Trip report & observations

Just came back from a week long dive trip to Chuuk Lagoon. I dove with Mk1 and wanted to share a few observations

Overall the computer performed very well, providing enough information/alerts on deco stops. Backlight was good enough for reading both outside and inside the dark engine rooms..

One thing that I didn't understand is sometimes it will provide the safety stop alerts ( though I went to deco and did deco stops) and sometimes it will not have safety stop after clearing a deco stop at 20ft.
Only explanation I could think is if I clear a 30ft obligation and out of deco, it puts a safety stop whereas if I am clearing a 20ft obligation, it doesn't need a safety stop.

Please let me know if someone has a better explanation.

Most annoying ( hopefully Garmin will fix it soon!) is not being able to download the dives in my phone. It needed internet connection to download the logs. That is completely unreasonable for a dive computer. I could only see my dive details and edit the info after 7 days of diving when I got back to shore! And its hard to remember all the details when you dive 4 times a day for a week!

I would like Garmin enhance the app to show more dive information like gas switch//ascent rates to analyze the dives afterwards but if not, at least to download the logs without any internet connection.

0 pprimoz over 5 years ago

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Most annoying ( hopefully Garmin will fix it soon!) is not being able to download the dives in my phone. It needed internet connection to download the logs. That is completely unreasonable for a dive computer. I could only see my dive details and edit the info after 7 days of diving when I got back to shore! And its hard to remember all the details when you dive 4 times a day for a week!

I would like Garmin enhance the app to show more dive information like gas switch//ascent rates to analyze the dives afterwards but if not, at least to download the logs without any internet connection.

That's why I use https://www.divemate.de/
Android APP https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.confitek.divemateusb

0 pprimoz over 5 years ago

Add:

From yesterday onwards:

Version 4.6 (3th Dec 2018)
..
+ File import of Garmin .FIT files
..

It means that in addition to being able to import dives directly from the Garmin Descent MK1 DC, you can now copy all (other, older?) Garmin (diving) .FIT files to the directory divemate/import on your Android phone and with Import command import them into DiveMate. It is also possible to import all dives exported from SubSurface and vice versa, export all dives from DiveMate to SubSurface.

0 atj777 over 5 years ago

Most annoying ( hopefully Garmin will fix it soon!) is not being able to download the dives in my phone. It needed internet connection to download the logs. That is completely unreasonable for a dive computer. I could only see my dive details and edit the info after 7 days of diving when I got back to shore! And its hard to remember all the details when you dive 4 times a day for a week!

I would like Garmin enhance the app to show more dive information like gas switch//ascent rates to analyze the dives afterwards but if not, at least to download the logs without any internet connection.

I don't believe this will ever get "fixed", as it isn't broken as far as Garmin are concerned.

Garmin Connect on you phone doesn't store any of the dives (or other activities). It doesn't even store anything but the basic information about your day. Try looking at today's sleep or step details without an Internet connection.

When you sync from your Mk1, all you are doing is using the phone as a connection to the cloud where all your data is stored. When you look at you data on your phone, it is loading the information from the cloud and displaying it on your phone.

This is the model for Garmin Connect and all their devices and so it is very unlikely to ever change.

You are far better off by giving up on Garmin Connect as your primary dive log and using one of the third party apps that support.

At the moment, DiveMate is the only phone app that will let you transfer your dives directly from your Mk1 to your phone. If you don't take a laptop on your dive trips this is your only option.

Subsurface, MacDive and Diving Log 6.0 all allow you to transfer directly from the Mk1 to a laptop computer using the USB charging cable, without an Internet cnnection. If you take a laptop on dive trips, any of these will work for you.

0 Abhi over 5 years ago

I don't believe this will ever get "fixed", as it isn't broken as far as Garmin are concerned.

Garmin Connect on you phone doesn't store any of the dives (or other activities). It doesn't even store anything but the basic information about your day. Try looking at today's sleep or step details without an Internet connection.

When you sync from your Mk1, all you are doing is using the phone as a connection to the cloud where all your data is stored. When you look at you data on your phone, it is loading the information from the cloud and displaying it on your phone.

This is the model for Garmin Connect and all their devices and so it is very unlikely to ever change.

You are far better off by giving up on Garmin Connect as your primary dive log and using one of the third party apps that support.

At the moment, DiveMate is the only phone app that will let you transfer your dives directly from your Mk1 to your phone. If you don't take a laptop on your dive trips this is your only option.

Subsurface, MacDive and Diving Log 6.0 all allow you to transfer directly from the Mk1 to a laptop computer using the USB charging cable, without an Internet cnnection. If you take a laptop on dive trips, any of these will work for you.

I get it. I can use third party app for sure. What I wanted to highlight to Garmin is though it wasn't "broken" based on their fitness watch users who are generally connected to internet, it is definitely a desired feature when their user base is now expanded to divers. I believe it is an expectation of the users for the device makers to provide a good app along with the device. And saving the last 30-50 logs in offline mode is not that hard to implement to begin with.

The problem with the third party apps are they always have to play catch up and a device maker can change the protocols and formats for any reason thus breaking the app.

But as you hinted, it depends on how Garmin sees the app as part of their ecosystem. And they might not care. Interesting enough, I asked Garmin in facebook to look at this forum for user feedback and they deleted my comment :-))