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The Oceanic+ app comes to Apple Watch Ultra

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Re: The Oceanic+ app comes to Apple Watch Ultra

#31

Post by lolsoftware »

ashtonbaker wrote: post #17

I think this looks amazing for warm-water vacation divers - typically they are stuck with rental equipment, which usually means a cheap, dated computer on a bulky console. Having a well-designed UI will definitely improve these divers safety - the last boat dive I went on, an experienced diver blew past no-deco limits because he didn't understand his unfamiliar rental computer. That being said, I can't personally ima…

Slight clarification: the Apple Watch Ultra has a water resistance rating of 100m. The Oceanic+ app has a 130ft/40m limit because that's the recreational diving limit.

[1]: https://support.apple.com/kb/SP879?viewlocale=en_IN&locale=e....

Re: The Oceanic+ app comes to Apple Watch Ultra

#32

Post by thinkmcfly »

shkkmo wrote: post #18
isitmadeofglass wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not misleading, this is Apple releasing the news and it has obviously been developed in collaboration with Apple. The term “Dive computer” is not something to be taken lightly. It’s hardware you literally depend on to keep you alive during a dive. The fact that Apple is supporting this externally developed app says they have a very higher level of trust in their hardware. Typically a dive computer would cost mor…

Most dive computers cost less (often less than half) than an Apple Watch Ultra and don't require any subscription to maintain functionality. Also, since you are trusting your life to the waterproofing of the watch, a EDC watch that takes abuse all day that could compromise that waterproofing seems like a bit of a risk unless it is only being used as a secondary / backup dive computer.

Do they have the same clout tho? I bet you can make some pretty sweet gram content with this. Edit: why the hate? Do you guys love Instagram or something?

Re: The Oceanic+ app comes to Apple Watch Ultra

#33

Post by gjsman-1000 »

Sometimes my brain works so weird. When I first saw "Oceanic+," I thought it must be another offering like "TV+" or "Fitness+." I then wondered what it might be and my first thought, I'm not joking, was that this was going to be an ocean nature documentary subscription service to compete with National Geographic on Disney+.

Dive computer? OK... that makes way more sense...

Re: The Oceanic+ app comes to Apple Watch Ultra

#34

Post by chson »

sfusato wrote: post #3

This is great for the scuba community as it will cause other brands to innovate and most importantly bring diving to a wider audience which will help the sport as a whole which will hopefully raise awareness about endangered underwater ecosystems in the long-run.

Garmin and Suunto already have dive computers with full smart watch capabilities. Most importantly without a subscription model to use the features.

Re: The Oceanic+ app comes to Apple Watch Ultra

#35

Post by jitl »

ashtonbaker wrote: post #17

I think this looks amazing for warm-water vacation divers - typically they are stuck with rental equipment, which usually means a cheap, dated computer on a bulky console. Having a well-designed UI will definitely improve these divers safety - the last boat dive I went on, an experienced diver blew past no-deco limits because he didn't understand his unfamiliar rental computer. That being said, I can't personally ima…

I took it to 140ft a month ago. It complained and turned the screen yellow as a warning, but readings in the built in Depth app (which measures depth, water temp, and dive time but is NOT a dive computer) matched my dive computer exactly at that depth and all other depths.

It’s rated as water resistant to 100m, 300+ feet - it’s just the software and measurement sensor bits that get queasy at 130ft.

The software APIs for measuring depth have an enum for this: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/coremotion/cmwater...

Re: The Oceanic+ app comes to Apple Watch Ultra

#36

Post by iamacyborg »

bitwrangler wrote: post #20
jupp0r wrote: post #6

Any HN scuba divers here that would use this as their only dive computer on a dive? I'm not a scuba diver myself but do engage in other adventure sports where reliable equipment can make the difference between a great trip and disaster. I'd be very reluctant to trust my life or health to this.

it says it's rated to 40 meters, which is good for most recreational diving. This would not apply for deeper dives. I'm curious to see what they have for using it with diver communication and collaboration. If one diver sees something of interest, they can easily notify other divers. I'm not sure if or how well Bluetooth works underwater? The haptic vibration would be useful to notify about reaching maximum bottom ti…

> I'm not sure if or how well Bluetooth works underwater?

It doesn’t, which is why heart rate monitors intended for swimming activities have on-board storage.

Re: The Oceanic+ app comes to Apple Watch Ultra

#37

Post by scrumper »

jupp0r wrote: post #6

Any HN scuba divers here that would use this as their only dive computer on a dive? I'm not a scuba diver myself but do engage in other adventure sports where reliable equipment can make the difference between a great trip and disaster. I'd be very reluctant to trust my life or health to this.

Not my only, but if I was starting out again I'd consider an apple watch ultra over a dedicated computer. Consequences of computer failure on a well-planned open water rec dive are fairly minimal. This doodad, plus a backup basic watch capable of working at that depth (so you have an idea of time although really your decision to surface is largely driven by air remaining) and I'd be confident. Ascent rate is the only unknown then, but you have a buddy or a group to follow. If you're really unlucky, losing your computer and your group, you just remember your training and swim up really really slowly. Missing your safety stop isn't going to kill you. Losing your dive boat might though :)

Re: The Oceanic+ app comes to Apple Watch Ultra

#38

Post by noelherrick »

isitmadeofglass wrote: post #9
dagmx wrote: post #2

Title is misleading. This is a third party application for the Apple Watch Ultra that is being highlighted, not an Apple product itself.

It’s not misleading, this is Apple releasing the news and it has obviously been developed in collaboration with Apple. The term “Dive computer” is not something to be taken lightly. It’s hardware you literally depend on to keep you alive during a dive. The fact that Apple is supporting this externally developed app says they have a very higher level of trust in their hardware. Typically a dive computer would cost mor…

Dive computers don't keep you alive during the dive, they keep you alive afterwards :P But seriously, if a dive computer fails, you go off your buddy's computer or scrub the dive and go with a maximum surface interval. At worst, this watch failing means you have to end early. Dive computers have extra safety precautions around surfacing too quickly, but divers are trained to use things such as watching air bubbles to time their surfacing. I have never seen a setup that only uses digital gauges for air pressure.

This is all rec diving (<= 40m). I would never, ever use an Apple device for tech diving, even if some future version is rated for it.

Re: The Oceanic+ app comes to Apple Watch Ultra

#39

Post by jakear »

isitmadeofglass wrote: post #29
shkkmo wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would highly recommend at least buying a cheaper secondary dive computer to take with you in case something goes wrong.

That’s standard diving practice. You have a backup regulator and a backup dice computer. And in the event of both primært and secondsry familier you have a plan for how to handle it. But both the backup regulator and dice computer is on your companion. You don’t dive with two yourself.

You don't dive with two regulators? I haven't been in a while but I fairly distinctly remember having two regulators per person, that way if one fails you don't have to immediately fall back on passing regulators back and forth breath-by-breath. The backup isn't a particularly nice regulator, probably reusing the mechanism your vest uses to inflate, but better than nothing.

Re: The Oceanic+ app comes to Apple Watch Ultra

#40

Post by lolsoftware »

jupp0r wrote: post #6

Any HN scuba divers here that would use this as their only dive computer on a dive? I'm not a scuba diver myself but do engage in other adventure sports where reliable equipment can make the difference between a great trip and disaster. I'd be very reluctant to trust my life or health to this.

I'm a recreational diver. I wouldn't use this as my _only_ computer, but I would say the same for the computers I currently use. I always dive with 2 computers just in case one fails, a battery dies, etc. As 'latchkey said, never rely on a single piece of equipment. With that being said, I would be willing to swap out my wrist computer for the Apple Watch Ultra. The superior display and UX would actually be a big quality of life improvement over my current wrist computer. And, I'd still have my backup computer in my SPG to compare against or fall back to.
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