Tech Diving and Air Integration

[boulderjohn]

It's diving man. Unless you're an instructor, you're doing it for fun. Even as an instructor, a lot of my gear configs are for fun. No, I can't afford every piece of kit I want, but that doesn't mean I don't want it.

Being poor but poverty stricken, and doing as much tech diving as I do, I need to spend so much money on diving that I try not to buy anything I don't need. That's pretty much how I live my life--unlike some people, my garage doesn't have elevators for the cars.

 

[beaverdivers]

The most important question is the overall benefit--is it merely that I can at any time see the amount of gas in each of the cylinders by looking at the wrist rather than the spg?

I feel the benefit is to eleminate all the high pressure hoses. More streamline, less problems. SPG's have at least 5 points of failure.

 

[ktomlinson]

Creating an unbiased poll is hard, and although I had one class in college that touched on it, I didnt spend much time coming up with the questions. I initially wanted to get at philosophy and if people had a strong opinion for or against using wireless AI, but I love the way the discussion is going!

 

[ktomlinson]

One benefit to having your psi on your wrist is that if you are using your hands to do something like spearfish, photography, run a reel, you don't have to bother with clipping and uncoupling your SPG.

 

[GrimSleeper]

With SPGs, no matter how many tanks I'm carrying, I can tell the pressure in any individual tank by looking at the SPG attached. Reasonably foolproof, even for a reasonably talented fool like myself. For the sake of argument, if I want to know the remaining pressure of the gas I'm actually breathing and I've managed to get confused about which tank it is - please remember, this is for the sake of argument, there are so many ways I'm not breathing from a tank without knowing exactly which tank it is, try not to get distracted and start flaming me - I can trace the second-stage hose to the tank and look at the attached SPG. Still foolproof.

With a ten-transmitter AI set-up, how do I know which tank goes with which read-out on my computer? I ask in all seriousness, since I've never used a computer that could track more than one transmitter. Do you have to number the tanks, or assign each gas a transmitter code before diving, or what? In the event of a gas-management problem, is the AI computer going to add stress because you can't do something as simple as look at the SPG attached to a tank?

Maybe I'm just stupid, but I forget to tell multi-gas computers that I've made a gas switch. I've fixed that problem - I've gone back to diving runtime with bottom timers. Can't see myself swapping SPGs for AI any time soon. Oh, and the AI computer I did own? It's a paperweight. endless synching problems, two transmitter failures, followed by a catastrophic failure of the computer itself. I could have bought so much more interesting kit for the price of that computer...

As for the data-gathering argument, if I want to know how much gas I consume during the bottom phase of a dive, I look at my SPG when I get to the bottom, keep track of average depth, and look at my SPG before beginning my ascent. I use a pencil to write it all in my wet notes, which have yet to flood/crash/spazz out for no apparent reason. Call me a Luddite.

 

[HowardE]

I use AI and I always use an SPG with hose as well.

After hundreds of dives with AI computers, have I seen AI fail on a dive? Only when I'm using a metal detector. The coil from the metal detector seems to interfere with the transmission of the wireless signal.

Do I use AI on Tech dives? Sure why not? Technical recreational dives are still Sport Dives... They are for fun. To me (and by definition), a tech dive or a reef dive is just a fun dive (sport dive), so what the difference. More than likely, I dive doubles or a redundant system on a technical dive, so I put an SPG on one tank, and my AI on another tank, and there you go. I also configure my AI transmitter so that it's below the manifold, and less at risk to get bunked on something.

With a ten-transmitter AI set-up, how do I know which tank goes with which read-out on my computer? I ask in all seriousness, since I've never used a computer that could track more than one transmitter. Do you have to number the tanks, or assign each gas a transmitter code before diving, or what? In the event of a gas-management problem, is the AI computer going to add stress because you can't do something as simple as look at the SPG attached to a tank?

The AI computer will tell you pressure for Tank #2, 3, etc.

But in all seriousness... Putting additional AI transmitters on your deco bottles is a bit much IMO, but even still... If you suck your deco bottle dry, you planned your dive poorly, or you switch to one of the other gasses you have on you and finish your dive... yes?

I generally use the AI on my back gas only, just for the convenience of having the pressure readout on my wrist with everything else I frequently check it's super easy that way. A deco bottle is right in front of you anyway, and the SPG should also be almost in vision range at any time when you're decoing out... yes?

 

[tstormdiver]

I have 3 computers. 2 Predators & an Oceanic VT4. I do not use AI on my technical configuration,.. just a simple SPG. I typically only dive my predators on technical dives. I use the VT4 primarily as a recreational computer &, if needed, as a back- up technical computer. I do have the transmitter attached to my recreational regulator, but also have an SPG. I just don't fully trust the AI. I typically use the SPG more than anything,... the transmitter just came with the computer. With all that I have more crap (2- 2nd stages, inflator hose, drysuit hose, SPG & Transmitter) hanging off my recreational regulator than is really necessary. Why? I dunno, its kind of fun to compare SPG to wrist computer at times. That,.. & I want to be really cool!:cool2:

---------- Post Merged at 07:00 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 06:57 AM ----------

One benefit to having your psi on your wrist is that if you are using your hands to do something like spearfish, photography, run a reel, you don't have to bother with clipping and uncoupling your SPG.

I have my technical SPG clipped off on one of my shoulder/ chest D-rings. I only have to flip the face out (usually laying flat against my chest) & glance down,... no biggie.

 

[Searcaigh]

Never owned an AI computer but having seen friends of mine fart around with them, endlessly it seems at times trying to synch them, and one had to miss a dive because he had no SPG on his rig, I am glad to go the simple route with an SPG.

Couple of years ago during a trip to Puerto Galera, one guy in the group had interference due to his strobes firing and had a choice of no camera or no computer.

 

[ajduplessis]

AI adds no value during technical dives and more importantly adds an additional failure point. I voted "no place". I carry my SPG over my right shoulder, no need to unclip. Just look down and there it is. Team members can also with a quick glance without asking see what my pressure is. Keep it simple and safe (KISS) on all dives.

 

[Rhone Man]

I did the best I could, but you didn't really have the right option for me:

AI on technical dives is an unobtrusive backup SPG.