Dive Computer Considerations

Dive Computer ConsiderationsHuggins, KEDive computers are standard pieces of equipment in recreational, scientific, and military diving. However, many commercial diving regulations state that they cannot be used to determine decompression status. The dive computer’s ability to continually update decompression status results in more efficient use of dive time. Because few human subject studies have been performed to validate dive computer decompression algorithms, there needs to be a method to evaluate the associated decompression risk for commercial diving use. This evaluation protocol would approve, or reject, specific decompression algorithms. While this protocol could take many forms, this paper focuses on the performance of dive computers exposed to profiles with known human subject results. Approximate risks can be determined by running dive computers against dive profiles with high, moderate, or low risk. Dive computer responses to the same dive profile can vary greatly and decompression algorithms can be assigned levels of risk. For a “high risk” decompression dive, all of the computers went into decompression violation during the decompression (assigned “unknown risk”). If this comparison technique is merged with decompression risk models, different risk estimates could be assigned to the various decompression algorithms over a wide range of dives. The inclusion of dive computers with acceptable decompression algorithms in the commercial diving toolbox would increase the efficiency in multi-level diving operations.The publication of the Proceedings of the Validation of Dive Computer Workshop is cosponsored by NTNU and the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority. The symposium was convened by the Baromedical and Environmental Physiology Group of NTNU on August 24, 2011, at the 37th Annual Meeting of the European Underwater and Baromedical Society in Gdansk, Poland.

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