UWATEC's New Smart Computers

An adaptive computer that reduces microbubbles

A decade ago, recreational divers had a number of safe, reliable dive computers to choose from. For those involved in more advanced and technical forms of diving, however, there was only one truly viable option: the Aladin Pro. For years, this gray, rectangular instrument graced the wrists of the world’s best cave, wreck and deep divers – as well as a number of professional underwater filmmakers.

            I also trusted the Aladin Pro to bring me back safely from deep-air missions, complex multilevel profiles and staged decompression dives in underwater caves. Over a five-year period, my Aladin Pro guided me through more than 500 recreational and 300 extended-range dive profiles without incident.

           The Pro was built by UWATEC, a company on the cutting edge of dive computer development. After creating the Pro, UWATEC’s engineers pioneered nitrox, air integration and hoseless technologies, then turned their attention to the creation of computers that could adjust the dive plan according to a diver’s actual behavior. Beginning with the company’s proprietary Buhlman gas absorption algorithm, they created software that factored in water temperature, ascent rates and – on air-integrated models – the diver’s workload, based on breathing rate.

           This year, UWATEC unveiled a new generation of dive computers that take adaptive dive planning to the next level. In addition to physical upgrades such as a larger display screen and infrared data download capability, the new Smart PRO and Smart COM models contain advanced software designed to reduce the incidence of microbubbles.

           Traditional dive tables attempt to predict and prevent the formation of nitrogen bubbles that can cause decompression illness (DCI). In recent years, studies have identified a much smaller type of bubble that forms on many dives where there are no symptoms of DCI. Known as microbubbles, these small formations usually present no visible symptoms, but studies have show them to be present in 37 percent of monitored dives and in 60 percent of repetitive dives. Long-term exposure to microbubbles may cause soft-tissue damage.

           The software in UWATEC’s new Smart computers predicts the likelihood of microbubble formation by monitoring the diver’s actual underwater behavior, then provides ways for the diver to minimize bubble formation. The user can select from six levels of microbubble suppression that, at the most conservative level, have been shown to reduce bubble formation by as much as 60 percent.

           I made a series of dives with the Smart COM using various levels of bubble suppression. The first thing I noticed was the computer’s ability to monitor and alert me to any deviation from an optimum dive profile, regardless of the suppression setting. Dive below your planned limit, ascend too fast, increase your breathing rate or miss a safety stop, and the Smart COM will not only let you know, it will factor your mistakes into its decompression calculations and then recommend a remedy.

For those who like to live closer to the edge, the Smart COM will provide the same deep diving and decompression capabilities as the legendary Aladin Pro, although in cold water or under extreme circumstances it may increase stop times to ensure safety.

Set the computer to its more conservative setting, and you will be guided through a gradual ascent with one or more stops at moderate and shallow depths to prevent microbubble formation. In many ways, these profiles resemble the relaxed multilevel plans that I often favor on recreational dives.
           Twenty years ago, I would have been most excited by the Smart COM’s gee-whiz features and full decompression capability. Today, I am more interested in its unique ability to guide me through a safe, bubble-free dive profile that should allow me to keep enjoying my favorite sport for at least another 20 years. – Pierce Hoover