Thinking about options to upgrade my divecomputer

[tursiops]

If a deco ceiling is violated, the computer should focus on getting them safely back to the surface, while minimizing the residual danger of DCS.

Are you saying that a Suunto does this?

 

[scubadada]

Suunto will also lock you out for fast ascents and for yo-yo profiles.

Having never dived a Suunto, I have not read the manuals in detail. Do you have some evidence for your statement you can share with me?

Thanks

...Our goal should be first to "do no harm." If a deco ceiling is violated, the computer should focus on getting them safely back to the surface, while minimizing the residual danger of DCS.

Sorry, I was under the impression that the lock out was after surfacing. If I am wrong, I stand corrected.

 

[Belzelbub]

Sorry, I was under the impression that the lock out was after surfacing. If I am wrong, I stand corrected.

I don’t know if in water lockout is still the case with Suunto, but pretty sure it was in the past. I believe BoulderJohn asked Suunto about that and was told it was a feature, not a bug.

 

[tursiops]

Having never dived a Suunto, I have not read the manuals in detail. Do you have some evidence for your statement you can share with me?

Here is the manual for the Zoop. Suunto distinguishes begtween a "recommended safety stop" and a "mandatory safety stop." You can achieve the latte by ascending faster than 12 m/min momentarily or 30 m/min continuously, and if you don't follow the displayed directions your NDL on the next dive gets reduced. (p 29)
Worse, if you violate a deco stop, you are locked out for 48 (not 24) h.

"If you continue to violate the decompression, the dive computer goes into a permanent​

Error Mode. In this mode the instrument can only be used as a depth gauge and timer.​

You must not dive again for at least 48 hours" (p41)​

 

[scubadada]

Here is the manual for the Zoop. Suunto distinguishes between a "recommended safety stop" and a "mandatory safety stop." You can achieve the latter by ascending faster than 12 m/min momentarily or 10 m/min continuously, and if you don't follow the displayed directions your NDL on the next dive gets reduced. (p 29)
Worse, if you violate a deco stop, you are locked out for 48 (not 24) h.

"If you continue to violate the decompression, the dive computer goes into a permanent​

Error Mode. In this mode the instrument can only be used as a depth gauge and timer.​

You must not dive again for at least 48 hours" (p41)​

So, for fast ascent, you are penalized on your NDL for the next dive, not locked out. How about your sawtooth profiles? Rumor has it that short SIs and reverse profiles may result in this kind of penalty.

Violation gauge mode is similar on many computers, 24 or 48 hours is a variable.

 

[Landau]

A couple of comments on "Locks"

Suunto low battery "lock"- this does not happen mid-dive, only lasts until you charge the battery above the minimum to start a dive

Locking for missed deco stops. Personally I think this is a good thing if done post dive. To my knowledge no experimental research has been done on how to safely calculate NDL or deco times for a repetitive dive after missing deco stops on a prior dive. I certainly wouldn't volunteer to be a test subject - so the guidance from any computer at this point is on pretty shaky ground.

The one issue I have with the Suunto lock is it can happen mid dive if I violate my ceiling by more than 2 feet for more than 3 minutes. I would prefer it guide me back down to where I belong.

That said, on the very few dives I have done with required deco (most planned, 1 unplanned) I have never violated my ceiling by 1 inch.

 

[Belzelbub]

The one issue I have with the Suunto lock is it can happen mid dive if I violate my ceiling by more than 2 feet for more than 3 minutes. I would prefer it guide me back down to where I belong.

That’s a big issue. I prefer a dive computer that doesn’t lockout, or that lets me disable the lockout. I can understand the reasoning behind a lockout post dive. I can’t get my head around the reasons for in water lockout.

 

[Robert H. Diver]

A couple of comments on "Locks"

Suunto low battery "lock"- this does not happen mid-dive, only lasts until you charge the battery above the minimum to start a dive

Locking for missed deco stops. Personally I think this is a good thing if done post dive. To my knowledge no experimental research has been done on how to safely calculate NDL or deco times for a repetitive dive after missing deco stops on a prior dive. I certainly wouldn't volunteer to be a test subject - so the guidance from any computer at this point is on pretty shaky ground.

The one issue I have with the Suunto lock is it can happen mid dive if I violate my ceiling by more than 2 feet for more than 3 minutes. I would prefer it guide me back down to where I belong.

That said, on the very few dives I have done with required deco (most planned, 1 unplanned) I have never violated my ceiling by 1 inch.

Charging did not remedy the low battery lock out…..

 

[Ski_Lounge]

Here is the manual for the Zoop. Suunto distinguishes begtween a "recommended safety stop" and a "mandatory safety stop." You can achieve the latte by ascending faster than 12 m/min momentarily or 30 m/min continuously, and if you don't follow the displayed directions your NDL on the next dive gets reduced. (p 29)

Thanks for posting the manual. I wish the authors had worded it better.

It does state the "faster than 12m/min momentarily" -- but this is mathematically ill-posed because it doesn't specify what "momentarily" means (aka, over how many seconds). That's a rate of 1m per 5s. Certainly seems possible that a beginner diver who is struggling to maintain their buoyancy window could jitter faster than this rate?

(And it's even easier to violate on a smaller time scale, that's 1ft over 1.5 seconds.)

 

[McHugh]

according to this page Suunto the POD batteries are no longer user serviceable - This changed following a tank POD recall 4-5 years ago. the only kits I can find online do not include the cover, which Suunto says has to be replaced.

I recently found service kits available for the customer over here in europe (Lucas divestore).

Thanks for the input so far, I am still evaluation my options when never the less after some reseach, I do not favor the Ratio any more due to disliking their interface.