Suunto Vytec and USN Tables compared

[halcyondiver]

It isn't that they are too conservative and that is bad... it is the fact that they are too conservative for deco diving and advanced diving.

The reason is tha they require so much deco time that you don't need, it puts you in the water a heck of a lot longer than needed when comparing to tables and other computers designed for Deco diving.

Normal rec diving no problem. Works great. The challenge comes when everyone else is up on the boat waiting for you to get onboard or if you are doing lots of deco dives all week, the computer may get overloaded because it wasn't designed for that kind of diving.

Most computers are designed for the average recreational diver and not diving in deco mode. They can usually handle the deco if you get in it, but like diving tables for non-trained professionals, you shouldn't plan a deco dive without proper training. Hence the reason most computers are programmed that way, since the populace is mostly made up of non-tech divers.

So in summary, yes conservatism is good. But using a tool that wasn't made for the job can make it very frustrating. Kind of like moving a pile of dirt with a spoon versus using a proper tool... a big front loader is my preference...

 

[BFaure]

Some people are trained to drive a Ferrari and some are not even trained to drive a yugo....

Brian Faure
Austin, Texas
PDIC Instructor also....

 

[TexasMike]

Originally posted by halcyondiver
Maybe we could get someone from Suunto to reply to the deco diving capabilities of the Vytec. I will see if they are willing to expand on the manual and tell us more....

I think having someone from the Suunto's engineering team here is a great idea. It's cool by me for you to see if they want to participate.

 

[WreckWriter]

Originally posted by halcyondiver
It isn't that they are too conservative and that is bad... it is the fact that they are too conservative for deco diving and advanced diving...........

Very well said!

Tom

 

[TexasMike]

Originally posted by BFaure
Be nice if you did a sim dive with gas switches:

150' 30mins
70' switch to 50%
20' switch to 100%

like to see what you get....I have a VR3 but may need to look at something else....

also add some deep stops at 100' and up every 10 feet for about one minute...

Thanks,

Brian Faure
Austin Texas
PS I am a TDI deco diver so I have done this type of dive many times.....

I'll see if I can't run this one during my lunch break. I'll also be sure to pay attention to how the deep stops starting at 100 feet affect the deco ceiling and ascent time.

But while sim'ing a single dive is simple, what I can't do (or at least I haven't come up with how to do it yet) is sim'ing repeatitive deco dives. Which I think is part of what we are hashing through. IOW, how does the Vytec respond to multi-day repetitive planned deco diving.

Greg, we might have to enlist you as our field tester since you just got your Vytec and are closest to the "big" lake (Best I can do is 80-90 feet at Possum Kingdom). And if you're willing to do this, any way you can borrow a Nitek3 and do a comparison?

 

[TexasMike]

Originally posted by MuddyFox
I've put a mosquito in deco by slightly exceeding the NDL's at 100' and didn't get a 30 minute ascent time. It was less than 10 minute if I remember correctly.

When I was running the sim that started this thread, I remember the beginning deco obligation was an 8 minute stop at 10 feet. And as the sim stayed at the bottom, the ceiling would descend and additional time added.

[remember's something...grabs dive log from truck]

Check this out.....from the "fine print" on the back of the PADI RDP (below table 3)

Emergency Decompression -- If a no-decompression limit is exceeded by no more than 5 mins, an 8-minute decompression stop at 15 ft is mandatory

Huh...kinda interesting that the first stop displayed by the Suunto's is in line with what PADI teaches.

 

[BFaure]

This weekend I will be taking Gregg's Vytec and my VR3 to the Flower Gardens to see how they compaire. Normally the Flower Gardens is not the best place to test since there is very strick rules on how deep and how much air you use, but not for me this time. I will be a support diver for the Brineseep trip and with this on our boat we do not have any restrictions from the boat, just from the mix divers (we need to stay out of deco during our support time) but after that we can dive as long and deep as we want. I will have two sets of twins with me, but I am not sure if I will do any gas switches (if there is space on board I will pack my 50% mix).

Brian Faure
Austin, Texas

 

[DiveRite-SW]

Halcyondiver said ...."It isn't that they are too conservative and that is bad... it is the fact that they are too conservative for deco diving and advanced diving.... "

By whose standards? Show me a deco-model or a deco-computer (or even a recreational-version) that guarantees to prevent a DCI-hit, and I'll GIVE you a Vytek!

Til then ....

 

[BFaure]

Ronbo said
"Halcyondiver said ...."It isn't that they are too conservative and that is bad... it is the fact that they are too conservative for deco diving and advanced diving.... "

By whose standards? Show me a deco-model or a deco-computer (or even a recreational-version) that guarantees to prevent a DCI-hit, and I'll GIVE you a Vytek!

Til then ...."

What Halcyondiver (hey Gregg how much Halcyon gear do you have....) is trying to say is many computers that go into deco mode are doing it as emergency not as a planned dive. Many of these may not like things like deep stops or gas switches, where there is a few that do work with deco just fine (VR3 being one of them) I have done some deco dives with the vyper and it did not like deep stops at all, but the vytec may be different since it looks like you can adjust the gradient on the model.

This weekend I will do some small deco dives with both the VR3 and vytec to see how they react.

Brian Faure
Austin, Texas
Dive World

Please note that I am a trained decompression and advanced NITROX diver (and trimx in training) so do not try this at home unless you have the training....a little CYA..

 

[WreckWriter]

Originally posted by ronbo
By whose standards? Show me a deco-model or a deco-computer (or even a recreational-version) that guarantees to prevent a DCI-hit, and I'll GIVE you a Vytek!

Til then ....

By the standards of the diver doing the dives.

Obviously nothing guarantees you won't get hit, computer or tables. Who wants a vytec anyway?

Tom