Stop dive mode automatically starting (E.g. while pool training for freediving)

Hi Matt, I can’t recall if my watch goes into dive mode, I want to say it does not. Unfortunately I will not be in a pool until June to try it out and see if it’s just an issue with your watch. Perhaps someone else on the forum can jump in here. Also, you probably already tried this, but any help from Garmin?

Thanks. I will see if I can get to the pool tonight and double check I did not miss something. If it's still going into dive mode I'll reach out to Garmin support, I suspect they will just say it's just how it is though. If anyone has any contacts at Garmin that works on this product line it would be good to hear what they have to say about it. 

I went to the pool last night and tested thoroughly. This is my findings:

1) Pool mode still triggers dive mode when on. It just says it wont save data to watch. Kinda pointless I think as you can just delete the activity after saved anyway. 

2) Starting an activity before diving will stop it from going in dive mode. I did not think this worked last time but I must have missed something. So the "Pool swim" activity or another activity will work. Unfortunately the clocks stopwatch is not an "activity" as such so it wont stay on that and dive mode will take over when using that but other activities do seem to work. 

Overall as others have mentioned starting another activity seems to be the only way. The pool swim one has a timer so that is useful. I might have to try make a custom activity that has all the time stuff that would be useful. 

Matt C said:

Unfortunately the clocks stopwatch is not an "activity" as such so it wont stay on that and dive mode will take over

You can start the stopwatch or timer anytime, even from within a running activity - just long-press the Back/Set button to open the time functions.

And you can also use laps and the lap timer (on the lap screen) to measure your freedives. You'll need to activate the lap button, or define a hotkey for it (that's what I prefer, because the standard lap button complicates then its default "Back" functionality).

Personally I indeed use laps for timing my pool freedive trainings, because the laps are then registered in the activity, and I can easily review them in Garmin Connect. You won't get it with the stop watch.

Hey trux

I just bought an MK2s and tried it at freediving training last night. I'm wondering what mode you use to train in the pool with? I'm trying to record my surface time as well as distance travelled during a dive. I'm currently in Apnea hunt mode and it's telling me how deep i've gone, but not how far. I do like the surface intervals that it tells me automatically 

Hi Matt

Good info thanks for running this down and posting. At least the problem seems to be software related and not your individual watch. Maybe there is something on ConnectIQ where you can build an application or add a custom field.  I have to say I have had the MK2 for a year with a ton of dives. During some shark photography I was up and down on continuous 35 foot dives and had zero issues. I also wear it everywhere and it is holding up well.  I just wish that Garmin would be more attentive to our dive community and provide an update once in a while or at least communicate their thinking on our $1000 plus purchase. 
Chris

8644922 said:

I'm wondering what mode you use to train in the pool with?

For pool dynamic apnea training I use a customized Pool Swim activity. I customized most of the screens, and added some supplementary ones, to easier see the data that interest me the most, using field with big ciphers, to facilitate the reading even in goggles or with a mask.

Thanks trux is it possible to tell the distance of the dive with a Garmin watch? 

The Pool Swim activity counts the pool laps, so if you enter the right pool size, then you get the total distance too (in full pool lengths). Since GPS does not work indoors, and also not under water, the exact distance you did underwater won't be measured.

Thanks Trux, yes this is the way I have found works best, create a custom activity that has all the stats you want. Modifying the pool activity is a good one to go off.