Shearwater live streaming update July 23

[Joneill]

IMO, AI is overrated and encourages divers to rely on their gear rather than skills/good practices. Maybe there is a situation in more technical diving than i am doing now where AI is hugely beneficial?

Transmittters have gotten more reliable for sure but i still see too many failures for my taste. If you are using a hosed spg backup, you dont get the benefit of "streamlining" either.

Hmmm... not sure how being able to look in 1 place for your air pressure AND all of your other dive data makes one more reliant on their grear versus having to look in 2 places (DC and SPG) for the same info?

Also, I'm with you on the SPG backup ad streamlining- which is why I use 2 transmitters (and 2 DC's). I also do that so I will never have to cut a dive short if I have an AI failure (though I have not experienced or personally know anyone who has had an AI failure).. To each his own, though...

 

[drk5036]

I'll wait for the AI. I don't really care about the compass, but I do have several PPS transmitters already. AI adds only $86 to the cost of a Perdix. I assume it has SurfGF like the Teric and Perdix.

With AI, this might be the perfect computer for my diving

This for me is a huge question: can it display SurfGF? It’s a feature I’m really interested in having.

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

IMO, AI is overrated and encourages divers to rely on their gear rather than skills/good practices.

Disagree. Having your pressure wrist mounted so that it is as easilly available as your depth and times should be equally rated.

Maybe there is a situation in more technical diving than i am doing now where AI is hugely beneficial?

Your earlier argument could be better applied here, as there is an argument that the transmitter is one additional o-ring to fail, and AI could be a crutch or distraction from proper dive planning. However, I disagree with that as well.

If you are using a hosed spg backup, you dont get the benefit of "streamlining" either.

That small HP miflex hose that is routed closely on the inside of my plate and clipped onto my hip d-ring causes so much drag!

 

[Still Kicking]

OK, I can see some of those attractions but I am so programmed to check my SPG and even then it's mostly as a confirmation that I am using as much gas as I think I am using, that "all in one place" doesn't mean much to me. But I am a dinosaur LOL.

When I talk about over-dependence on gear, I was referring to the divers who tell me they like the fact that the computer will alert them when they reach a certain predetermined pressure. For a piece of gear that has a relatively high failure rate, that doesn't seem like a great trade off.

Also I was wondering if AI and SAC rate calculations etc. are a big help with gas management in sidemounting or some other aspect of tech that I've never done.

As far as failure points, in addition to the additional O-ring, you have a large, rigid plastic knob protruding from your first stage. In an overhead environment especially, that seems a bit of a risk. Also, I have heard of tank monkeys accidentally grabbing it for a handle.

I put streamlining in quotes because that is an benefit people sometimes make in favor of AI but at the same time they add a backup gauge. I am not arguing it's a big factor either way.

Bottom line, I can see how most people might see AI as a nice-to-have feature but I wouldn't think it would be a deal breaker for the budget conscious diver, since it was omitted to keep the price under $500.

 

[stuartv]

there is an argument that the transmitter is one additional o-ring to fail

There are a lot less O-rings in an AI transmitter screwed into a first stage, than a HP hose with SPG screwed into a first stage.

In the AI setup, there is only 1 O-ring that can fail and cause you to start losing gas.

In the SPG setup, there are at least 4 that I can think of, any of which would result in losing gas. Plus the HP hose itself.

I have AI on all my rigs (single tank, doubles, and CCR). No SPGs. On the OC rigs, the transmitter is angled down, towards the tank. Pretty much no chance of hitting it on anything in an overhead environment, or of someone grabbing it as a handle. On CCR, they are on HP hoses, because my particular CCR does not have room to attach them directly to the 1st stages. Those hoses route so that the transmitters are at the top of the unit, between the scrubber and the trim weight tray. So, totally protected.

 

[Manatee Diver]

As far as failure points, in addition to the additional O-ring, you have a large, rigid plastic knob protruding from your first stage. In an overhead environment especially, that seems a bit of a risk. Also, I have heard of tank monkeys accidentally grabbing it for a handle.

You see lots of cave divers running transmitters now, most of the backmount guys use a short hose so it isn't hard mounted. A lot of the sidemount guys have it mounted in such a way that it getting hit is highly unlikely so they hard mount it. But some run it on a short hose too.

 

[Still Kicking]

You see lots of cave divers running transmitters now, most of the backmount guys use a short hose so it isn't hard mounted. A lot of the sidemount guys have it mounted in such a way that it getting hit is highly unlikely so they hard mount it. But some run it on a short hose too.

So they solve one potential problem and they introduce all the potential failure points that Stuartv listed as the downsides to an SPG

Just to be clear, to each their own. Most of this is devil's advocate. I am somewhat tempted to go AI myself for the convenience but it's not worth the additional cost to me so I am very happy with my non-AI Perdix.

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

There are a lot less O-rings in an AI transmitter screwed into a first stage, than a HP hose with SPG screwed into a first stage.

In the AI setup, there is only 1 O-ring that can fail and cause you to start losing gas.

In the SPG setup, there are at least 4 that I can think of, any of which would result in losing gas. Plus the HP hose itself.

I have AI on all my rigs (single tank, doubles, and CCR). No SPGs. On the OC rigs, the transmitter is angled down, towards the tank. Pretty much no chance of hitting it on anything in an overhead environment, or of someone grabbing it as a handle. On CCR, they are on HP hoses, because my particular CCR does not have room to attach them directly to the 1st stages. Those hoses route so that the transmitters are at the top of the unit, between the scrubber and the trim weight tray. So, totally protected.

My transmitter points down as well.... would be really hard to accidently grab. Plus I use the yellow transmitter as my primary.... so there is the color identifier as well.

Good point on the SPG, I was assuming the SPG would be there as backup but I never thought about the swivels, hose, etc that adds o-rings. That's something to consider...

I have moved my wife to a button SPG to validate the transmitter as functional before going into the water and also at least some sort of a backup if the transmitter fails during a dive.

 

[stuartv]

So they solve one potential problem and they introduce all the potential failure points that Stuartv listed as the downsides to an SPG

Exactly. All the more reason I attach mine directly to the 1st stage.

 

[rhwestfall]

So we need to ditch all this dangerous and failure prone stuff and go back to j-valves... Good grief.