Suunto Vyper or Oceanic Geo 2

[wolflegresley]

+1 for Vyper

All the negative things said about the vypers punishments are true...UNLESS you change the conservatism factors. Once done you won't have any problems. I've never had to call a dive because of NDL limits and I always dive repetitive.

 

[FloridaPhil]

No, the Suunto batteries are user changeable. Very easy and quick.

 

[RJP]

I wouldn't dive a Suunto again if you paid me to. I know they're popular amongst many, but I will never for the life of me understand why. Ignorance, I guess? I don't mean that insultingly....I just mean most people don't know any better.

Good thing there are people on the interwebs to set us dolts straight!

:d

I've got nearly 1000 dives on my Suunto Vytec DS - everything from shallow pretty fishies dives to caves and 200ft deep wrecks. My buddy who has done a great many of these dives with me dives an Oceanic. My Suunto has NEVER given me a problem or limited our ability to exit the water together. We did the Windjammer in Bonaire a few weeks ago (204') and after 83minutes of runtime my Suunto gave me a whopping ONE MINUTE more deco time than his Oceanic gave him.

In Truk a few years ago I did 57 dives in 15 days of diving. Up to five dives a day on fairly-deep to really-deep wrecks. Never once did the Suunto limit my dive time compared to people diving a wide range of computers.

The only people I know personally that have had problems with Suunto computers punishing them... were sloppy divers who deserved to be punished. "I don't mean that insultingly..."

:d



---------- Post added January 27th, 2015 at 12:59 AM ----------

I would avoid the Vyper and Suunto. I had one of those experiences with my Vyper, following a slightly short surface interval (47 mins), the Vyper gave me a punishing short NDL forcing an unreasonable deco and then locking out for 48 hours.

Why do I say it was unreasonable? I dove with two computers: the Galileo and the Vyper, and the whole dive was well within NDL of the Galileo but caused the lockout in the Vyper.

You've gotta be misbehaving pretty badly to get locked out of a Suunto for 48hrs. I once forgot to set the proper deco gasses on my Vytec DS for a long. deep deco dive. I followed the proper plan I had on my slate and exited the water on schedule. As far as the Vytec knew I did the whole dive on 24% (instead of switching to 50% and then 100%) and blew off 36min of deco. Even THAT only locked me out for 24hrs.

---------- Post added January 27th, 2015 at 12:53 AM ----------

also forgot to add that one of the things that changed my mind from suunto to oceanic is that for oceanic the batteries are user replaceable where as for suunto you have to send it back to them!!

All you need is a new battery (which can be purchased from the local Walgreens or Radio Shack... if you're not in Uganda) and a quarter to open the back of the case. Takes less than 60 seconds.

 

[victorzamora]

Good thing there are people on the interwebs to set us dolts straight!

If you looked at Suuntos without the bias of someone defending them, you might not have had your tongue pressed so firmly on your cheek for that one. [emoji6]

 

[DiveNav]

.... Would you go with Suunto Vyper or Oceanic Geo 2?....

They are both good computers, but the Vyper is a wrist style (larger) while the Geo 2 is a watch style (smaller).
Also, the Geo 2 is bit newer model.
You can see both computers in action in our simulators.

..... Suggestions/thoughts? Pros/cons?

Whatever brand / model you end up purchasing, make sure to learn how to properly use it.

 

[Nasser]

I've been diving with a Vyper for NDL dives on liveaboards for several years (and in gauge mode for tech dives) and it's been a real workhorse... so from my experience it's algorithms have not been a problem and it's gotten me out of the water safely. I would say about 70% of the divers on all the trips I've been on were also using Suuntos and not experiencing any problems or complaining about the the units being overly conservative on repetitive dives.

I've also heard very good things about the Oceanic stuff but have never used one so cannot give personal feedback on the unit. Frankly I don't think you can go wrong with either.

YMMV

 

[tlehman]

What is the deal on these data cables? The idea of spending $400 on a computer and then 25% more for what should be a $10 cable (and included), seems pretty strange. I would assume most people want to download dives. Am I missing something?

---------- Post added February 17th, 2015 at 04:39 PM ----------

FWIW, here's the language on the press release linked from that popup on the Oceanic site.

"American Underwater Products (AUP) announced today the merger of two of their recreational dive companies, AERIS & Oceanic. Each of these companies currently offer similar product lines to the diving industry worldwide. Effective September 1st, 2014, these lines will be combined and sold exclusively under the Oceanic brand."

So yes, it is a merger of two companies, but yes, both were already AUP companies.

The full press release is here.
News - AERIS Merges With Oceanic

 

[kelemvor]

Given those two choices I'd go with the vyper because of the larger size. The internet (and scubaboard especially) has no shortage of divers complaining about how conservative the suunto's are. Some consider that a feature, others a bug. I don't think I've ever had an NDL limited dive so I can't relate. It's always time limited or objective completed or gas limited for me.

In fact I went to my LDS a few years ago specifically to buy the vyper. I walked out with a scubapro Galileo instead. I liked the size/readability of the Galileo. I didn't know anything about conservatism in dive computers at the time so it was not a factor.

However in that price range you can get computers with far better displays like the shearwter petrel: Shearwater Petrel Open Circuit - Cave Country Diving Store The display is bigger and brighter, which in my opinion directly translates into better and easier to use. It has bluetooth connectivity and comes with a bluetooth dongle in case your PC/Mac doesn't have bluetooth already. No buying expensive cables (or using any kind of cable). Batteries are also a non-issue because it will take standard AA batts. I bought this computer to replace my Galileo last year.

The only flaw in the petrel in my opinion is that it doesn't have wireless air integration or audible beeps. Most people disagree with me on whether that is a flaw or a feature.

 

[Nasser]

The only flaw in the petrel in my opinion is that it doesn't have wireless air integration or audible beeps. Most people disagree with me on whether that is a flaw or a feature.

I wouldn't call this a flaw or an oversight. The Petrel has it's roots as a technical dive computer. As such, in technical dives gas requirements are thoroughly calculated and very strict run times are followed. The diver knows his breathing rate under different conditions and is able to calculate how much gas to take down, how long it will last, and additional gas contingency plans in the event of any mishaps. This makes air-integration in the unit somewhat superfluous.

As far as audible alarms go... this is also generally not a particularly needed nor desired feature, however, given that the Petrel has now also incorporated a Recreational Nitrox mode, having alarms that can be switched on or off may be something that would appeal to some sport divers who are used to having this feature.

Who knows? maybe it's something Shearwater may introduce in the future if enough people ask for it. They just recently added a compass feature so it's clear that this is a company that gives serious consideration to customer feedback.

 

[blueorbdiving]

In buying and selling equipment, many of the dive shops I deal with have less than stellar things to say about Oceanic products. Same with folks I buy gear from, and I give less resale value to the Oceanic comparatively. The overall opinion of Suunto is much better, at least in my small world. I have direct experience with the Suunto D6, Suunto D6I, the Vyper, and the Cobra. I currently own a D6 and a Cobra. My favorite, and most used computer is the SUUNTO COBRA. And they sell as fast as I can find them! I can tell you, at least in my neck of the woods, the Suunto anything has a better resale value than Oceanic. Resale value is certainly something to be considered. And, to comment on the above post, Cobra/D6/D6I/Vyper batteries are owner replaceable...easily. I do it all the time. Maybe not on a boat mid-sea. I always replace a battery before a resale if I am able...courtesy. You don't have to send SUUNTO back for batteries If you have been, find me and I will either show you a good Youtube "how to" video, or show you myself

My vote - Suunto, but I steer you towards an integrated Cobra console. Best bang for buck

BlueOrbDiving
"Be the sea"


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