Question Track my air consumption with dive computer

[elZub]

Hello divers!
I wish to track my air consumption,
I wish to see my improvement and my weakness based on a well know(or not know) dive site, to use as "gym" increasing/decreasing stress, activities and so on.

I see many computer with transmitter.
But I would like a suggestion form you.

I don't see me in the next 5 years doing tech courses.

So I don't need a computer to handle many gases

Since 2014 I'm using a simply cressi Leonardo, and it brought me in amazing dive around the world, I never asked more from a computer..maybe a bit of more readably on nigh dive and less conservative compared to other brands.

Now I wish to buy something to track accurate my air consumption.

Lete know

 

[GDHLEWIS]

Any computer that has the ability to have a AI transmitter will give you information on air consumption, just depends on your budget as the transmitters can cost nearly as much as the computers themselves. But your air consumption you can monitor manually as you should see from your log if your air consumption is getting better over time.
Regarding a dive computer and transmitter combination for detailed information just depends on your budget, should be able to find multiple options.
I use a ratio idive colour easy with a transmitter. very happy with the set up and the computer can be software upgraded to handle multiple gas swaps later on should you want it.

iDive Color Easy | Watch Dive Computer

Extraordinary. Easy: Air and Nitrox, 2 mixes, Air integrated, Multi-Transmitter, 1.3 inc IPS Color display, compass, and more.

www.ratio-computers.eu

The other system I nearly bought was the aqualung i770r, I ended up liking the idea of being able to software upgrade the ratio later in life.

Just google top ten dive computers and you will get a ton of options in every price range. Whats your budgets as that will help dwindle the options available

 

[clownfishsydney]

No need for a new computer, just use the right bit of software to look at your computer download. For example, Subsurface will show your air consumption for the dive, all you need to do is select the tank you are using and enter the start and finish pressures. Easy.

 

[elZub]

I'm already monitoring manual with dive log, but if the technology can give me a more accurate features..why not.
I would like to download the dive on my laptops, and being able to observe the moments I was on stress, for how long and so on.
I'm practicing yoga, I would see the difference between breathing techniques during dive,

About how to choose the model, do they act differently based on cost?
Or the air transmitter and information provided about air are the same for all the computer?
I can see you can pay more based on the ability to switch gas..how many, how many algorithm etc etc..

Does the air transmitter more evoluted I'm certain models or brand?


@clownfishsydney I will check for subsurface

Thank you!

 

[GDHLEWIS]

I'm already monitoring manual with dive log, but if the technology can give me a more accurate features..why not.
I would like to download the dive on my laptops, and being able to observe the moments I was on stress, for how long and so on.
I'm practicing yoga, I would see the difference between breathing techniques during dive,

About how to choose the model, do they act differently based on cost?
Or the air transmitter and information provided about air are the same for all the computer?
I can see you can pay more based on the ability to switch gas..how many, how many algorithm etc etc..

Does the air transmitter more evoluted I'm certain models or brand?


@clownfishsydney I will check for subsurface

Thank you!

The transmitter will only monitor gas consumption it does nothing else (that I am aware of). With dive computers the more you pay generally the more the computer is able to do, example would be it may have an adjustable algorithm, colour screens, deeper depths allowed, multi gas, CCR, side mount.
If your after cheap and cheerful (in the dive computer world) a mare quad air

Quad Air Scuba Dive Computer air integrated | Mares

The Quad, Air scuba dive computer has a clear display and allows you to view relevant dive data at a glance. With the Quad Air you can also read the tank pressure directly on the display, via wireless connection.

www.mares.com

will do the trick, that's the cheapest combination I have been able to find so far.

 

[Belzelbub]

I'm already monitoring manual with dive log, but if the technology can give me a more accurate features..why not.
I would like to download the dive on my laptops, and being able to observe the moments I was on stress, for how long and so on.
I'm practicing yoga, I would see the difference between breathing techniques during dive,

From an average gas consumption perspective, adding a computer with a transmitter only means that you don't need to enter your start and end pressures. That said, an air integrated dive computer can give you a bit more information throughout the dive. The overall SAC/RMV will be the same, but you will be able to see certain points on the dive where the consumption was higher than others. Seeing higher consumption at the beginning of the dive is normal as the tank is cooling, and you need to establish buoyancy. Seeing a spike in consumption at another point of the dive should be linked to an aspect of the dive, high current, etc.

About how to choose the model, do they act differently based on cost?
Or the air transmitter and information provided about air are the same for all the computer?
I can see you can pay more based on the ability to switch gas..how many, how many algorithm etc etc..

Does the air transmitter more evoluted I'm certain models or brand?

From a cost perspective, if buying new, none of the Air Integrated computers are going to be cheap. From there, it depends on what is important to you. Full color screen, user changeable battery/rechargeable battery, etc.

Several brands use a common transmitter, or one that is compatible with that transmitter (Oceanic, Aqualung, Shearwater, etc.) Others use a transmitter that is proprietary and only compatible with that brand (Suunto, Scubapro, Garmin, Ratio). So if you get one of the common transmitters, you can get a different brand computer (as long as it's compatible) down the line and use the same transmitter. I'm a fan of the PPS transmitters (Oceanic, Aqualung) as they are pretty reliable. They turn on with pressure, and turn off when pressure drops too low. Battery life is excellent.

As far as more advanced transmitters, the Garmin T1 and Shearwater Swift are a bit different. The Garmin uses two different communication protocols. ANT+ for above water and sonar below the water. They do this reportedly for increased range underwater. On paper that sounds good, but in reality unless monitoring air of another diver, it doesn't really help. Plus, the switching means that it's impossible to confirm that you'll have comms until you are underwater. There have been reports of the T1 functioning in one mode, but not the other. The Shearwater Swift listens for transmissions to avoid interference. This is only beneficial if running two different PPS/Shearwater transmitters where there is a slight possibility of the signals interfering.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @elZub

Take a look at the new Oceanic Geo Air Geo Air - Oceanic Worldwide Dual algorithm, runs DSAT and PZ+. Transmitter compatible with Shearwater computers if your needs change. Computer and transmitter bundle available at reduced price in US

Ratio is made in Italy, I would look at the iDive Sport Easy and the iDive Color Easy.

 

[stepfen]

I've been tracking my air consumption since dive number 1 and I am now somewhere near 350. All these without air integrated computer. In fact I started diving with Leonardo too, then moved to Newton (smaller size overall but very similar to Leonardo) and much later I got a computer running Buhlmann, with Newton now being my backup.
The way to do it is quite simple. Remember starting and end pressure for every dive and record them as soon as possible (so that you don't forget). Then, I use Subsurface (a free but briliant dive log software) and as I key in the tank size and pressures, it calculates/record SAC automatically. It can even do nice statistic analysis afterwards, eg show you air consumption over the years:

(The spike last year is when I started diving drysuit).

It is not as accurate as using an AI computer (SPGs are not very accurate, user can forget or enter wrong data etc), but it is good enough for me.

Keep in mind that AI computers have their problems too. My buddy is using a Suunto AI computer (D9 or something I think), but I have seen him having problems with it quite often (low bat more often that expected, lost sync, no connection etc etc).

If you have the money (maybe 500 euros+) you should be able to find a second hand AI DC, or a new one (Ratio discussed above is close to top but together with the transmiter it should cost around 900 euros). You know how much you will to pay.

All the best

 

[Jcp2]

I have a Leonardo as well. The key pieces of information are starting tank pressure, ending tank pressure, tank capacity at full pressure, dive time, and average dive depth. The computer will give you dive time and the software might give you average dive depth. If you know your site and it’s largely a squarish profile, you probably can estimate average dive depth.

As an example, my last dive I started at 3100 psi and ended at 800 psi, for a total of 2200 psi used. I had an Al80 which holds 77 cu ft at 3000 psi. Therefore I used 2200/3000*77 cu ft of gas, or 56.5 cu ft.

My dive time was 64 minutes, so my average actual gas consumption was 56.5/64, or 0.88 cu ft minute. My average depth was around 25 ft, or 7.6 meters. The average pressure over the dive would be 1.76 ATM. I divide 0.88 by 1.76 to get my SAC, to get 0.50 cu ft per minute at 1 ATM surface pressure.

If I’m off and the average depth was actually 20 feet, or 6.1 meters, then I divide 0.88 by 1.61 to get 0.54. Not a big difference, and something that Subsurface can get right for you.

 

[Mario007]

Anyone noticed any difference between SAC result from a manualy entered dive vs AI ?
I just try to decide if I need a AI computer or will be enough just to log the data on Subsurface