As the logs load from the watch to your phone through Connect, I suspect it won't work without Internet access. This could be a bit frustrating if you're on a liveaboard trip a long way from anywhere.
I haven't explicitly tested this, but my understanding is that the Garmin Connect mobile app on your phone can display the results as soon as the dive is sync'd via Bluetooth. So I wouldn't expect it to require Internet access.
I should be visiting Beaver Lake, AR in about 2 weeks. I'll make a point of disabling data and testing this while I'm there.
rjanuary, any chance you could use your pressure test chamber to test this in the meantime?
I'm just basing it on my vivoactive. I just went for a run. I put my phone into Aeroplane Mode and then enabled Bluetooth. It won't load the activity from my vivoactive.
Once I turned off Aeroplane Mode Connect was able pull the activity from myvivoactive.
Further, after my activity was loaded, I went back into Aeroplane Mode and while the activity displays on My Day, I can't open it without Internet access.
Surely dives are in History on the watch like any other activity?
True, but compare the level of detail on the watch to what you get in the Connect app or Connect web site. I suspect all you'd get would be dive start/end times, duration, average/maximum depth, maybe temperature. You wouldn't get the dive profile, etc. I pull all that data to go with my photos (so I know depth for each photo).
Compare that to any other dive computer ever and I'd say it compares pretty favourably. There's no requirement to see more detail while on the trip - it's nice, but it doesn't really make you any safer since computer based diving relies entirely on the computer for deco anyway. You could certainly copy the activity file to a laptop directly from the watch, although I'm not sure there will be compatible desktop software available to read those files yet. There's an SDK though so no reason someone can't write one tomorrow or update existing log software :)
me: Will DiveMate also support the new Garmin Descent Mk1 dive computer? DM:We look into supporting the Descent MK1. Do plan to get one? me: Of course, Garmin Descent Mk1 is already ordered and paid. Finally all in one instrument (at the moment I must use 2 devices: Fenix 3 and Suunto D4)! DM: OK. Keep us posted how good it is.
Unfortunately, the Descent Mk1 is still not available and therefore I do not have new information from the DM. But since practically all diving computers that have the ability to connect to a computer have been included so far, I believe they will do so with Descent Mk1!
I was able to test uploads. At the moment it does not appear to function properly locally without internet access. I can't stress the "at this moment" part enough. This is new functionality being added into GCM and it's possible that this feature is planned.
Additionally. I'm currently working on support for the Descent within Subsurface. This is a personal project of mine and unrelated to Garmin in any way, shape, or form. It's been slow going as I'm new to the project, but hope to have something soon.
Compare that to any other dive computer ever and I'd say it compares pretty favourably.
Every other dive computer I have owned has allowed me to download the logs of the dives I have done while I have no Internet access. And I DO download my dive computer logs while I'm on dive trips so I can update my dive log while the dives are still fresh in my mind.
I appreciate that not everyone keeps detailed logs of their dives and some don't log them at all, but I do and I know others that do as well. It is also far easier to just download the logs than it is to manually enter the data from the tiny display on the device.
Unfortunately, DiveMate won't help me at all. It is only mobile device based. I need to get access to the full logs on my computer (desktop when at home and laptop when away). I can't see anything on their site that suggests I'd be able to get the logs from a mobile device to my computer.
I also wonder that even if/when they support the MK1 whether they will pull the data directly from the device or pull it from Garmin Connect. If the latter, it won't solve this problem. Are there any apps out there now that can pull activity data directly from a Garmin device in the same way that GCM does?
I was able to test uploads. At the moment it does not appear to function properly locally without internet access. I can't stress the "at this moment" part enough. This is new functionality being added into GCM and it's possible that this feature is planned.
Thanks for testing this. I wonder what Garmin will do to solve this. It appears their model is to store very little data in GCM and store most of the data in the cloud and GCM just access this - requiring Internet access.
IAdditionally. I'm currently working on support for the Descent within Subsurface. This is a personal project of mine and unrelated to Garmin in any way, shape, or form. It's been slow going as I'm new to the project, but hope to have something soon.
Is Subsurface likely to be able pull the data directly from the MK1 or will it pull it from Garmin Connect? Do Garmin even publish away to pull activities directly from their device (other than directly accessing the FIT files via USB Mass Storage mode)?
