Shearwater Petrel....preorder???

[NAM001]

you are correct now that i have reread the article

Well - best I can tell, it doesnt support external PPo2 monitoring yet - so Im not sure why you think its targeted at them. Differences I can tell are:

1) smaller (40% by volume is what is advertised) - Volume is slightly misleading but the actualy footprint of it is not that much smaller. AND - the screen size is the same exact size as the predator. Im not sure what benefit you might think a large form factor would have if the screens are the same size

2) Gauge mode - again - not limited to rebreather divers.....many OC tech divers only use computers in gauge mode and the predator does not have this

3) Battery options.....again, not sure how the new flexibility to batteries is a benefit to rebreathers. Seems to me its for everyone.


4) Lower price point. Not many manufacturers come out with a next gen product and realize cost savings of manufacturing, and decide to pass that along to the consumer. Clearly Shearwater went against the grain here as the Petrel is less expensive than any of the predator versions.

Im wondering what makes you think this computers advantages are for the rebreather VS OC any different than the prior version (Predator)

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i saw this in my manual and thought the same.

Wow .. I think this speaks very well of the Shearwater company .. Truth and reasonable precautions right there in plain english ... (note: this is NOT a complaint , this is a post congratulating them , Well Done Shearwater)
from the manual ...

WARNING

This computer has bugs. Although we haven’t found them all yet, they are there. It is certain that there are things that this computer does that either we didn’t think about, or planned for it to do something different. Never risk your life on only one source of information. Use a second computer or tables. If you choose to make riskier dives, obtain the proper training and work up to them slowly to gain experience.

This computer will fail. It is not whether it will fail but when it will fail. Do not depend on it. Always have a plan on how to handle failures. Automatic systems are no substitute for knowledge and training.

No technology will keep you alive. Knowledge, skill, and practiced procedures are your best defense (Except for not doing the dive, of course).
​

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Just got an email saying my Petrel was shipping today, should have it [-]tomorrow[/-] Monday!

 

[pugdiver]

Just got an email saying my Petrel was shipping today, should have it tomorrow!

When did you pre-order?

 

[Dr. Lecter]

When did you pre-order?

Tuesday...

Ugh, no Saturday Delivery with Dive Gear Express's "Next Day" option Cobalt gets another weekend of use, and I'll get to play with the new Petrel on Monday evening.

 

[HIGHwing]

Petrels are inbound for me and the wife, but it looks like I'm also on the old computer for dives tomorrow. :-( Kudos to the SR for the warning in the manual, it caught my wife's attention and her response, "...order me one of those".

Booked some diving for next weekend, so we'll see what's up with the Petrels and I'll post our results.

 

[pugdiver]

Looks like we are all racing to receive and then post the results.

 

[sffrenchman]

I receive my petrel today and so far I am impressed (I am a new shearwater user). I like the size and love the screen readability. I was able to go through the manual in less than 2 hours and understand how to use it....very impressive intuitive menus. Unlocked VPM without any problems. Will take it for a couple of dives this weekend.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Got mine today, pics below for comparison to a Cobalt and a 42mm dive watch. Screen is very bright, though a little less bright full power than a Cobalt screen at full power...Petrel seems sharper/clearer, though. Overall, very easy and intuitive to navigate, though not as good a U/I as Cobalt.

The most interesting thing so far has been playing with the dive planners on both my Cobalt and the Petrel. For the same 30min all 21/00 dive at 110', Cobalt's most conservative RGBM produces significantly shorter deco schedules than all but the least conservative settings for VPM or GF. On its least conservative settings, the Petrel produces a schedule within 5 or so minutes of the Cobalt's most conservative RGBM schedule, but the Cobalt still has a shorter ascent time. Guess I need to compare Shearwater's implementation of VPM to my V-Planner next.

 

[Kussi]

Thank you Dr. Lecter, very interesting pictures so far. I was a bit afraid that the backlight on the Petrel would shine more because of the used LCD screen... but it is fine! How does the new display perform under different viewing angels compared to the OLED of the Cobalt?

 

[Dr. Lecter]

I'm not comparing apples to apples on viewing clarity at a given angle because of a Zagg shield on the Cobalt (thicker and textured=little less transparent than Atomic's Cobalt screen protector) and the fact that the Cobalt has a different screen design (curved surface, vertical orientation, 1cm raised bezel around curved screen surface) than the Petrel's screen (flat, horizontal orientation, no bezel and no computer sticking out around the screen).

That said, it is somewhat easier to read the Petrel's screen at extremely flat angles. Mostly this is true when the Cobalt is not in the Dive screen and the text gets smaller, but some of it is caused by not being able to see all of the Cobalt's screen at certain viewing angles because the bezel and/or Cobalt itself is blocking the view. Of course, because the Cobalt lives on a console and not your wrist, the whole viewing angle issue isn't as big a deal IMO. The Cobalt's Dive screen is generally just as legible at about any angle as the Petrel. But the Petrel screen is amazing...like beautifully clear eInk or something. It's an extremely high contrast LCD screen--in the bad photos I posted, the Petrel text looks slightly less fuzzy than the Cobalt text because it is slightly sharper than the Cobalt--and the blacks are very non-emissive.

There's also a pair of bungiee adaptors in the box I didn't picture and have since installed. It feels small on my arm, neither too long nor too wide nor top-heavy, but is easy to reach and control with a bare minimum of movement. The screen size is comparable to my Cobalt, and in Dive mode each has about the same size text.

U/I and systems-wise, one has significantly more access/options while on a dive with the Petrel than one has with the Cobalt. I'd say that's not better or worse per se, just different: greater flexibility accompanied by a greater chance to screw up something. In terms of working through the U/I itself, while the Petrel has the greater range of configurability and options, the Cobalt's up/down/enter/back 4-button U/I is easier and more intuitive for me than the Petrel's menu/select 2-button system. However, the Petrel's U/I is good enough that the computer can be configured without reading the manual (provided you understand the meaning of the various terms and what the available options do).

Overall, excellent job, SR.