HELP! Mares Puck Air no "Safe Stop" when at or below 50 bar

[flylow47]

Dear Mares -

I bought a couple of Puck Airs for my wife and me in March, and we have about 40 dives on them now. Really like the fully integrated design and simple user interface. HOWEVER, the computer WILL NOT do a 3 minute safety stop when at or below 50 bar. I tested this issue over the weekend, and it simply doesn't do it. PLEASE fix this huge design flaw. One simple suggestion would be to allow the user to set the minimum alarm air to 10 bar thereabouts before triggering an alarm. It's not really that loud anyhow, and I always just press the button to disable the audible alarm after it sounds, because I typically end the dive doing the shallow portion at about 5-8 meters for the last 10 minutes of the dive anyhow, so no issue surfacing with 25 bar. But seriously, eliminating the 3 minute stop?

Other thing I've noticed is that the computer displays about 20 bar less than my dive buddies air shows with a regular SPG. I don't mind the conservatism, but couple this with the lack of a SS and it's a real issue.

 

[flylow47]

For anyone interested, I contacted Mares support, and they told me that "in order to use your Puck Air safely, Mares suggests, in addition to the dive computer, also using a depth gauge, a submersible pressure gauge, a timer or watch, and dive tables." Quote from the manual. They tell me I'm always free to do a safety stop. I guess I shouldn't expect a computer to display this information. I carry 2 computers anyhow, but I like both to be fully functional.

So I responded that I'll record the sequence and post it on youtube for them. And the world. So look for that next week.

Really surprised at Mares choosing to display a flashing low air alarm instead of a safety stop countdown.

I'm starting to question their sanity.

 

[dfx]

Really surprised at Mares choosing to display a flashing low air alarm instead of a safety stop countdown.

I'm starting to question their sanity.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather skip the optional safety stop than run out of air while doing it.

Whether or not you consider skipping the safety stop at or below 50 bar as too conservative is debatable. If you plan your dives so that you're back on the boat with at least 50 bar reserve in your tank (which I'm pretty sure I've heard somewhere before :tongue then this alarm is exactly what you want. It may not be what you want, but there you have it.

 

[Imla]

If you are doing gradual ascents... are you sure you havent already fulfilled your safetystop request by the computer long before you get to 50 bar?
ie. My suunto starts to count when I get shallower than 6m. I can spend quite a lot of time fiddling about taking pictures... so.. when I get to 50bar I might actually already have done 3-10-20min "safety-stop" already...

I have never heard of anyone who have asked to link airconsumption to their safety stop.. sounds just odd...

 

[mark260165]

I also think that if you are on or below fifty bar, it's sensible for the computer to bypass the safety stop. I can imagine a fair bit of anxiety could be felt by a diver who was a heavy air user or had a high breathing rate due to other factors, upon reaching the sefety stop depth of around five meters with less then fifty bar, your computer started counting down a three minute safety stop.
I bet a quite a few would carry out the computers instruction rather than surface.
It is my personal aim to be on the surface after the stop with fifty bar or more in my tank, I consider the remaining fifty bar as a reserve, similar to the red on your cars fuel gauge, people who often enter the red will one day push it to far and run out.
Mares build computers for the everyday diver & its their duty to keep them safe! Missing the stop is a safer option in my opinion.

 

[flylow47]

Where is safetystop 613 - YouTube

 

[DevonDiver]

I don't know about you, but I'd rather skip the optional safety stop than run out of air while doing it.

When using PADI tables, it's only optional in certain circumstances. It's necessary in others (deeper than 30m/within three pressure groups of an NDL etc). It is never, however, mandatory - i.e. you should plan for it, but other arising priority circumstances may mean you can decide to subsequently skip it (for instance, low/out of air).

Whether or not you consider skipping the safety stop at or below 50 bar as too conservative is debatable.

Very debatable - especially considering that if you use Imperial gauges your minimum reserve is nominally 500psi.

500psi, of course, converts to just 35bar!

For anyone interested, I contacted Mares support, and they told me that "in order to use your Puck Air safely, Mares suggests, in addition to the dive computer, also using a depth gauge, a submersible pressure gauge, a timer or watch, and dive tables." Quote from the manual.

That's just a convenient way to ensure liability is deferred to the diver...

Really surprised at Mares choosing to display a flashing low air alarm instead of a safety stop countdown.

I'm starting to question their sanity.

As a matter of immediate prioritization, I'd suggest a low-on-air warning was more critical than an 'aide' to help you countdown 180 seconds elapsed...

 

[matrium]

Sorry for digging this up, but are there any updates on this matter? I am thinking about getting a Mares Puck Air as my first computer, but imo the missing safety stop when below 50 bar is really stupid. Maybe it's ok for deeper dives, but with my OW diver, i will dive at most 18m and i only have the one stop at 5m. It's stupid to show me no timer just because i am at 49 bar. What's the computer afraid of? That i breath from 50 bar to 0 in 3 minutes and drown in 5m depth? I guess its ok to skip the safety stop at 30bar or so, but 50 seems high.
Yeah, i know we are supposed to be back at the boat with 50 and i will aim for that. Still this bugs me a bit

 

[Hickdive]

It is a "safety stop" and omitting it will not, in the overwhelming majority of cases, lead to harm.

On the other hand, running out of air will quite possibly lead to harm.

Having a computer "suggest" you remain underwater with a very limited amount of air remaining is a recipe for disaster.

However, the most astonishing thing is, I find, that divers are apparently so reliant on their computers that they cannot make an informed decision about whether or not to make a safety stop in a low air situation without a computer to guide them. But then maybe that's why Mares have installed this feature - to avoid the witless drowning themselves because their computer has a "safety stop" displayed and staying down when they have insufficient gas to complete it.

 

[matrium]

With 49bar i would certainly still do the stop, with 20 i probably wont. 49bar at 5m is still a lot of air, isnt' it? Even if running completely out of air i doubt anyone would drown 5meters below the surface.

Yeah it's not absolutely necessary, but i feel like the occurrence of the "low air event" should not prevent the "safety stop event" (at least if the remaining pressure is reasonable high).
Is the low air value configurable?