Apple Watch Ultra 2

[stuartv]

The behaviour is quite well-documented now I think.

- If you descend past 130ft/40m (but not past 144ft/44m) you get a "too deep" warning, but internally it continues tracking tissue saturation, and when you return above 130ft/40m you get back full functionality.

- If you descend past 144ft/44m the depth sensor is no longer reporting a depth, just "beyond max depth", so the app can't track tissue saturation any more. When you ascend back above 130ft/40m all you have is gauge mode, because it no longer has accurate data for all of the dive.

This correlates with the slightly rawer data recorded in the health app (no need for Oceanic+ etc), where it will record depth down to 144ft/44m and just say for anything deeper.

Thank you for that!

Thoughts and prayers for anyone that gets caught in a down current on a reef and accidentally pushed down past 44m for a few seconds! It hasn't happened to me (to be below that depth by accident), but it seems like I've read of it happening to people. For that matter, I KNOW of recreational divers who do things like go to the flight deck of the Oriskany wreck, at 145', just for a touch and go. And rec divers who go to Truk Lagoon and go with a guide to the San Francisco Maru, where they touch 160' or so.

I would be pretty unhappy to be in the middle of a dive and find myself no longer having any information on my deco situation... I mean, if I were at 400' and my dive computer imploded, well, that would be one thing. But, to "lose" my computer at 145' is not something I would find acceptable. But, that IS just me...

 

[Wibble]

It is a nice shiny toy though

 

[undrwater]

Proof of concept.

 

[stuartv]

Proof of concept.

Aren't we on v.2?

 

[kimh]

It's not a real dive computer. Shouldn't be seen as a real dive computer at least.

Umm, wrong.

Unless you insist on your own, personal definition of dive computer.

E.g. - MUST function below 130' – as opposed to being explicitly marketed as ONLY "recreational" depths (<130').

Typical forum logic: "It's not for me, therefore it sucks, and it's not for ANYONE!"

 

[stuartv]

Umm, wrong.

Unless you insist on your own, personal definition of dive computer.

E.g. - MUST function below 130' – as opposed to being explicitly marketed as ONLY "recreational" depths (<130').

Typical forum thinking: "It's not for me, therefore it sucks, and is not for ANYONE!"

What other dive computer stops working (i.e. stops reporting NDL/deco info) - by DESIGN - when the user makes a relatively common mistake (or even does it in purpose)? For example, intending to be at 130 or less but accidentally dipping to 145.

I don't know of any other computer that, by DESIGN, just stops working in the water, during a dive. MANY dive computers will stop working (by going into Violation Gauge Mode) AFTER the dive is over. But, they get the diver out of the water safely first.

Stopping working, by design, during the middle of a dive, for ANY reason (and most definitely for a reason that is not really THAT uncommon) puts it in the "pretend" dive computer in my book.

 

[kimh]

The [AWU/depth range] behaviour is quite well-documented now I think.

- If you descend past 130ft/40m (but not past 144ft/44m) you get a "too deep" warning, but internally it continues tracking tissue saturation, and when you return above 130ft/40m you get back full functionality.

- If you descend past 144ft/44m the depth sensor is no longer reporting a depth, just "beyond max depth", so the app can't track tissue saturation any more. When you ascend back above 130ft/40m all you have is gauge mode, because it no longer has accurate data for all of the dive.

This correlates with the slightly rawer data recorded in the health app (no need for Oceanic+ etc), where it will record depth down to 144ft/44m and just say for anything deeper.

That's the same info I've seen. Still, as far as I know, it's not official. Pretty solid empirically. It's an odd situation. I'd like to hear any other news regarding this.

 

[berndo]

Umm, wrong.

Unless you insist on your own, personal definition of dive computer.

E.g. - MUST function below 130' – as opposed to being explicitly marketed as ONLY "recreational" depths (<130').

Typical forum logic: "It's not for me, therefore it sucks, and is not for ANYONE!"

Many rec divers do dive deeper than 130 feet. I don't think you can call it a real dive computer... is doesn't function like a real dive computer.
It's more like a smart/fitness watch with a gimmicky dive function... that's not as good as any random entry level dive computer.
Not many active divers will use this even if it had better functionality though. A dive computer gets scratched and beat up ... I don't think the crowd that wants a hip lifestyle type watch wants to run around with a scrached up smart watch every day.

 

[berndo]

What other dive computer stops working (i.e. stops reporting NDL/deco info) - by DESIGN - when the user makes a relatively common mistake (or even does it in purpose)? For example, intending to be at 130 or less but accidentally dipping to 145.

I don't know of any other computer that, by DESIGN, just stops working in the water, during a dive. MANY dive computers will stop working (by going into Violation Gauge Mode) AFTER the dive is over. But, they get the diver out of the water safely first.

Stopping working, by design, during the middle of a dive, for ANY reason (and most definitely for a reason that is not really THAT uncommon) puts it in the "pretend" dive computer in my book.

Maybe it's a hardware issue and the sensor can't take more or would give wonky readings below 130.

 

[Failed captcha]

If they added MH8A AI, no subscription, and no arbitrary depth limit, then me, too.

I'm still curious about the depth limit. What I've read is still a bit ambiguous, in my mind.

If you go deeper than 130 (or 140 - whatever it is), then it stops showing you what? No more depth/time? Or it just stops showing NDL?

And then once you come back shallower than 130, it starts showing you the full info again?

And now the REAL question: Once you ascend back above 130, is the NDL info it shows based on the time and depth you really went to? Or does it not factor in any of the time you spent deeper than 130?

If it doesn't factor in that time, then what it is showing after you ascend above 130 is simply wrong. Dangerously wrong. I doubt that is how it works.

I suspect that it does factor in the time below 130 and the actual depth you went to. In which case, it is simply refusing to show you what it does "know" internally. And that is just stupid. If it's still tracking your inert gas tissue loading and NDL, then what is the reason to not let you see it until you ascend back above 130'?

Or, maybe(?) once you ascend back above 130 it never goes back to showing you your NDL info? In which case, well who WOULDN'T want a dive computer that quits working as soon as you ascend 1 foot to deep, right at the limits of recreational diving? And by "quits working", I mean stops showing you NDL for the rest of the dive.

And if you do exceed NDL, what does it actually show you? Every other recreational computer with which I am familiar will go into deco mode. They will tell you where to stop and for how long, to get you out of the water safely. Does the AWU do that?

I wouldn't put it past Tim Cook to charge you a buck or two for the rest of the info.