Sunnto lockouts?

[100days-a-year]

On a recent trip to the Keys,my friend had his new toy(Suunto)It appears at 1st to be a nice thought out design.He has since switched to an Oceanic .Here's why 1.Hard to read underwater.2.Difficult to program all those bells and whistles 3.Most important He was locked out 4 of 7 days due to the conservatism of the algorithm.That is to say that he found it nearly impossible doing multi-day repetitive dives.Also the ascent rate is a bit slow altho very safe.For a very conservative occasional diver I'm sure they'de be fine.I'd hate to take one on a long trip or liveaboard tho.A thing to consider,before they entered the market in the states,didn't they make Tabatas(TUSA)computers?I never heard such glowing reports about them then.

 

[rcohn]

100days-a-year

If you know someone who was locking out that much he was diving very aggressively. You appear to be very poorly informed about Suunto computers. Many serious divers use them on multiday trips with no lockout problems. They are easy to read underwater, check out the recent Rodale’s review, and I certainly have no difficulty programming mine. The 30 fpm ascent rate conforms to current DAN recommendations and I believe it is in line with DIR and other up-to-date technical diving practice. The Suunto Favor and Companion computer, both of which have good reputations, were also marketed as the TUSA IQ-400 and IQ-300. They were simultaneously in the US market under both the Seaquest and TUSA brands.

I certainly plan on using mine on my next long trip.

The Diver magazine computer review is now online. They took representative computers on a multiday trip and were able to dive without locking out the Suunto models Though I found the presentation of the results a bit disappointing, it is certainly worth reading. http://www.divernet.com/equipment/0901comptests.htm

100days-a-year, you will see both the older Suunto computer, of which you have such a low and ill-informed opinion, and the newer computers covered

Ralph

 

[bradymsu]

I have never been able to lock out my Cobra and my general dive habits are multi-day repetitive dives. I can see how that would be possible but you'd have to be skipping deco or mandatory safety stops and would be setting yourself up to collect on your DAN insurance big time. Maybe his computer is defective? Maybe he's a very adventerous (and lucky!) diver.

The Cobra follows a 30ft/min ascent rate. This is what DAN now recommends and it should not be violated except in an out of air or other emergency situation. It even allows for a faster rate of ascent from shallower depths since we all tend to violate this rule between 15 feet and the surface.

I haven't found the Cobra either hard to read or to program compared to other computers. It comes with a simple instruction card that can be learned in 5 minutes. It does suffer on the audible alarm part though as they aren't all that loud.

 

[viceroy]

Hi Jana,

I dive with a Suunto Stinger, while not being a Cobra, it is essentially the same computer (without air integration).

I have never had the computer lock me out before.

Last weekend however, I did a dive in extremely cold water @ altitude (computer was setup accordingly), and miscalculated how many weights I'd need as not only did I add layers to my exposure protection, I also used my Ally Cylinder instead of my Steel...needless to say I ended my dive and was unable to make the required safetly stop or even keep to the 10m/min ascent rate. The computer swore at me but never locked me out. But did penalise me for my errors with reduced times for the rest of my dives that weekend.

I think you would have to do something really stupid for the computer to actually lock you out.

Hope that helped

 

[Sue]

I was in a diving trip at Azores doing three/four dives a day. On the second day the sea was rough and we had to get equiped in-water, so somebody threw my BCD into the water, as I have integrated weights and it wasn't completly full, it went down to 30 meters (around 100 feet). The same guy went down, inflated the BC and it came up. I've made my dive, following all safety procedures, but due the rapid ascend of the BCD, it started giving deco time. As I also dive with a Stinger, I saw it was ok and I didn't perform the deco indicated by the Cobra (I've just made a security stop sugested by the Stinger), so the Cobra locked and went into gauge mode. As I was diving often it remained locked for a week (however, indicating remaining air - bars, and time, depth and dive time), but I was backed up by my Stinger.

Sue

 

[jana]

What a great response--thanks to everyone for your input. I now am much better educated about this computer, and feel more confident about getting one.

I'm glad to hear that the computer will give me a chance to recover if I overshoot a stop, and that it will not lock out my air information. I'm not planning on being a risky diver, but I really didn't like the idea of having my air info disappear... even if it was my own fault! But it doesn't sound like something that I need to worry about, as long as I'm diving smart.

Thanks again.

 

[Liquid]

The Cobra is one of the best computers out there.
Infact, in the field of Decompression information, I belive it is the best in the recreational field, along with it's not air-integrated brother, the Vyper. Both use the most advanced dive algorithms used by computers today, RGBM, and considered the safest.

As for the "locking"-

If by "DECO stop" you mean safety stop, than no, it wont lock you for an ordinary safety stop.

If, on the other hand, you mean, a mandatory DECOMPRESSION stop, it will. Belive me, if it gives you a MANDATORY stop, it does it for a reason, never break a ceiling. If it locks you, it dosen't do it for it's own fun, but becouse it is UNSAFE for you to dive.

 

[100days-a-year]

Sorry Ralph,I seem to have been informed enough to know their product line,their shortcomings and even their history .Also please address the issue of the difficulties I mentioned.The friend mentioned in no way violated any safe diving practices.Both of us have been diving for over 15 yrs with more than 1000 dives for him and 2000+ for me.In those years and in every "Rodales "review I've read the Suunto always come out on the conservative end of the scale.For multi -day repetitive dives this will cut into your time.Also for deeper dives ascent rates can be much higher than 30 fpm,at least until you get to the 60-100 ft range..I never said I didn't like them.I said they are unsuitable for what I do which is dive 100-days-a-year.

 

[Liquid]

100-days-

What you say about the lock-out seems wierd.

I Used to work as a dive instructor in a resort. I use the SUUNTO vyper, which along with the cobra and mosquito I belive to be the best n the world. I did up to 15, yes fifteen, dives a day, I did also decompression dives with it and technical dives with it. Never ever was I locked out by it and I see absolutely why one that dives correctly should. Maybe your friend used an older computer. Another thing is that these computers are relatively quiete, not like the annoyingly noisy UWATEC computers. It beeps when you finish your NDL and enter decompression, and when you ascend to fast. All in all the information the computer will give you for decompression dives, is better by far than any other recreational computer.

I used it not 100-days-year but 365-days-year with an avarege of 3-4 work dives a day, sometimes followed by privete dives. Never got locked, extremely happy about it. Infact, I was so happy about it, that when it was stolen from me I just bought another vyper.

 

[100days-a-year]

liquid, I trust those technical dives were with it in the guage mode?A 30 fpm 10 mpm ascent rate would seriously cramp any of the deep diving I do.I ascent rather fast btween deep stops til I get to 100' or so.The computer was new,had several dives on it.We set po2 ,alarms and everything to conform with the dive area.He was below me only as we started up as I ascend faster .I agree no computer should have tweaked him,but I saw the face and it said"bab boy"or "er"