Time For Some Industry Standards for Dive Computer Alarms

[Mark Michaud SELAUSAR]

You and you're buddy decided to go for a dive. You descend to your intended target and after 5 minutes of dive time, your buddy's dive computer starts making a noise. After you see him check it, you signal if everything is "okay", he in return gives you the "hands up" IDK gesture. You swim over to have a quick look but you soon realize that you're not familiar with this brand of computer.

Has this or something similar ever happen to you? If you have been diving for awhile, my guess would be that it has.

Different computers have different alarms with an array meanings. The problem arises when the user, or his buddy, is unable to interpret the alarm. Some alarms are more urgent than others e.g. a low-air alarm would have a higher priority than a breach-of-rate-ascent alarm.

It is my contention, that high priority alarms be universal on every dive computer, namely, two distinct alarms: 1. Low air alarm which I feel should activate automatically at 500 psi or less and continue until the air supply is exhausted 2. A "I'm requesting immediate assistance alarm" which would be manually activated and manually turned off. I feel that both signals should incorporate some sort of visual signal, such as a flashing led light to assist finding the diver in need.

If this standard was adopted, it would eliminate confusion when a emergency, or near emergency, is at hand. I can think of many scenarios, where something as simple as proper interpretation of an alarm could advert disaster, not only for the person in trouble, but for his dive buddies as well.

Once adopted, all future OW should receive training to distinguish between the two alarms.

If the industry will not adopt these measures on their own accord, then perhaps it's time to propose a bill to set a standard.

Feedback?

I'm trying to wrap my mind around the part where the computer should dive me. I was always under the impression that I should take personal responsibility for my diving and learn to use my gear before using it. Silly me.

Do you really think our Government, this one, the one before, or any in the past, can make it better by regulating it? Now, there's a few hundred men and women that know all there is to know about diving so they would make some great educated changes for the better. Do you watch the news, the last few days in particular?

It's diving. It's fun, it's dangerous, it is what it is. Know your gear, monitor your gas, don't let gear do your thinking for you.

 

[Cross020]

The computer is not the problem. We are all taught to familiarize ourselves with our equipment and if needed allow our buddies to familiarize with our equipment and us with theirs. That is why it is always suggested that we dive new equipment in a confined and safe or at least very familiar environment. Diving is a serious sport and i would not do it with anyone clueless about his own computer.

 

[Mustard Dave]

My computer has several alarms, all turned on. The thing is, I never hear them, because I never get to the point where I should. Sure, my computer will beep at 500psi, but I've never gotten to 500 psi at depth. Same for MOD on nitrox, etc. The alarms should be nothing more than a "Oh ****, I wasn't paying attention!" and a very last resort. At all times you should be able to look at your computer and already pretty much know what it's going to say. My instructor said something in OW that stuck with me. "You should never look at your computer to find out information. You should be looking at it to make sure it says what you know it should say." Meaning you already have an idea what your air should be. Your depth, etc. A big part of this is knowing the equipment. When I bought my computer, I sat down with the manual and went through every single screen it had and made sure I fully understood it. I read what it did in dive mode and I went to a training platform and just played with it underwater. Anything I didn't get, I looked up right away when I got out of the water. I did not do any serious dives until I fully understood every possible thing my computer did. That's not bragging. That's just good sense. I want to be surprised by wildlife and wrecks; not my equipment. If your buddy can't take the time to do that, they're not going to take the time to learn to be a good buddy either.

Sounds like an odd thing to say. Where do you get this information without checking your instruments? I do not have a separate depth gauge - I have two computers, one running a Buhlmann Z16 algorithm and one in gauge mode. If I want to check my depth, I look at both instruments and check they are reading the same within a certain tolerance - I do not do it by guess work, nor do I have any other means of knowing if I've not dived the site before. You should always have an idea what you are going to see on your instruments but that is because you took note of what they said last time you looked and you are re-checking at suitable intervals.

 

[soltari675]

Sounds like an odd thing to say. Where do you get this information without checking your instruments? I do not have a separate depth gauge - I have two computers, one running a Buhlmann Z16 algorithm and one in gauge mode. If I want to check my depth, I look at both instruments and check they are reading the same within a certain tolerance - I do not do it by guess work, nor do I have any other means of knowing if I've not dived the site before. You should always have an idea what you are going to see on your instruments but that is because you took note of what they said last time you looked and you are re-checking at suitable intervals.

I may have explained it oddly, but that's what I meant. That you should not be surprised when you look at your gauges. I should never be more than a few feet off from where I think I am, because I look at my computer often enough. I should never have an alarm go off saying I am deeper than my mod, because I knew a long time ago I was close and didn't go deeper. I should already know about what it will tell me and look only to confirm it, or to correct something if it's not what I thought. I just mean computers should be checked often enough to never be surprised by what it's saying.

 

[diverrex]

I may have explained it oddly, but that's what I meant. That you should not be surprised when you look at your gauges. I should never be more than a few feet off from where I think I am, because I look at my computer often enough. I should never have an alarm go off saying I am deeper than my mod, because I knew a long time ago I was close and didn't go deeper. I should already know about what it will tell me and look only to confirm it, or to correct something if it's not what I thought. I just mean computers should be checked often enough to never be surprised by what it's saying.

I understood what you said the first time. But it's not just because you are checking your computer a lot you should also have other references. For instance on descent you should have an idea of how fast you are descending and for how long. You shouldn't look at your computer and say "oh crap I'm at 100 feet I thought I was only at 50" . At 20 minutes into a dive you should have an idea what you PSI is etc.

 

[DiveNav]

...... your buddy's dive computer starts making a noise. After you see him check it, you signal if everything is "okay", he in return gives you the "hands up" IDK gesture. .......The problem arises when the user, or his buddy, is unable to interpret the alarm. .....

Feedback?

Tell your buddy to learn how to use his/her dive computer.

Alberto (aka eDiver)

 

[Atticus]

New divers with fancy computers...

The majority of the people I dive with use simple bottom timers, not computers. If a regular dive buddy showed up with a computer that started making noise they would be encouraged to shut the confounded thing off or get rid of it.

Plus with backgas, stage bottles, multiple deco gasses, and the need to occasionally swap a tank, how would one manage all those air integration connections? And for what benefit?

The old fashioned spg actually works pretty well for showing tank pressure. Yeah you have to look at it once in a while, but how hard is that?

 

[soltari675]

New divers with fancy computers...

The majority of the people I dive with use simple bottom timers, not computers. If a regular dive buddy showed up with a computer that started making noise they would be encouraged to shut the confounded thing off or get rid of it.

Plus with backgas, stage bottles, multiple deco gasses, and the need to occasionally swap a tank, how would one manage all those air integration connections? And for what benefit?

The old fashioned spg actually works pretty well for showing tank pressure. Yeah you have to look at it once in a while, but how hard is that?

Did you also walk up hill? Both ways? In a snow storm? Sorry, had to add in a friendly tease. :angel2:

 

[debajo agua]

I understand and appreciate the resistance to any sort of government interference with our favorite hobby; however, with an average of 150 death per year, it's simply unacceptable to think the government and insurance companies will turn a blind eye much longer (The 7 Deadly Hobbies: Pastimes Your Insurer Hates - DailyFinance). If divers truly don't want government regulation, now is the time make the sport safer by decreasing the annual fatality rate.

Is it going to be well received and a popular idea in the dive community? Of course not. Judging from the responses in this thread, ever diver is sure of their own skills and it's simply not going to happen to them. More than likely, right before their last dive, ever diver believed it would happen to someone else.

If you want to self-regulate, fine, but we need to do a better job. We will all pay the penalty, if we allow politicians to decided what's best for us.

We need to be pro-active.

 

[manni-yunk]

I understand and appreciate the resistance to any sort of government interference with our favorite hobby; however, with an average of 150 death per year, it's simply unacceptable to think the government and insurance companies will turn a blind eye much longer (The 7 Deadly Hobbies: Pastimes Your Insurer Hates - DailyFinance). If divers truly don't want government regulation, now is the time make the sport safer by decreasing the annual fatality rate.

Is it going to be well received and a popular idea in the dive community? Of course not. Judging from the responses in this thread, ever diver is sure of their own skills and it's simply not going to happen to them. More than likely, right before their last dive, ever diver believed it would happen to someone else.

If you want to self-regulate, fine, but we need to do a better job. We will all pay the penalty, if we allow politicians to decided what's best for us.

We need to be pro-active.

Ridiculous.

Insurance companies havent turned a blind eye - thats why they charge more.

And...the government has A LOT more to worry about besides something that is involved with 150 deaths per year. There are 4 other things on your list that are not Gov regulated and cause more than 150 deaths.


Our government is a MESS......and this is the LAST thing they need to focus on. There are LITERALLY - THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of causes of death that should take precident.
PLUS - You will never convince me that standardized alarms on dive computers will save a single life.......

And I dont think anyone is saying that this isnt going to happen to us. I think we all know that it could - what we are saying is that a standard ALARM will not help ANYTHING.