Computer Panic!

[Moor3061]

Cool heads always prevail, great job. Fantastic reminder to plan your dives. Computers can fail at the worst time, I won't be buying a zoop anytime soon.

 

[Ojai Diver]

You dive a brick? A buddy of mine has been diving one since it came out back in the '80's without a problem.


Bob
--------------
For the youngsters, Orca Edge = The Brick.

It has been called a brick (and worse.). But it is a U.S. Divers Monitor 1. I don't dive it out of nostalgia or even poverty but because I feel it is not only as good but in many ways superior to contemporary offerings.

I also note that computers seem to be getting larger (more brick like) again.

As they say, everything changes but the avant garde.

 

[Stoo]

I dont know. It was like the computers had a coding error and just started spitting out numbers randomly.

I used to get weird readings on my Dive-Rite Duos and Apeks Quantums when the batteries started to get low. They just read gibberish. Once I realized the cause, I made a point of not changing batteries at the same time... spread the changes by several months, and voila...

Most of my day to day diving is what I have come to call "tecreational"... usual depths of 100' to 170', with some mandatory deco (anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes), usually with 02 for deco. Over the years, I have learned to keep a running tally of my decompression obligation as I progress through the dive, so if the computer goes haywire, I have a pretty good idea of my current obligation. I would call the dive, and add a good (like 50%) additional deco over my best recollection.

With the Quantums, the deco showing was based on my bottom gas, until I changed gases in the computer. If the Quantum said I needed 1o minutes of deco, then I knew that when I switched to O2, I would gain several minutes leeway.

I use a Petral now... it shows the required deco and assumes that you are carrying and will use any of the programmed and turned on gases, so I have no such advantage.

 

[Freewillow]

I agree with Steve. I have 2 computors from two different manufacturos. One Uwatec Aladin 2G and a HW Sport. Both are multigas computor because I do deco dives quite a few times.

I have read quite a lot about funny behaviors of Zoop and Cressi Leonardo computor. So these are off my shopping list. .

 

[BoltSnap]

bingo times

What is that?

 

[Captain Swoop]

What is that?

Related to Bingo Fuel maybe?
A pre-briefed amount of fuel for an aircraft that would allow a safe return to the base of intended landing

 

[lerpy]

This is a great example of why, as many have mentioned, learning tables and writing out a dive plan is still a good idea, even at the open water level. I personally carry tables and a bottom timer, and write out my plan on a wrist slate. I was in a situation, no computer, and actually no timer either, this was due to my very bad planning, however I knew I would not be in deco, but to be sure, I made a very slow accent, then when I was in about 10-15 feet I just sat and did a nice long safety stop.

 

[Hoag]

I have also seen a reaction similar to the one Amy experienced when someone dives the first few times with an Air Integrated computer. After sitting in the sun on the deck of the dive boat, the tank gets hot and the pressure reads proportionally high. The dive enters the water and as the tank cools, the reading goes from 1:50 Air time remaining to 0:25 minutes of Air time remaining in a minute or two. If the person isn't aware (or expecting) this, the first instinct is to panic. After a few minutes, when the tank temperature (and pressure) normalize and the divers breathing becomes regular again, the Air time remaining goes back to an accurate reading, but for those first couple minutes, it can be very disconcerting for the diver with the new computer.

 

[kelemvor]

Sounds super bizarre to have two computers fail in the same way at the same time. Like chances of winning the lottery bizarre. Unless Suunto has a major manufacturing problem going on that has thus far been undisclosed.

Too bad there isn't a download of the logs available.

 

[Freewillow]

This is a great example of why, as many have mentioned, learning tables and writing out a dive plan is still a good idea, even at the open water level. I personally carry tables and a bottom timer, and write out my plan on a wrist slate. I was in a situation, no computer, and actually no timer either, this was due to my very bad planning, however I knew I would not be in deco, but to be sure, I made a very slow accent, then when I was in about 10-15 feet I just sat and did a nice long safety stop.

No problem with tables and a bottom timer. But what about a buddy. He also had no computor and no dive time