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Knowledge is power – and having an understanding of what's going on inside your dive computer will help you dive more safely and with peace of mind. Here's what you need to know on Suunto's algorithm that keeps you safe: Think of dive algorithms as you do the Internet: Few of us can actually explain how email works, but we all agree that life is infinitely better with it. The algorithms powering your dive computer are much the same: You need only appreciate how you benefit. Algorithms are ever-adapting formulas that constantly measure how much nitrogen is accumulating in your body as you remain underwater. © Janne Suhonen When you first started diving, relying on the tables was fine because, most likely, your air consumption wasn’t efficient for you to stay down long enough to complicate things. Then, at some point, you noticed everyone with a dive computer was enjoying longer dives. They could duck down a few meters to swim nearer a shark or turtle, and this didn’t significantly shorten that dive or subsequent dives. Simply put, they were carefree. They knew their computers were factoring in these depth changes to keep them safe. When we dive, inert gases—such as nitrogen, which our body doesn’t need—are dissolving into the bloodstream. At any given point, even when you’re on dry land, your veins and arteries have microbubbles filled with these inert gases. When small, they’re of no consequence. But when they expand, say, from time at depth, they begin to limit off-gassing—that is, your body’s ability to expel nitrogen.Only Suunto factors microbubbles into their algorithms. The deeper you dive, the greater a risk factor they potentially become. Their dive computers will force you to decrease your ascent rate when microbubbles are starting to become an issue. Suunto’s Reduced Gradient Bubble Model, or RGBM, is the industry’s most accurate representation of what’s happening in your body when you dive. It automatically adjusts to what you’re doing underwater. After you’ve told it you are diving air or a particular Nitrox blend, it requires no further manual input, leaving you free to enjoy your dive.

It is with great sadness that we announce the news that our beloved Dr Bruce Wienke, a true pioneer in his field of dive specific algorithm design, has passed away leaving behind a great legacy. A keen diver, and downhill skier, Dr Wienke’s interest in diving was reflected in his achievements, and great success as seen in his accolades. His astonishing CV included Instructor Trainer and Technical Instructor with NAUI, a Master Instructor with PADI, Institute Director for YMCA, and an Instructor Trainer/Technical Instructor for SDI/TDI. “Most of the diving I have done has always been interesting and exciting. To my Australian friends, diving the Great Barrier Reef was incredible. Another favourite place is diving underneath the Arctic ice. It is just amazing; the water is cold of course, but it is just amazing. It is so clear, and perhaps because of the overhead ice and the associated underwater activity it’s like diving in a three dimensional surrealistic world. It is fantastic, and contrary to what you might think there is a variety of life down there. Very cool.” Dr Bruce Wienke. Dr Wienke joined Suunto in the late 90’s, where he hit the ground running and didn’t stop. The collaboration arose after some of his diving work published on core screen modelling in the open literature and was noticed by Ari Nikkola who was at the time presiding over the inhouse the algorithm development at Suunto. Employing his great expertise in the diving specific algorithm field, he joined Ari Nikkola in the development of the revolutionary Reduced Gradient Bubble Model (RGBM). The RGBM, a name first coined by Dr Wienke, is a dual phase approach to staging diver ascents over an extended range of diving applications (altitude, nonstop, decompression, multiday, repetitive, multilevel, mixed gas, and saturation) and a giant stride forward from previous modified Haldanean decompression models. Prior to joining the Suunto family, Dr Wienke was a Program Manager in the Nuclear Weapons Technology Simulation and Computing Office at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) where he completed research up until his death. As head of the LANL Nuclear Counter Measures Dive Team involving Special Warfare Units both above and below the water, he trained alongside the special forces well into his 70s. His interests were in computational decompression models, gas transport, and phase mechanics. He was the author of five monographs on his field, as well as more than 200 technical journal articles and was an active contributor to underwater symposia, educational publications, technical periodicals and decompression workshops. Alongside his high achieving work life, he served actively as a consultant for decompression algorithms within the dive industry and he worked with Divers Alert Network, DAN, on applications of high performance computing and communications for diving. Wienke’s first Suunto dive computer releases were the Vyper and Cobra in 1999, which is still accompanying divers all over the world on their underwater adventures, shortly followed by the iconic, best-selling Suunto Stinger dive computer. With his continued support, Suunto together with Dr Wienke, using his own source code, created the Technical RGBM. Now including helium gas, and rated to a depth of 120m, the Suunto HelO2 and D9tx opened the door to the technical dive market. A major new release in 2012 from Dr Wienke saw the Suunto Fused RGBM which combined the Full RGBM and the Technical model. Greatly benefiting both the recreational and technical diver, the algorithm now supported rebreathers, and new depths were conquered with a 150m rating. The Suunto Fused™ RGBM 2 can be found in the latest releases, the Suunto Eon Series and the D5. The algorithm manages dissolved gas and free-gas in both the tissues and blood of a diver making it significantly smarter than any previous models. Dr Wienke described this algorithm as a supermodel. Dr Bruce Wienke was a widely regarded and respected figure of the dive industry, and he will be by missed all his Suunto family. He died on Saturday 15th February 2020, and is survived by his wife, Annie.

Tech diving means going deeper for longer and requires, as the name suggests, a more technical understanding of what's going on with your gases. In this second part on Suunto algorithms, we go deeper into Suunto's RGBM. For technical divers, there are two key reasons Suunto’s Reduced Gradient Bubble Model, or RGBM, algorithm stands out. The first is microbubbles. No other brand of dive computer takes into account the accumulation of inert gases on this level. At any given point, even when you’re on dry land, your veins and arteries have microbubbles filled with these inert gases. When small, they’re of no consequence. But when they expand from time at depth, they begin to limit off-gassing. The deeper you dive, the greater a risk factor microbubbles potentially become. Suunto’s computers will force you to decrease your ascent rate when microbubbles start to become an issue. Second, Suunto is the only brand whose computers factor in the risk of isobaric counterdiffusion (ICD), which can potentially occur on ascent. Normally, as you breathe while making your way back to the surface, you’re off-gassing; however, depending on your gas blend, these inert gases could travel further into your system as opposed to out, due to the increasing partial pressures of gases upon ascent. Suunto’s computers will alert you when you’re at risk of ICD, and will alter your ascent plan as necessary to keep you safe. How does ICD affect divers? Hear Dr Wienke explain below and check out our other video guides to our algorithms here.

Suunto Ambassador, pioneering cave diver, explorer and author Jill Heinerth talks about diving physiology in episode one of this four part series. Can’t wait to watch the episodes? Click the links to dive right in! Watch Episiode 1 now Watch Epsiode 2 now Watch Episode 3 now Watch Episode 4 now In this episode, Jill Heinerth discusses the basics of dive physics and physiology and how to better use your dive computers as an effective tool when planning, and executing dives.   Talking biological tissue and dive computers, Jill explains how the body reacts to the inert gas you breathe during a dive. When the body is subject to pressure from depth during a dive, it ‘on gasses’ as the inert gas dissolves into your tissues.   Our body tissues include the blood, the brain, ligaments, skin, bone, fat and all your organs and each tissue is delivered different amounts of blood, therefore absorbing different amounts of gas.   The rate in which tissues uptake and release the gas occurs differently for each group of tissues. The groups are sorted into different compartments alongside tissues that have similar gas saturation properties and behave in the same manner.   A dive computer allows the diver to view information that assists them on a dive, and the diver has the opportunity to decide to follow the device.   A dive computer will not, for the most, consider the individual differences of each diver using it. The "type" of diver that is considered is an average person, and there is an added safety margin to take into account to accommodate variations.   Your Suunto dive computer is based on mathematical models. This model, or algorithm, calculates the on gassing and off gassing of your compartments. The algorithm implemented at the core of a computer is a simulation of what happens to gases in a diver's body in an environment where pressure changes.   The research and development team at Suunto test, test and test again to ensure they meet the strictest performance targets. The dive team at Suunto are constantly improving and fine tuning the devices by diving with them over and over again, because we know you will too.   Check out episode one now and explore these topics further. Episode 2 In episode two of Dive In, Jill Heinerth discusses how your dive commuter calculates ascents or decompression stops as we delve deeper into the basics of diving physics and physiology for both recreational divers, and those who dive beyond.   Having discussed how the human body stores and releases inert gas in the last episode, this week Jill examines how your dive computer calculates the maths that work out how the body gets rid of gas during off gassing, and how an ascent is just the beginning of the off-gassing process. Off gassing ends when the body has reached and found equilibrium with the surface.   When the body cannot take on any more gas into solution, it is termed- critical super saturation. This critical moment of reaching maximum pressure is known as the M value.   Different compartments mean lots of M values to consider in order to calculate how the body off gases when ascending during a dive.   Recreational divers will only consider the fast tissues. The time and depth parameters that recreational divers adhere to, keeps them away from nearing critical super saturation point. This is so they may directly ascend to the surface without a decompression stop.   Tech divers load both their fast and slower tissues, and this adds another layer of considerations. Sunnto has a team of dedicated researchers, engineers and testers who are constantly improving algorithms and have much real world dive data to use for their improvements.   Jill dives with Suunto, and says, “I have been diving with Suunto dive computers for over 20 years. Part of this is because I have seen the rigorous testing regiments, I’ve seen the manufacturing standards, as well as their active algorithm research and development. I’ve been to the factory, seen their testing and I know I can rely on their commitment to excellence.”   Find out why decompression models use up to 16 different theoretical tissue compartments and many more hot topics as Jill explains how your computer works in the second episode of Dive In.   Tune in next time for episode 3 to watch Jill get deep with personal factors and gradient factors. Episode 3 Do you know what your Personal Factors are?   In a world where we are able to choose a product based on what is best suited for our individual needs, why would such a crucial piece of dive equipment, your dive computer, be any different?   Personal factors should not be over looked, yet many divers never read in to the dive computer manual deep enough to understand that their device can be tailored to suit an individual’s need. External influences can be taken into account and the dive computer conservatism setting can factor in risks for each dive. This is a very important part of safer dive planning.   During this episode of Dive In, we look at what the personal factors on a Suunto computer are, and how they need to be applied.   Jill also talks gradient factors, algorithms and dive teams. Few users, or even instructors actually understand how gradient factors work, or what they are. She shines a light on how different decompression models behave, and how dive buddies can work together even if they are diving following different decompression models.   Jill delves into what each number of the gradient factor represent, which one is more important and how to use them in your dive planning.   Jill also looks into the deep stop mystery. As divers we still have a lot of research to do into them, and over the years there has been much conflicting anecdotal advice. There is much misinformation buzzing around social media and dive forums leading to a vast amount of confusion.   Watch now as Jill Heinerth sets us straight on the key issues in this episode of Dive in. Make sure you tune in next week for the fourth, the final and bonus episode where Jill shares her story of getting hit.   Episode 4 In the final instalment of Dive In, Suunto Ambassador Jill Heinerth discusses her experience of getting ’hit’ with Decompression Sickness (DCS) twenty years ago, what she has since learnt, and how she has adapted her dives to suit her.   Jill was thousands of dives into her career and thought it would never happen to her. DCS, or the bends, is a sports injury and there is a spectrum of how the bubbles can affect your body from a skin rash to paralysis. In many cases the resulting tissue damage will remain, perhaps increasing the risk of another hit. Making a few minor changes to her dive since her experience, watch to see how Jill optimises her off gassing phase on a dive and what surprises she has found by doing that little bit extra.   No mathematical algorithm can guarantee your absolute safety, and it is unfair to blame a device if you do get bent. Use your computer to the full and be armed with the knowledge of exactly how it works. Dive computers open up a whole wealth of new underwater adventures, so for one last time, let’s Dive In with Jill.        

The all-round dive computer comes out in two new editions The Suunto D4i is now available in two new colors to guide divers on their underwater adventures. With four dive modes – including freediving – Suunto RGBM algorithm, and the option of wireless integration, the Suunto D4i is the dive computer of choice for all divers looking for a lightweight, reliable and stylish dive computer. With the pink edition, it gets a splash of color. It's the perfect fit, whether blending in with a coral reef or your style out of the water. The gray Suunto D4i makes for a modern and streetwise alternative to black. The Suunto D4i is already available in black, white, blue and lime. It features a soft silicone strap, ensuring maximum comfort as well as a superb fit and is designed to suit the needs of all divers – for every diving occasion. The Suunto D4i Novo Pink and Gray will become available in January.

The great all-rounder will come with vibrant color options and a new strap. Suunto has launched new color versions of the popular dive computer Suunto D4i, which will be available in January 2014. The product features stay the same, but they now come in fresh new colors and design. The new-look Suunto D4i will be available in black, white, blue and lime. As well as the renewed design, the Suunto D4i also features an all new, soft silicone strap, ensuring maximum comfort as well as a superb fit. The case and strap are color-matched for a consistent look, bezel and mask prints are new and the buttons are made of metal. Sleek and lightweight, the Suunto D4i also offers versatile functionality. With four dive modes — including freediving — Suunto RGBM algorithm, and the option of wireless integration, it's the dive computer of choice for all divers looking for a colorful and lightweight dive computer.

It’s not suppose to hurt your ears When I was a kid I dreamed about diving, but my ears and sinuses screamed in pain – but when you take a Scuba class you learn to equalize naturally. Diving should never be painful. Your ears hurt because of the effects of pressure – the volume of air spaces within your body are compressed by water pressure over your head. You need to adjust that change with equalization. You’re not breathing what you breath on land Most people mistakenly assume there’s an oxygen tank on your back. You’re not breathing oxygen, you’re breathing what you’d breath on land, and that's 21% percent oxygen, 79% nitrogen and a few trace gasses – but it’s dried, filtered clean, and compressed. Technical divers may use exotic gasses like helium to conduct dives at much deeper levels, but recreational divers just breath, well, normal air.   How long can I stay under water, really? That’s a tough questions! There’s a lot of factors that limit your dive. Important ones being how much air is in your tank and how deep you go. Recreational divers generally can ascend to the surface at any time during their dive with no need for de-compression stops on the way. Uhhh, what are decompression stops? Technical divers have an artificial ‘ceiling’ over their heads (or sometimes a real one). Artificial ceilings are created when you go deep or very long, and your body needs to time climatize and release gasses that have accumulated in the body. If you go higher, faster, you could get injured – it’s called decompression sickness (colloquially known as 'the bends’) and trust me, you don’t want to deal with it – symptoms include joint pain, headaches, neurological damage, even paralysis. But let me be clear: this is totally, 100% avoidable. How safe is diving? Statistically, diving is incredibly safe if you’re following the rules and know what’s going on. You’re more likely to suffer a fatal bowling injury! But you need to follow the sea conditions and weather, and follow the basic safety rules you learned in dive class. Will my whole body wrinkle up like my fingers after too long in the pool? Ha! That’s great, but no. You won’t come out looking like a prune. What’s a dive algorithm? A dive algorithm is a complex mathematical formula that attempts to simulate how the human body deals with the inert gas in scuba diving on descent and during the dive. It predicts how the body will off-gas that same inert gas to allow us to find the proper schedule for a safe ascent back to the surface. See the above statement about ‘decompression stops’. Give us a sample dive profile? A ‘dive profile’ is basically a map of how deep you go when (and for how long) during a dive. A rec-diver going to 30m of depth has only of 20min of bottom time before they ascend back to the surface with no safety stops. Alternatively, tech divers will spends hours at 30m, using rebreathers and different gasses to complete that dive, and they’ll have a number of decompression stops to come back to the surface. Are there any long-term effects? The current algorithms keep us in the safe envelope of exposure. I’ve got 7,000 dives, and sometimes am on projects that extend for months, diving every single day. Researchers are still looking at us (by that I mean people like me!) to see if there’s any long term effects. Decompression stress – the same thing that astronauts deal with, just on lesser levels – is of great interest to physiologists – there’s a lot of questions about how that stress expresses itself on bones or tissue over very long periods of time. But I’m 52 years old, and can still swim circles around most 20 year olds, so I’m not too worried for the long run! Stay tuned for more articles about the science of diving.   READ MORE Explore a frozen world with Jill Heinerth How deep can we go?