Oceanic VT3 computer is brain damaged.

[sandblind]

The Oceanic VT3 computer has 3 dive "modes". Normal, Gauge, and Free diver. Now, I can understand that - each mode has a different feature set. That's a good thing.

But, what is brain damaged is that if you set a mode and enter the water the computer "locks" itself into that mode for 24 hours. You CAN'T change it.

Why they would do this is beyond me....

So I'm on a dive trip to Curacao. Nice place. Lots of dives planned. 10 dives over 4 days. First dive, day one. I enter the other world and am surprised to see the computer displaying the 'Gauge' mode. WTF? I didn't set that mode intentionally, but I was playing with the comp the night before, maybe I left it in Gauge mode, maybe it did something weird itself. I don't know. But after the dive, I want the stupid thing to go to Normal mode. No can do. Its "locked".
I end up spending the entire week with the VT3 in Gauge mode.... damn. Its sufficient for safe diving - but
WTH Oceanic. Normal and Gauge mode are very similar.... why not let the diver switch between the two?

 

[warmwaterturner]

I feel your pain. Same thing happened to me early in a trip to Cozumel. Prior to diving - I never switched it to Gauge mode. The only thing I can figure is that when I went to put on my bcd I must have brushed the setting button and changed the dive mode to Gauge. Of course, I only discovered this after I was in the water and the system was activated. Difference here was that I was able to come out of Gauge mode the next dive.

 

[Supermanwoot]

Gauge mode doesn't track your nitrogen exposure so theoretically if you switched to normal mode and got the bends that would be a slightly worse inconvenience than having to break out the dive tables for a week.

If anything, I agree that gauge mode is useless for someone who wants to use their dive computer as a ... dive computer.

 

[SolarStorm]

But doesnt using the DC as a DC after a dive where you might still have some nitrogen loading from an earlier "gauge" dive put you at risk and invalidate any of the loading data in the DC?

I believe this why you never share a computer between divers. My DC displays Dive Time remaining. This could be because of "Air Time" or NDL time or if using Nitrox P02 and always shows the smaller of the numbers.

If you switched to DC mode, you would still really only be using the depth and pressure part of the DC, which are also on the "gauge" screen because you couldnt trust the loading indications or the dive time remaining.

I would rather my DC err on the side of safety. (I have 3 Atom 2's, essentially the same DC)

 

[Supermanwoot]

But doesnt using the DC as a DC after a dive where you might still have some nitrogen loading from an earlier "gauge" dive put you at risk and invalidate any of the loading data in the DC?

Yeah gauge mode for even one dive makes it so you don't know where your nitrogen loading is at. I avoid that mode like the plague and have never used anything besides normal so I'm always tracking my no deco times.

The one thing I hate is the default 50% oxygen mode. That mode will cripple you and force you into decompression diving. Gauge mode is easily avoidable by looking at the screen before you descend. If your default 50 is set to ON though, its a mess waiting to happen and you wont realize it until it says you've exceeded your max PP02 at 60 feet, while also being 6 bars deep in nitro loading.

Lessons learned:
1) Gauge mode is useless
2) Default F02 50% will screw you hard
3) Check your mode and air mix before descending

 

[DiveNav]

......The one thing I hate is the default 50% oxygen mode. That mode will cripple you and force you into decompression diving. .......

Actually, when the 50% Oxygen mode kicks in, the computer will assume your are using a weird gas (that in practice does not exist) that has 50% O2, and 79% N2
Basically this is a super-conservative mode for both Nitrogen loading and Oxygen toxicity.
In the settings you can set this to OFF if you want to.

Alberto (aka eDiver)

 

[MarineResearch]

Actually, when the 50% Oxygen mode kicks in, the computer will assume your are using a weird gas (that in practice does not exist) that has 50% O2, and 79% N2
Basically this is a super-conservative mode for both Nitrogen loading and Oxygen toxicity.
In the settings you can set this to OFF if you want to.

Alberto (aka eDiver)

Who you calling weird. I dive with a 50% O2 mixture all the time. And because I went to California public skools, don't tell me that 50% and 79% don't add up.

 

[fnfalman]

Gauge Mode is NOT useless. It's there for a reason. Since that people don't know what the reason is for, that means they don't know how to use it and don't need to be using it.

I don't see how Gauge Mode or non-Dive Computer modes can be accidentally activated. You have to push two buttons at the same time and hold them down to change a lot of these modes.

The 50% Nitrox default setting is there to help keeping out of trouble the people who changed Nitrox mixes but didn't change computer settings.

Checking your computer's setting is simply a part of pre-dive equipment check.

 

[SolarStorm]

I don't see how Gauge Mode or non-Dive Computer modes can be accidentally activated. You have to push two buttons at the same time and hold them down to change a lot of these modes.

I ended up in Gauge Mode once because I wanted to try my compass on my left wrist instead of my right. The compass slid down my fore arm after I rolled in and waited for the other divers and "rested" against the top button for, and I am guessing 2 seconds, somewhere between grabbing my reg and starting to descend and changed me from "Norm" to "gauge". By the time I did my first check at about 10 feet, I was in gauge mode.

It can happen, I went back to my compass on my right wrist.

 

[HIGHwing]

I don't see how Gauge Mode or non-Dive Computer modes can be accidentally activated. You have to push two buttons at the same time and hold them down to change a lot of these modes.

The problem with the VT3 is that you have to press two buttons to do lots of things. If you happen to press the wrong two buttons it will scroll to Gauge mode and then it's nearly impossible to get it back to Normal and make it stay. The VT3 is ill mannered in this way. I have several hundred dives on my VT3, and if I accidentally flip it to Gauge mode, I get really pissed because I might have just wasted 3 to 20 minutes to get it back to Normal and make it sit and stay