Freedive suggestions

[Johnkokk]

Hello to everyone.I’d like to make some suggestions regarding the FREEDIVE activity on this watch, which in my opinion is poorly implemented and not practical at all.
I really hope that the suggestions will reach to SUUNTO.

1.There should be a setting on the watch, that defines which underwater activity(scuba or freedive) should be activated automatically if you dive the watch(in case you don’t want to change anything on the pre-dive screen from a previous session).
As it is now, only scuba is automatically activated which is not practical.The settings for the specific automatic activation should be the last used from the pre-dive screen.
For instance you can just dive to pick up a shell and scuba will be activated which is not ok.

2 .There should be a surface interval (S.I.) alarm which as a default setting should have
● Depth within 30 meters: (S.I.) Alert time is double the dive
time.
● Depth beyond 30 meters, (S.I.) Alert time is dive depth
divided by 5 (minutes).

The alert could be through vibration and visual cue on the surface screen

Even D5 had something similar although it was manual.

3.Surface screen should contain more important info on one screen rather than a huge surface timer which occupies all the screen real estate and a redundant ring, that shows the exact same thing.We shouldn’t have to “fight” during our relaxation period with multiple screens and pressing buttons.
For example.
On the FIRST surface screen we should see the following :
●Surface timer
●Number of dives
●Stopwatch timer (instead of having it on a seperate screen)
●Max depth
●Temperature
●Last dive’s duration

The ring also could show a countdown timer until the optimum S.I. is reached (see #2 above).

Of course the dive switch window should be remain for the rest of the info, like time,total duration,etc.

These are all thing that other (even cheaper dive watches), already have implemented.

SUUNTO you can do better.

Thanks

[Yerai Hernández Díaz]

Is it possible that they are going to release a new freediving/scuba diving computer and the Suunto Ocean is a limited model for freediving?

I had a D4 and I am very happy, but if switching to the suunto ocean is a step backwards in terms of the information displayed I should think about it…

[Johnkokk]

@Yerai-Hernández-Díaz T I really hope this isn’t the case.

They sell it and list it in their product line as a diving watch.
If that was the plan, they should clearly mention that this is a limited dive computer. In that case lot’s of people wouldn’t buy it.
Even the name of the product is “OCEAN”.

In my opinion, since this is a software related issue, i think that the people that designed the whole diving activities didn’t have much of a clue about diving.

I really hope that SUUNTO is aware of the problems and requests of actual freedivers and will fix them.

[Yerai Hernández Díaz]

@Johnkokk

I understand you perfectly, but having limited the depth to 60 meters I think it can give us some clue. Only one depth alarm, no surface alarm…

I’m going to wait a few months to buy the suunto ocean, I think that if they release a complete new dive computer it will not have a multisport mode like this… Lot of doubts

Sorry for my english…

[SebastianTj]

I’m now using a D4F and a D5, which are great computers for freediving. I really like the design of the Suunto Ocean, but it looks like they didn’t use the knowledge they have from creating the D4F and D5 for creating the Ocean unfortunately.

I would like to add to the previous list that the 60 meter depth limitation is removed (at least for freediving). Since I’m freediving deeper than 60m, this limitation is one of the reasons (on top of the previous mentioned list) that I cannot use the Ocean. Don’t know if it is a hardware or software limitation, but since the watch itself can go down to 100m, I hope it’s just software.

[Johnkokk]

@SebastianTj I thought that the 60 meter limit was for scuba, since in some countries 60 meters is the limit for recreational dives and then it becomes technical.

Is this also for freediving ? Is it checked ?

[SebastianTj]

@Johnkokk

I had contact with an agent of Suunto, asking this, a couple of weeks ago. Their reaction was this:

“As we got an update from our concerned department that It provides accurate barometric altitude and depth measurements up to 60m. The device can endure pressure up to 100m, but depth measurement and dive algorithm calculation are limited to 60m and Suunto Ocean will show depth > 60m and trigger a notification informing that the algorithm calculations are not accurate.”

My interpretation was that the display would say “> 60m” literally. Maybe I am wrong.

As I read it back, the ticket that was created did not specifically mention freediving, so now I’m not sure anymore.

If someone has tried it or has the unambiguous answer, I would be very happy to hear it!

[Brainicus]

@Johnkokk No, the limit for rec dives is 40m, and few dive shops would take you below 30m actually. 60m is maximum operating depth (MOD) for air, which to this day remains then most widely used blend ‍️ Maybe because we have so much of it and free unlike helium

Also, from what I can see it seems there’s a consensus one goes CCR route once they start regularly scuba diving in excess of 60m simply due to gas costs and logistics. Not sure what’s the CCR story on Suunto products lately. I think DX and EON Steel had it but newer dive computers didn’t. Which isn’t surprising given Suunto choice of algorithms.

Which makes Ocean even more of a curiosity: 60m depth, multiple gases, EAN99, and deco are all tech features. And yet the watch is arguably a rec diving watch. Either Suunto knows something (standards gonna shift and more of tech stuff gonna trickle down to advanced rec) or… they simply run out of time and had to release something.

[kohjl]

@SebastianTj I believe the limitation applies to freediving as well. There is even a 60m depth alarm in freediving mode that you can’t remove.

[Johnkokk]

By the way, probably a bug in the app ( i haven’t checked in the watch).

I have GPS enabled during my spearfishing session.

When i sync the watch to the app, although the route is correct on the map (in the app), the distance that i made, is completely off.

I am guessing that the problem will exist in other swimming modes too.

[Maximfreediver]

Hi Guys!
I’m Freediving Instructor, now testing Ocean. Used D4i, D5 and Garmin Descent MK2.

So the watch is beautiful and sure underwater looks much pretty! AMOLED

What I need is customization of freediving mode . As for now I can customize run mode but not freediving. I want to add some data , change screen add and etc. Even D5 had it.

I cant find data speed of descent and ascent , only while diving

Suunto app doesn’t let you watch certain dive and its certain profile , just list it.

if I’m mistaken please correct me.

[Johnkokk]

@Maximfreediver

I sold my OCEAN, because it seemed to me that, at least the freediving section, was very poorly implemented.

As a smartwatch/sportswatch is great, but as a diving computer, not.

No data screen customizations, the freediving screens missing data and/or basic data are hidden under various screens, etc.
No surface time alarms also.

It just wasn’t for me.

[Maximfreediver]

@Johnkokk May be it’ll come in updates

[Maximfreediver]

Garmin has a switcher from Fresh to Sault Water. Here we don’t have it. So the measurements can be little wrong . What others think ?

[Egika]

@Maximfreediver said in Freedive suggestions:

Garmin has a switcher from Fresh to Sault Water. Here we don’t have it. So the measurements can be little wrong . What others think ?

the difference is around 3% if I am right.
So instead of 30m you are at 31m of depth. I think this is pretty insignificant…
Plus: different oceans have different salt content. So it differs from baltic sea to red sea to dead sea…

[Maximfreediver]

@Egika sure

[SXCohen]

@Egika
Even more important is the fact that decompression is more dependent on pressure than on depth… so having a ‘depth representing current pressure’ makes a lot of sense.

[marbjo]

I have a few suggestions also specifically related to freediving. Some are only nice to have but most are essential for safe, efficient and fun training.

1. App: Single dives in addition to data for complete dive session (multiple dive)
   a. Shareable photo of single dive (with V curve and metrics for that single dive)
   b. All metrics for single dive where data is available
2. Watch: Navigation
   a. Show direction to own location when it is outside visible map area
   b. Easier way to go back to own location (re-center)
   c. Disable touchscreen (water moves the map around)
3. App: Session data
   a. Total dive depth per session
   b. Cumulated dive depth selectable in lap view
   c. Ascent/descent speed selectable in graphs
   d. Max ascent and/or descent speeds per dive selectable in lap view
   e. Average ascent and/or descent speed per dive selectable in lap view
4. Watch: Surface interval alarm/notification e.g. according to AIDA recommendations
   a. Using time: double the dive time
   b. Using depth: depth in metres divided by 5
   c. Dives beyound 55 metres: Only one per 24h
   d. Whichever of these is the longest, will be shown in the watch surface view

[Serge Bezborodov]

I’ve been using Ocean since the first week when it was released.
For me personally, freediving means spearfishing. There are three most important metrics:

• depth
• time
• surface interval

All of it was on one screen in my D4F. Now, in Ocean, I have to switch screens after every dive to get the info.

It may make sense to make a separate mode for spearfishers with a simpler UI.
In Greece, for example, 99% of users are spearfishers.

[marbjo]

@marbjo

Addition to point 2:
d. Option to lock map orientation (north up)

For dive time alarms, we need to specify an alarm that is less than 1 minute. Currently I don’t seem to be able to create an alarm for 30 seconds.