderful new world that you'll probably be happy to break the bank for.

After a few years on SB, the majority of the vocal crowd here seems mostly to be a bunch of Shearwater lovers. Can't blame 'em as I've heard they are fine computers. Nicely-designed, very shiny, and I'd bet they work very well. Unfortunately I haven't dived one yet. Technically it sounds like they're more than you would need, and in your case you might be better off getting other gear than paying big $ for the shine and unnecessary features.

Now about Suunto. I'll keep a long story short and just say that my older non-AI Vyper and Stinger have been consistently wonderful over a thousand dives. I still dive them and they are ultra-reliable, easy to use, have great battery life and the designs still look cool to me. The only bad experiences I've had are with their desktop software, which in my opinion has been continually horrible throughout my 30+ years as a Mac-and-Suunto user.

In my circles Suunto had a reputation for being quite safe during an era when there were some divers that had medically-confirmed cases of the bends while their non-Suunto computers said they were still within safe limits. On the other hand some divers would get mad if they had to dive with a buddy who had a Suunto because they'd have shorter bottom times. I always viewed the conservatism as a feature not a limitation. Bottom line I've had plenty of nice long dives, never been bent, and I like it that way.

Nowadays things may be different. I don't know Suunto's state of corporate affairs, but based on SB posts it sounds like there may have been some hubub. Not sure what to think about all of that. All I know is that I've not heard any of my diving friends having had any issues with their Suuntos. The only thing I find to be disconcerting is that many of their models are "Out of stock" on their website. Why? Dunno, but I hope they stay around despite the bad rap as I want to be able to keep mine in service for many more years.

All that said, your question is about the D5. Call me old school, but I can't imagine being in a remote resort with limited electrical outlets and needing to charge my dive computer as much as I'd have to charge my phone. 6-12 hours of (diving) battery life is not at all enough in my eyes, and that fancy screen is super not worth it unless one prefers to sit around by the charging station gazing at it while others are diving. Note this comment applies as much to the D5 as it does to all the other battery-sucking fancy-screened computers. I can totally see how consumers would want/expect a screen that looks neat like their iPhone, but personally what I want in a dive computer is big numbers that show me a safe no-decompression time, audio alarms that scream at me should I ascend too fast, and at least several weeks (or months) of dive time without me having to charge or do anything else to it other than give it a good soak and rinse after diving.

I'm not in to AI personally, but if I was I'd be looking at the Vyper Novo for that bigger screen. I bet it has that fantastic battery life that I know and love, plus I'd bet $5 it would keep me quite safe and not lock me out despite all the hubub. I've only needed to call Suunto customer service once but they weren't horrible, and I've always had maintenance done well at my local dive shop. As for the software, use Subsurface and you'll be fine =)

That's my $.02. Hope it helps and enjoy your dives!

 

[Wibble]

A Shearwater lover’s advice. Seriously.

In the first instance you’ve a load of kit to get and a load of practice to do. Expensive.

For your fist kit, don’t spend too much. Shiny stuff like computers are expensive. Most of the Shearwater fanbois (who me?) are addicts, nay, borderline junkies who’ve spent thousands if not tenS of thousands of $£€ on our kit.

For your first computer, just get a simple Suunto/whatever. $£€200 is enough to see you through most of your diving. Certainly to the point where you’re sucking on the diving bong with the rest of us!

Spend your money on a half reasonable drysuit that fits. With a comfy undersuit. Again, go for a Seaskin or cheaper suit. You don’t need to staff out $4k on a made to measure top end drysuit and undersuit!!


Just for some balance after my earlier posts…. Suunto entry level computers are great value for money and I would highly recommend their entry level models to new divers. Only when you move on to technical diving with multiple gasses that the Shearwater computers really come in to their own. OK, or if you really really want one as they’re so shiny and work well.

$200 vs. $1000. You choose!

BTW if you do eventually succumb, you’ll get a good price for a starter computer on the open market.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

A Shearwater lover’s advice. Seriously.

In the first instance you’ve a load of kit to get and a load of practice to do. Expensive.

For your fist kit, don’t spend too much. Shiny stuff like computers are expensive. Most of the Shearwater fanbois (who me?) are addicts, nay, borderline junkies who’ve spent thousands if not tenS of thousands of $£€ on our kit.

For your first computer, just get a simple Suunto/whatever. $£€200 is enough to see you through most of your diving. Certainly to the point where you’re sucking on the diving bong with the rest of us!

Spend your money on a half reasonable drysuit that fits. With a comfy undersuit. Again, go for a Seaskin or cheaper suit. You don’t need to staff out $4k on a made to measure top end drysuit and undersuit!!


Just for some balance after my earlier posts…. Suunto entry level computers are great value for money and I would highly recommend their entry level models to new divers. Only when you move on to technical diving with multiple gasses that the Shearwater computers really come in to their own. OK, or if you really really want one as they’re so shiny and work well.

$200 vs. $1000. You choose!

BTW if you do eventually succumb, you’ll get a good price for a starter computer on the open market.

Great post! My first computer was an Aeris Atmos 2. Served me very well for a few years. My second was a Nitek Duo. Another great computer that served me well for a few years. I had been diving 7 years and had spent … lots … by the time I bought my first Shearwater.

 

[SKS22]

My family was a Suunto house, I thought the conservative nature and the slick look and simple operations were great for them.
But having two computers fail on the same trip has made me see the light.
You dont have to go Shearwater or Garmin to get a good dive computer, but you probably need to be very selective about Suunto.

Middle of the road to basic stuff like Oceanic, Mares even Cressi, will be better.
My opinion, thats all.
Strange the Mosquito just keeps on ticking.

LoL. I have an old Mosquito, too. LDS has no more kits, so when the battery is changed all the old stuff is reused. It refuses to die (or flood). Family members use it when diving with me. Sometimes I use it as a backup or, when I let my buddy try the Garmin, as a primary. I don't know how it compares with modern Suuntos but the Mosquito UI is garbage. Still, that's no big deal. The essential info is front and center.

I'm doing simple recreational dives so I am not commenting on any of the points made by advanced technical divers.

I dive a Garmin MK2i. It's too expensive but it is awesome! I agree with the commentator above who wrote about his MK21. I love it as a dive computer, but it is also awesome for cycling, hiking, swimming, running and as a fitness tracker. It gives all sorts of really cool metrics, but it's the simple stuff that made me love it. For example, I hate when I lose count while swimming laps. How many sets did I do? What length am I on? Can I guesstimate by checking my time? I hate it when that happens! This thing counts everything which makes following a workout easy. The metrics are also really helpful for fine-tuning. E.g. how much more aero is the new position on the bike and how much power is it costing? Is it worth it? Garmin makes figuring that stuff out much easier than the old days of a stopwatch on a course.

If you want a multisport computer with your dive computer get a Garmin. You'll pay too much money (even the cheaper G1 seems pricey for what you get), but you'll love it. But if you want just a dive computer for recreational dives then Garmin is just too expensive. Diving with my Garmin does not make diving any more or less fun than diving with my Mosquito. It's still awesome regardless of which computer I use.

One final thought: these days prior year non-diving Garmins are selling cheap (that was not the case before the Apple Watch Ultra appeared), so you could probably get a non-diving prior year model Garmin Fenix or Forerunner and a pretty fancy dive computer for less than an MK2i.

Edit to say: My Mosquito was 75 US on Ebay a few years ago. The MK2i was 1200 and I got a large discount. The Garmin is better, but not 1125 better!

 

[Divin'Papaw]

LoL. I have an old Mosquito, too. LDS has no more kits, so when the battery is changed all the old stuff is reused. It refuses to die (or flood). Family members use it when diving with me. Sometimes I use it as a backup or, when I let my buddy try the Garmin, as a primary. I don't know how it compares with modern Suuntos but the Mosquito UI is garbage. Still, that's no big deal. The essential info is front and center.

I'm doing simple recreational dives so I am not commenting on any of the points made by advanced technical divers.

I dive a Garmin MK2i. It's too expensive but it is awesome! I agree with the commentator above who wrote about his MK21. I love it as a dive computer, but it is also awesome for cycling, hiking, swimming, running and as a fitness tracker. It gives all sorts of really cool metrics, but it's the simple stuff that made me love it. For example, I hate when I lose count while swimming laps. How many sets did I do? What length am I on? Can I guesstimate by checking my time? I hate it when that happens! This thing counts everything which makes following a workout easy. The metrics are also really helpful for fine-tuning. E.g. how much more aero is the new position on the bike and how much power is it costing? Is it worth it? Garmin makes figuring that stuff out much easier than the old days of a stopwatch on a course.

If you want a multisport computer with your dive computer get a Garmin. You'll pay too much money (even the cheaper G1 seems pricey for what you get), but you'll love it. But if you want just a dive computer for recreational dives then Garmin is just too expensive. Diving with my Garmin does not make diving any more or less fun than diving with my Mosquito. It's still awesome regardless of which computer I use.

One final thought: these days prior year non-diving Garmins are selling cheap (that was not the case before the Apple Watch Ultra appeared), so you could probably get a non-diving prior year model Garmin Fenix or Forerunner and a pretty fancy dive computer for less than an MK2i.

Edit to say: My Mosquito was 75 US on Ebay a few years ago. The MK2i was 1200 and I got a large discount. The Garmin is better, but not 1125 better!

I got a Forerunner for Christmas and am quickly becoming addicted to it.

 

[Posinator]

A Shearwater lover’s advice. Seriously.

In the first instance you’ve a load of kit to get and a load of practice to do. Expensive.

For your fist kit, don’t spend too much. Shiny stuff like computers are expensive. Most of the Shearwater fanbois (who me?) are addicts, nay, borderline junkies who’ve spent thousands if not tenS of thousands of $£€ on our kit.

For your first computer, just get a simple Suunto/whatever. $£€200 is enough to see you through most of your diving. Certainly to the point where you’re sucking on the diving bong with the rest of us!

Spend your money on a half reasonable drysuit that fits. With a comfy undersuit. Again, go for a Seaskin or cheaper suit. You don’t need to staff out $4k on a made to measure top end drysuit and undersuit!!


Just for some balance after my earlier posts…. Suunto entry level computers are great value for money and I would highly recommend their entry level models to new divers. Only when you move on to technical diving with multiple gasses that the Shearwater computers really come in to their own. OK, or if you really really want one as they’re so shiny and work well.

$200 vs. $1000. You choose!

BTW if you do eventually succumb, you’ll get a good price for a starter computer on the open market.

I completely agree and this mirrors my own journey. My son and I got certified with rental Suuntos. Then we went on to advanced open water/nitrox and bought our own Suuntos. on the dive shop's recommendation. As I REALLY got sucked into the sport in 2020, I made the leap to Shearwater and as I REALLY REALLY got sucked in I decided to have another Shearwater as a backup. All in with the air integration I probably spent $2000-$2500 just on computers/transmitter. The Shearwater/Suunto combo worked fine but gave some different NDL calcs, as you would expect running different algorithms. So here I am, an unabashed Shearwater fan. Does it do more than I need it to do right now? Sure. But I plan to move on to more mixed gas/deco training and they will be perfect for that. Hope I'm not breaking any rules by posting this here fyi I put my Suunto up for sale on SB last month. Good luck on your journey. For Sale - Suunto Zoop Novo 2 Console - Nitrox Compatible