Suunto Ocean - inertial underwater 'navigation'!

[ChrisMBC]

New Suunto computer. Notable features (to me):

• Inertial navigation! Well, sort of. According to the manual, you can view a track of your dive in the app afterwards, but not during the dive. I'm assuming this is a) due to processing limitations, and b) because it uses the GPS start and end points to error-correct the track.
• Buhlmann, with no deco lockout
• Multi-gas, no trimix, no CCR.
• 60m limit for diving depth - but the watch is rated to 100m, so there's a decent chance Suunto pushes a more capable/expensive trimix-capable version that goes to 100M, maybe?

 

[grantmac]

Probably uses an assumed kicking speed. Would be interesting to see how it handles being behind a DPV.

 

[scubadada]

Very interesting that Suunto is the latest company to offer a computer running Buhlmann ZH-L16C with GF.

Looks like about $1300 with transmitter

 

[Landau]

Looking through the manual it seems to be lacking a compass for use during the dive.

 

[tursiops]

Probably uses an assumed kicking speed. Would be interesting to see how it handles being behind a DPV.

Inertial nav does not require a speed sensor or assumption. Or a compass.

 

[Landau]

Inertial nav does not require a speed sensor or assumption. Or a compass.

But my personal underwater navigation occasionally requires a compass.

I don’t really think the feature really should be called inertial navigation for this computer since you can’t use it for actual navigation. More like inertial route recording for later viewing.

 

[grantmac]

Inertial nav does not require a speed sensor or assumption. Or a compass.

I highly doubt this is actual multi accelerometer inertial nav.
More likely it's just time on heading with assumed speeds and known entrance/exit points.

 

[tursiops]

I highly doubt this is actual multi accelerometer inertial nav.
More likely it's just time on heading with assumed speeds and known entrance/exit points.

But we were told there is no compass.

 

[Landau]

No compass viewable to the diver. It may have the sensor but not display it.

 

[grantmac]

It has to know direction of travel. Which could be gyro/accelerometer based but the unit itself needs to know how it's oriented somehow.
I'm guessing it has a significant pre-dive calibration time.