Suunto D9 Good Buy?

[Janos]

Originally Posted by CatB

I love my Gekko but you can't gas switch underwater - you can set the O2 % before you start the dive for nitrox but not switch once underwater - for example to deco on a rich mix as the OP suggests.

I have my Vytec, and although it's fine for short amounts of deco, for long dives I'm really unhappy with the amount of deco it gives, and the depths at which it is asking me to do it.

For example, 30 minutes at 40m on Nitrox 27% and the Suunto is asking me for 40 minutes of deco, first stop is 6.6m.

Note also that it assumes that most of that deco is at 3m, if you do the deco at 6m, then you will end up doing around 54 (yes fifty four) minutes of deco.

Using Bulhmann GF of 20/80 (which is very conservative) gives around 33 minutes of deco, first stop at 18m.

I would do the dive on Bulhman GF of 30/85, giving around 28 minutes of deco, first stop at 18m.

So, in conclusion, any dive where I would consider accelerating the deco, I would not bother with the Suunto range to tell me what to do. I consider the information it gives to me almost useless, and my Vytec now lives in gauge mode.

Janos