Shearwater coming out with new DC?

[dmaziuk]

Same.

I believe that there is a large niche market of rec divers that are comfortable straddling the NDL line. Either "for real" or due to adding large amounts of conservatism.

Well, the last year's crop of DG03/Geo2/A300s has already gone past 40 m and over 50% O2 and with the sale price of $200-250 they're hard to beat. TX1 already has settable GFs. So the only issue is shiny! customizable tft/oled screens with the attendant battery life/size and sun glare baggage. I'm not sure I'd want to start R&D'ing a product to compete with those. Plus, of course, H3. And OSTC sport, if you don't go AI.

 

[lowviz]

All valid points, I never said that there weren't contenders in that particular area. I still believe that SW would compete well in that market.

 

[drrich2]

The look of them is another thing that attracted me to them. They look like they can take anything a diver can dish out and still work as intended. I don't want some dinky looking dainty computer.

Durability is a big plus for any dive computer, or piece of dive gear in general, considering the hazardous conditions of people duck-walking around geared up on boat decks, etc... I'm not pushing for high end fashion here. Just black screw heads. Maybe, maybe, a smoothly rounded case that doesn't look lumpy? If Shearwater made one that looked like this, with no compromise in functionality or durability, but also marketed the current 'look,' I wonder how many customers would buy the 'old, blocky, glaring silver screw heads on a black base' version because it looks tough?

Richard.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I would because it just doesn't look tough, it is tough. The dealer who sold mine to me used the chuck hers across a parking lot about 30 feet demo. A few scuffs but no effect on the working of it.

 

[Oldbear]

Shearwater needs to stay the computer for the thinking diver. Not for the fly the computer mindlessly crowd. That's one of the things that sets them apart. A computer for divers, by divers, with simple and intuitive functionality, and a manual not written by lawyers that anyone can understand.

There are enough paperweights out there with AI and stupid audible alarms...

I agree with Jim...

I wish "fully automated" divers would stop trying change a tool that was never designed for their style of diving. There is a pluthera very nice AI computers on the market.

 

[drrich2]

I wish "fully automated" divers would stop trying change a tool that was never designed for their style of diving.

It's a 2-way street, in a way. Scuba Board gets a number of 'What computer should I buy?' threads, the majority by recreational divers, and most recreational divers never get into technical diving. Yet in these threads, Shearwater computers are often not just recommended, but held to be superior to other options by a significant margin (rather than referred to as a tool that was never designed for their style of diving). And A.I., the obvious option it lacks, get derided as a useless unreliable waste of money, rather than something some value enough to pay for, & some don't, make your own decision.

As a consequence, the recreational community, most of whom have some different perspectives from the tech. community (inspiring such terms as 'the fly the computer mindlessly crowd' and 'fully automated divers'), take a look at the Shearwater products. But with their wants/needs/values.

Richard.

 

[Nasser]

It's very clear that Shearwater is one of the most responsive and dynamic manufacturers around. They are constantly adding timely firmware upgrades and it's evident that as they evolve they do so by constantly listening to customer feedback.

Although the Petrel and it's predecessors have their roots as technical dive computers, the release of the OC Rec mode was a response to the growing number of requests for a simpler more appropriate UI for NDL dives (while still mainitnig some technical functions) and a desire to broaden the appeal of the Petrel for those not strictly engaged in Tech diving - and it worked.

The addition of a digital compass, bluetooth, and mobile app compatibility... and now the more streamlined Perdix on the way are all a result Shearwater's continued responsiveness to customer demand - but most importantly, without losing the qualities of what has made them such a great company or by getting too "gimmicky" .

Will they decide to introduce an A.I. version? Who knows? I get the feeling that they don't really see the need to add this function for both technical and economical reasons and for now, there doesn't seem to be an overwhelming demand for this. Maybe this will change as the company continues to evolve, broaden its customer base, and respond to customer demand, but I for one would never miss not having an AI computer... and I think that the upcoming Perdix may just end up being "the perfect PDC."

 

[lowviz]

I would love to see Shearwater enter the recreational field.

Two main reasons, user interface and (as someone said before) a DC offering for the “thinking” diver. No, that wasn’t a cut aimed at recreational divers. I’m mostly recreational too. It would be really nice to see a purely recreational offering coming from a solid tech mindset for a change.

Imagine a recreational DC with a rich choice of algorithms and settings, customizable display, and their brilliant user interface. Light deco? No prob, no whining, no big deal. Too much for a newbie? Choose standard settings, bubble or saturation model. Nothing to adjust other than Nitrox.

No, I have no associations or financial interests in Shearwater. I just like them a lot and I make it a point to actively support what I want more of.

So you are on a boat, paired with an instabuddy diving a bubble model DC. OK, change algorithm, right there with ya…

 

[vixtor]

So you are on a boat, paired with an instabuddy diving a bubble model DC. OK, change algorithm, right there with ya…

You dive the algorithm that you consider right for you, with your choice of conservatism. Changing this for an instabuddy doesn't seem wise to me

What I would like from shearwater the most would be the option for a smaller font and more info on the main screen. For example now I cannot have clock(time if day), @+5 and gf99 simultaneously. What I do is to display gf99 only when ndl is 0, on the ndl position, but it would be nice (just for didactic purposes during ascent) to be able to see it all the time.

Also an easier way to display the deco schedule with all the steps while in water, like a secondary screen would be nice.

 

[AJ]

I would love to see Shearwater enter the recreational field.

Euhm, they already did. The Petrel has rec mode and it's very good.