Shearwater Petrel....preorder???

[thebrain]

@Dr. Lecter, in your opinion, is the Petrel easy enough that a rec diver could set up and use it without it being dangerous (due to complexity of the extra dive settings/mixes it offers). I am looking for a dive computer as a rec diver and I really want something that is reliable, with a large display and ideally wrist mounted and I am okay if I need ot get a tech computer to accomplish that as long as there is a good reason not to

 

[Dr. Lecter]

@thebrain: I sent you a longer PM about the major differences in complexity as I see them between the Petrel and the Cobalt (which is the rec computer I'm most familiar with), but my basic answer is that any rec diver will be fine with a Petrel set to OC mode. The major difference I see between the Petrel and the Cobalt for purposes of your question is what a diver can access and change during a dive, mainly re: gas mixes. I don't think the potential to inadvertently make changes to gas mixes during the dive is a dangerous complexity because the process for doing so is clear and deliberate, but it's not an error you can make with the Cobalt. Conversely, though, if you have to change gas during a dive because you set the computer wrong before starting, or you had to change gas because of an emergency, the Petrel would allow you do do that whereas the Cobalt is limited to its pre-dive defined gases.

 

[manni-yunk]

@thebrain: I sent you a longer PM about the major differences in complexity as I see them between the Petrel and the Cobalt (which is the rec computer I'm most familiar with), but my basic answer is that any rec diver will be fine with a Petrel set to OC mode. The major difference I see between the Petrel and the Cobalt for purposes of your question is what a diver can access and change during a dive, mainly re: gas mixes. I don't think the potential to inadvertently make changes to gas mixes during the dive is a dangerous complexity because the process for doing so is clear and deliberate, but it's not an error you can make with the Cobalt. Conversely, though, if you have to change gas during a dive because you set the computer wrong before starting, or you had to change gas because of an emergency, the Petrel would allow you do do that whereas the Cobalt is limited to its pre-dive defined gases.

If you are doing recreational only diving with the petrel. And doing so as a diver that does not also do multi gas tech dives - wouldnt the recomendation be to NOT program any other gas than the one you are diving.....thus completely eliminating the chance of somehow switching gasses? I guess what I am saying ius that just because the Petrel "can" have up to 5 different gas mixez programmed into OC mode, doesnt mean you have to?


I dont have mine yet, but Ive read the manual several times. FWIW, my use will be multiple gas switches....so this topic is really not relevant to me but I thought I would add my 2 cents.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

If you are doing recreational only diving with the petrel. And doing so as a diver that does not also do multi gas tech dives - wouldnt the recomendation be to NOT program any other gas than the one you are diving.....thus completely eliminating the chance of somehow switching gasses?

Yes, but unless I misunderstood the manual you can program and turn on a new gas during a dive, thereby causing the Petrel to use it in its calculations. There is technically no way to completely eliminate the possibility of adding a new gas during the dive, which is both good (if you need to switch to a non-predefined gas in an emergency) and bad (because of the risk you'll somehow add one you don't have accidentally). I think it's a pretty small risk after using the U/I, but it's exactly the sort of thing thebrain was asking about.

Manual @ 30:

Only turn on the gases you are actually carrying on the dive. With radio station gases, the computer has a full picture of the OC and CC gases you are carrying and can make informed predictions about decompression times.There is no need to turn gases off and on when you switch from CC to OC, because the computer already knows what the gas sets are. You should have the CC and OC gases you are actually carrying turned on.
If you often use other gases, but not on this dive, you can enter the gas and turn it off.You can turn gases on and off during a dive and you can also add or remove a gases during the dive if needed.

But, it looks like there may be a way to eliminate this option during a dive; Manual at 29:

Any gases that have both oxygen and helium set to 00 will not be displayed in the "Select Gas" function.

I'll play with this later and update, or someone else can confirm, but I suspect from the above that if you set gases 2-5 to 00/00 before the dive then maybe you will be unable to define and turn them on during the dive, as they will not display at all?

 

[offroadr1]

you can, but if it is not programmed in already, its more than just an accidental button push. it would be very difficult to do an accidental gas switch on the predator, and im assuming the petrel as well.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

you can, but if it is not programmed in already, its more than just an accidental button push. it would be very difficult to do an accidental gas switch on the predator, and im assuming the petrel as well.

Oh yeah, it definitely would be a lot of specific sequence pushes to get to the gas, select it for editing, and then turn it on and/or edit it into something you don't have. It's a very remote risk IMO (and worth it I think for the ability to change gases on the fly underwater).

 

[Safety Stop]

Is there a way you can take picture of those bungee adapters for the Petrel ? Adding bungee was my major concern about this new toy ;-)

There's also a pair of bungiee adaptors in the box I didn't picture and have since installed.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Pulled this from SR's Facebook page (mine is at home, I am at work, and I would never use anything but black shock cord ). They're much tougher than they look (there's a synthetic fiber weave of some kind inside the rubber) and very simple/low profile.

 

[Safety Stop]

Perfect ;-)

 

[HIGHwing]

Shock cord in black.