computer dependent divers...

[kmac]

ye, and i feel better using a computer now. after reading all the threads about computers being unreliable, are only used by "bad" divers, etc i was beginning to question my faith in my suunto. personally i depend on my computer like i depend on all of my gear for diving.
i'm lousy at maths, even simple things and i don't know what would be more reliable in the long run - my comp or my table skills. i don't really understand why i should plan with both? if my comp were to fail underwater i still have my buddy as a backup. and seriously i look at my comp quite often and if i noticed something was wrong, then the dive would be off.

I was actually checking out a Suunto Gekko last weekend... You'll have to put up a review of your comp...

I've never trusted ads or salesman, but I do pay attention to the reviews I read here, If someones still able to type something on this board, its a pretty safe bet that their comp didn't kill 'em...

:33:

 

[dweeb]

On my AOW course, as part of the "narc test" during the deep dive, we were each passed a slate with various questions on them. Two of the questions were, "without looking, what is your depth? your dive time?"

Betcha I could ask that of some divers and they would have no clue.

Knowing those values without looking is pointless. If you can't check your instruments at will, why have them?

There are two ways to know your depth and dive time.

1. Look at your instruments often.

2. Look at your instruments seldom, and in between, visually track depth changes, while counting off "one-mississippi, two-mississippi."

Or, you could be a REAL MAN, and leave the instruments behind, and just count off seconds and minutes in your head the whole dive. Yeah, that wristwatch is just a crutch for sissies.

 

[dweeb]

Look up an unfamilar phone number. 30 seconds later, recite it from memory.

Look up an unfamilar phone number. Write it down on a sticky note. 30 seconds later, recite it from memory.


You'll find the latter much more difficult; there is a human tendency to purge things from short-term memory, entirely unconsciously, if you know they're easily retrieved. There's a technical term for this, but I don't recall it.

If circumstances don't FORCE me to memorize a numerical figure, I will avoid memorizing it. I remember my first girlfriend's phone number from 10th grade. I took a bet from a friend in high school, and because of it I'll carry 95 places of pi in my head to my grave. It's like I tell people considering tattoos - don't get something that you know will be permanent unless you know you'll want it in 20 years.

 

[dweeb]

Then how do you plan out the second dive in a repetitive series?

I check the timer. DUH.
I don't plan the next dive while climbing the boat ladder, or while pulling rig off. I sit down somplace where I can look at the tables, and then I consult my timer, when I actually NEED the information.

I suppose you memorize the tables too, eh?

 

[dweeb]

ummm... really now? So if your computer dies and you've run into deco time how are you supposed to know your depth so you can do your deco stop? An analogue depth gauge (which can record max depth) is a very useful tool to have with you.

Isn't it obvious?
You should be able to mentally track your depth based on an awareness of your vertical motion. Anything else is a crutch.

 

[divad]

If circumstances don't FORCE me to memorize a numerical figure, I will avoid memorizing it. I remember my first girlfriend's phone number from 10th grade. I took a bet from a friend in high school, and because of it I'll carry 95 places of pi in my head to my grave. It's like I tell people considering tattoos - don't get something that you know will be permanent unless you know you'll want it in 20 years.

What about the one from 7th grade? With the braces.

 

[dweeb]

My whole point is that they never look at the computer for the relevant data (max depth and time). They should know their max depth and time before they are within 15 feet of the surface or they me be a candidate for DCS.

Simple process during the dive -

1. consult instruments
2. Use the information to determine:

a) what is my current status?
b) what is the next action required by my status?
c) how soon must I take this action?

3. Remember the answers to these three questions, i.e. THE RELEVANT, USEFUL INFORMATION, and forget the numbers.

Repeat this process often during the dive.

The numbers are not important. What the numbers mean is important. Typically, what they mean is the answer to a simple yes/no binary question, such as, should I ascend now?
One relevant bit - why use up the RAM for more?

 

[dweeb]

People don't look at their computer when they have one. They don't look at their air guage. They don't look at their depth guage. They don't watch their bottom time.

It doesn't make a difference what kind of equipment an individual is diving. At least most computers have a somewhat audible alarm that goes off when it goes into deco. Now does the operator have any idea what it means? That's a different story.

The bumper sticker "Guns don't kill, people do" needs
a diving equivalent:

Computers don't bend divers, divers bend divers.

 

[dweeb]

What about the one from 7th grade? With the braces.

She wasn't allowed to accept phone calls from boys, so there was no value to the information.

 

[dweeb]

ye, and i feel better using a computer now. after reading all the threads about computers being unreliable, are only used by "bad" divers, etc i was beginning to question my faith in my suunto. personally i depend on my computer like i depend on all of my gear for diving.

Your other gear is all passive technology. Your computer is not. If you don't understand the difference, or why this makes an equivalent dependence unwise, find an engineer to sit down and explain it to you.

i'm lousy at maths, even simple things and i don't know what would be more reliable in the long run - my comp or my table skills.

THAT is a scary statement. If you have that little confidence in your own ability to perform basic diving tasks, aren't you worried about diving?
One, there is really not any real math in using the tables. If you can have a credit card without getting into bankruptcy, then you can use the tables; it's almost exactly the same process. There are 12 year olds learning to use the tables every day. If you have trouble with it, you shouldn't just accept that, you should find a way to overcome it.

i don't really understand why i should plan with both?

The first four words of that sentence are what's wrong with your approach.

if my comp were to fail underwater i still have my buddy as a backup.and seriously i look at my comp quite often and if i noticed something was wrong, then the dive would be off.

What if your buddy has the same type of computer - for that matter, many of the computers available today share the same internal hardware. Oh, they couldn't all fail at once, and in a way no one noticed, could they? Are you old enough for the words "Pentium Bug" to resonate with you? How many thousands were in the hands of consumers before that one was noticed? How many more before Intel actually admitted that it was true? Anyone here ever dealt with Intel's QA processes? They're the benchmark. Check out the "copy exact" policy to see what fanatics they are, and yet, this one slipped by them.

Your computer could fail in ways you would NEVER detect, unless you understood the principles it operates on well enough not to say "i don't know what would be more reliable in the long run - my comp or my table skills."

Computers are not inherently bad in diving, but your statement is a screaming advertisement for the reasons people object to computers.