I am looking to buy my first computer and Suuntos seem to be where I am heading. My question can the Suunto pc do good on a liveaboard, where you do up to 5 days a day for 6 days in a row? I know they on very conservative but still want to enjoy my dive trip.
Suunto OK for liveaboards?
- Thread starter mason417
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
DennisS
Contributor
If I was 20 year old and ran marathons I'd probably pick some other computer than the Suunto cobra. I'm over 60, overweight and out of shape, I picked rhe cobra because it is a conservative computer. It comes down to how conservative do you want to be with your diving.
Jorgy
Contributor
Yes they are conservative..........
But I prefer the conservatism, especially on repeated days of multiple diving..........
Give yourself good long surface intervals and watch your depth (minimizing yoyo profiles) and ascend slowly with good long safety stops..........
All good diving practices and will help keep your NDL's as high as possible.......
That being said, Suunto's will have you going shallower sooner, my son and I were on the Hilma Hooker in Bonaire and had to stay on the high side of the wreck to avoid going into deco.........
Hope this helps......M
But I prefer the conservatism, especially on repeated days of multiple diving..........
Give yourself good long surface intervals and watch your depth (minimizing yoyo profiles) and ascend slowly with good long safety stops..........
All good diving practices and will help keep your NDL's as high as possible.......
That being said, Suunto's will have you going shallower sooner, my son and I were on the Hilma Hooker in Bonaire and had to stay on the high side of the wreck to avoid going into deco.........
Hope this helps......M
Aspendiver
Guest
Cart before the horse. If you're diving thirty times in a week, how safe do you want to be?
My feeling is that all of the major companies algorithms are fine... you can generally make a liberal computer more conservative, but not vice-versa. The amount of time you spend in the water is ultimately up to you. I wonder if there are any statistics on DCS incidence vs. individual computer brands used correctly?
didn't think so...
My feeling is that all of the major companies algorithms are fine... you can generally make a liberal computer more conservative, but not vice-versa. The amount of time you spend in the water is ultimately up to you. I wonder if there are any statistics on DCS incidence vs. individual computer brands used correctly?
didn't think so...
Texasdivechick
Contributor
- Messages
- 273
- Reaction score
- 3
- # of dives
- 100 - 199
I took my Suunto Cobra on a 6 day liveaboard (26 dives total) and never had one issue. What I liked about it is that once I set it for EANx I never had to reset it unless my mix changed (only happened on about 3 dives). Some of the other divers had to remember to set their computers for Nitrox before each dive and sometimes they forgot (oops!). I didn't bother uploading my dives to a PC during the trip... come to think of it, I still haven't done it and that was over a year ago. Yes, the Suunto computers tend to be more conservative than any of the other computers on board, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Once or twice the Sunntos would throw the users into deco when none of the others, including my buddy, incured deco, but it just meant an extra 2-3 minutes hanging on a line. An extra long safety stop couldn't hurt, especially on a multi-dive, multiple day trip.
Jorgy
Contributor
shannonjon22 makes a good point, even if you go into deco on a Suunto then you just need to clear the obligation before you surface........
Just make sure you have the air to hang on the line.........
M
Just make sure you have the air to hang on the line.........
M
Bubbletrubble
Contributor
Any dive computer from a major company (including Suunto) should work fine on repetitive multi-day dive trips. My gf and I haven't used our Suunto computers (Mosquito, Gekko, Vyper) on a liveaboard trip, but we did do a fair amount of diving on 2 weeklong Bonaire trips and they performed just fine.
Yes, the Suunto RGBM algorithm is more conservative than some other dive computers, but I haven't found it annoyingly restrictive.
Personally, I don't subscribe to the reasoning that "I want to be safe so I'm going to buy a Suunto computer because it has the most conservative algorithm." As previously mentioned, one can set liberal computers (Cochrane, Oceanic, Sherwood, etc.) to be more conservative. The keys to using any dive computer safely are: (1) to know how to operate it, (2) to maintain it properly, and (3) to be aware of how conservative/liberal the algorithm is. I like Suuntos because there are some nice options for downloading profiles to a Mac (and later converting for iPhone viewing), the menus are intuitive/easy to navigate, and one of the main North American distribution centers is located only 30 miles away from me (convenient for servicing).
Good luck selecting your dive computer and have fun on your trip...
Yes, the Suunto RGBM algorithm is more conservative than some other dive computers, but I haven't found it annoyingly restrictive.
Personally, I don't subscribe to the reasoning that "I want to be safe so I'm going to buy a Suunto computer because it has the most conservative algorithm." As previously mentioned, one can set liberal computers (Cochrane, Oceanic, Sherwood, etc.) to be more conservative. The keys to using any dive computer safely are: (1) to know how to operate it, (2) to maintain it properly, and (3) to be aware of how conservative/liberal the algorithm is. I like Suuntos because there are some nice options for downloading profiles to a Mac (and later converting for iPhone viewing), the menus are intuitive/easy to navigate, and one of the main North American distribution centers is located only 30 miles away from me (convenient for servicing).
Good luck selecting your dive computer and have fun on your trip...
I've done 2 liveaboard trips with suunto computers. One with a Fusion, and one with a Vyper2. Never had problems. For the past 9 months I have averaged 17 dives a week. No problems. I occasionally have to clear deco after doing 2 dives in a row to the 50-60 foot range with a 30 min surface interval between. Never had more than a 10 minute stop, and that was after a 35 minute 2nd dive. Liveaboards will give you far more than 30mins between your dives. I've never even had a problem doing 2 dives in the afternoon after going into deco in the morning. Just make sure you clear everything.
vinegarbiscuit
Contributor
I took a Suunto Vyper on my last dive trip to Roatan, and it was just fine. While it wasn't a live-aboard, I still averaged 4-5 dives a day for 6 days, which is roughly comparable, I suppose. (I dived on air, as I didn't have the $ for EAN.) There were quite a few deep-ish (90-feet) wall dives, but I monitored my time and depth very carefully, staying deep as for as short a time as I could and making my way back to the boat across the top of the wall, at 35-40 feet. My dives usually lasted at least an hour, and I remained within NDL limits at all times. Your dives may entail your staying a wee bit shallower than the rest of the party to keep your computer happy, as I did, but that's not necessarily a huge deal. I'm sure diving a suitable EAN mix would give you more flexibility, too.
raviepoo
Contributor
- Messages
- 831
- Reaction score
- 8
- # of dives
- 500 - 999
I've been using a Suunto for years. I'm a liveaboard addict. I love my computer.
Do you really want to push the no deco limits if you're doing 3 - 5 dives a day? I don't. I don't mind the Suunto's conservative algorithm.
My hubby uses a different brand dive comupter. Sometimes he has more bottom time left than I do. He NEVER has more air left though. The limiting factor on our dives is his air, not my bottom time. It all comes out in the wash.
What I really LOVE LOVE LOVE about the Suunto is that it is sooooooo user friendly. The interface is very intuitive. Although I don't recommend it, it is possible to take the computer into the water with you for the first time without reading the manual and still know what the computer is trying to tell you. It makes every thing easy.
If you're a tech diver you might want to consider a different brand. But I really don't think anything can beat a Suunto for the average rec diver.
Do you really want to push the no deco limits if you're doing 3 - 5 dives a day? I don't. I don't mind the Suunto's conservative algorithm.
My hubby uses a different brand dive comupter. Sometimes he has more bottom time left than I do. He NEVER has more air left though. The limiting factor on our dives is his air, not my bottom time. It all comes out in the wash.
What I really LOVE LOVE LOVE about the Suunto is that it is sooooooo user friendly. The interface is very intuitive. Although I don't recommend it, it is possible to take the computer into the water with you for the first time without reading the manual and still know what the computer is trying to tell you. It makes every thing easy.
If you're a tech diver you might want to consider a different brand. But I really don't think anything can beat a Suunto for the average rec diver.
Similar threads
- Question
