Mosquito Question-Diver Attention Symbol

[Bagheera]

I've used a Suunto Mosquito computer for 10 dives now. It's my first computer. I've become familiar with it, but I have a question about the Diver Attention Symbol.

That's the small exclamation point to the left of the main display. The manual says, "The Diver Attention Symbol is an advice to extend surface interval. Some types of diving...add a higher risk of DCI. When this is detected,...the Diver Attention Symbol is shown."

That's simple enough. If I surface, and the Diver Attention Symbol appears, I shouldn't dive again until the symbol disappears. My question is, how do I know how much time is left until it disappears? The manual says nothing about this, and there's no countdown timer on the computer itself.

It would be nice if there was a countdown timer. I could tell me buddy, "I came up too fast. I have to wait another x minutes before I go back in." That sounds better than, "I came up too fast. I have to wait until the symbol disappears."

Any advice?

 

[WileEDiver]

That'd be nice, but I don't know of a way to know how much longer 'till clear. However, my understanding is that the attention signal doesn't mean you can't dive, it will just shorten your NDL for that next dive.

 

[rab]

I've had a few dives in Florida that were deep and long enough to wish that I had an indication of how much more SI the Mosquito thought that I had. On a boat, you don't have the luxury of making your surface time longer unless you want to skip the 2nd dive. I've scoured the manual, too, and there doesn't seem to be any way to know how long it wants you to wait. I typically dive with the personal adjustment at P1, but knowing that the Suunto is more conservative with BT than PADI tables (compare the first dive NDLs from the manual to the RDP and you'll see what I mean) I've shifted to P0 for the second dive to start a bit earlier and know that my square profile in planning mode shows an NDL close enough to what the other divers and my insta-buddy were planning.

-Rob

 

[KrisB]

Keep in mind that the "Diver Attention Symbol" is different from having 'errored-out'.

If the computer displays "Err" it means you neglected deco obligations and/or required safety stops. It will only function as a gauge until the no-fly time has expired (Suunto equates the no-fly time to complete desaturation or 12 hours, whichever is greater). It is also advised that if you do error out, that you don't dive for a minimum of 24 hours.

YMMV.

 

[lamont]

my suunto gave me an attention symbol on a dive where i was dealing with downwellings and upwellings and at one point shot from 30 fsw to 15 fsw fast enough that it gave me a mandatory ceiling due to ascent violation. i got it under control and went down to 20 fsw and deco'd. the next *day* it still had the attention symbol and was giving me drastically shortened NDLs (and it was still considering dives the next day to be dives 4 and 5 in a series). that kind of idiocy is going to make me switch it into gauge mode...

 

[rab]

Just to be clear -- the question is about the Mosquito which doesn't have a true "gauge mode". You can put it into FREEdiving mode and it goes into Er mode when you exceed 5min and then won't clear for 48hrs. (I've read that you can trick it out of Er mode, but I didn't try that. I've got 22:38 left in Er mode from forgetting that it was in FREE mode last night checking a spare octo in the neighbor's pool.) Others have said that the Mosquito will continue to act as a gauge when in Er mode and that did seem to be true last night.

-Rob

 

[KrisB]

Just to be clear -- the question is about the Mosquito which doesn't have a true "gauge mode". You can put it into FREEdiving mode and it goes into Er mode when you exceed 5min and then won't clear for 48hrs. (I've read that you can trick it out of Er mode, but I didn't try that. I've got 22:38 left in Er mode from forgetting that it was in FREE mode last night checking a spare octo in the neighbor's pool.) Others have said that the Mosquito will continue to act as a gauge when in Er mode and that did seem to be true last night.

-Rob

Oops, yes. You are right.

Sorry for the confusion -- I forgot that the Mosquito didn't have that feature.

 

[Charlie99]

my suunto gave me an attention symbol on a dive where i was dealing with downwellings and upwellings and at one point shot from 30 fsw to 15 fsw fast enough that it gave me a mandatory ceiling due to ascent violation. i got it under control and went down to 20 fsw and deco'd. the next *day* it still had the attention symbol and was giving me drastically shortened NDLs (and it was still considering dives the next day to be dives 4 and 5 in a series). that kind of idiocy is going to make me switch it into gauge mode...

That kind of "idiocy" is called RGBM. If you had generated significant free phase volume (bubbles) during multiple ups and downs while dealing with the downwelling and upwelling those bubbles will be very slow to be reabsorbed. That's why the RGBM-emulation of the Suunto computers will adjust M-values/NDLs for up to 100 hours after events like that.

If you don't want RGBM-like operation, then you either switch it into gauge mode as you plan, or you can buy a "dumb" Pelagic hockey puck. Even with a dumb computer, I'd be applying my own fudge factors after yo-yo dives or rapid ascents.