Training dives

[JoelW]

Have you ever had one of those days when the best thing that you got out of a dive was a bit of training. I logged a dive today that I am going to call "Low viz, Cold water, Equipment failure training".

My main dive partner and I decided to try a new lake that looked promising from the Natural Resources Dept info. We get there and the wind is blowing about 20mph and the air temp is 50F. Looking at the water it is a bit turbid from the waves. We get in hoping that the viz gets better deeper. On the way down my Suunto Spyder battery craps out. The water temp is 46F. At a little over 20' the viz doesn't get any better than 2' and the bottom is mud, no vegetation to be seen anywhere. We swam around for about 25 minutes with no improvement. Time to get out and find something more interesting to do.

As I said at the top the only positive things about this dive were a little training and getting wet.

By the way, is it just me or are Suunto batteries junk. I replaced the one in mine a year ago three weeks after I bought the computer. My Spyder is going to get sold. I am going to buy a computer where I can change the batteries myself.

JoelW

 

[joewr]

JoelW,

And, perhaps, now you have some sort of empathy for the CAD branch!

Did I understand you that your first batteries failed after three weeks? That sounds like a defect that should have been taken care of free of charge by the seller. I also intrepreted your post to have meant that the reinstalled battery lasted about a year. Our experience with our Matrix is that the batteries last about a year; we dive about 75-100 dives per year and, of course, use the "library" function to log dives in the comfy confines of our room. So, at least from these quarters, one year sounds about normal...

Joewr...I wonder if he thinks if anything associated with me is "normal"? Well, we better not ask...

 

[GP]

Your dive sounds just like mine this morning except my computer didn't crap out. Which lake did you go to? I went to Lake Johanna and it sucked. 2 to 3 ft. viz and choppy water. Water temp was 46 degrees at 15 to 20 ft. deep. Needless to say I didn't dive too long before I quit.

 

[JoelW]

Joewr - When the battery crapped the first time the store had it replaced free except for me paying the shipping. It has to go to a Suunto service center. The manual for the computer says 2 years or approx. 300-400 dives. The only thing I can figure is that the lower temps really shorten the battery life. Either way, there will be a new computer here shortly. I need the nitrox option anyway. I had thought about having my Spyder upgraded to a Stinger, but it looks there are better ways to spend the money.

GP - We were out at Bryant Lake. It looked good on paper. Might be better next year. Lake Johanna has an interesting profile on the maps that I have and it was on my list of ones to try out. Looks like I will mark it off the list for now. It may be more interesting after ice out next year.

JoelW

By the way, no real empathy for the CAD contingent. 46F is just a prep dive for diving under the hard water. Cold with visibility is completely acceptable.

JoelW