Charles Hood reviews the many features of the Zurich computer  |
Zurich Scuba Diver Assistant, £1,131.48 including transmitter
It’s as though Swiss manufacturer Uemis has surveyed hundreds of divers about what features they would like in a computer, and then included them all. To pack in all the features, it has created this ‘scuba diver assistant’ that can connect to the web. The idea is that you become a member of Uemis’ online community, where you can upload and download dive information, share dive sites with others and keep track of any software updates.
The Zurich’s algorithm uses an eight-compartment tissue model with half times ranging from five to 640 minutes. It can simultaneously track up to three gases including air, 22–99 per cent nitrox and pure oxygen, and can also monitor a cylinder’s pressure via up to three wireless transmitters. In short, you can use it for everything from basic diving right up to some fairly complex extended-range decompression dives, including high-percentage nitrox.
Underlying all this is a platform-independent computer that pretty much allows you to monitor and adjust every single parameter you are ever likely to want to change. These include dive time, gas level warnings, depth warnings, deco stops, pO2 settings, gas consumption rates, battery levels, safety stop depth and time, optimum gas display and more. Each of these settings is displayed in green (indicating all is okay), orange (indicating you should take note or consider taking action) or red (you should take immediate action). This colour-coded system is accompanied by various acoustic bleeps, again drawing attention to the information shown.
All this data is displayed on an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, which is excellent. The digits are super clear: a normal LED display has a contrast ratio of around 30,000:1, but this computer has one of more than a million.
Getting to grips with the Zurich is straightforward. It has three buttons: two to navigate around the screen, and one to confirm or exit while in the menu system. We managed to set it up without the use of the manual, only referring to it to link the gas-integrated module, which for some reason took several attempts.
Underwater, the Zurich is easy to read and the various warnings are clearly displayed. The standard display gives you current depth, dive time, remaining no- stop time, remaining gas time, active tank oxygen mix and pressure, temperature and an ascent rate indicator. If all the digits are coloured green, then everything is fine. As soon as you approach a given parameter, the numbers turn orange; once exceeded, they turn red – it’s all very impressive.
The only downside is that all this processing and display consumes heaps of power and the rechargeable battery is only good for about ten dives. No problem, I thought, as it has a solar panel across the top. However, even with the benefit of several hours a day in the strong Egyptian sun, it ran out of juice at the end of the fourth day.
This loss of battery power might also have been a consequence of the Zurich’s ability to switch itself on all by itself, which it did on several occasions. There is a motion detector inside, which is designed to switch the computer on before you hit the water, as it needs to take the ambient air pressure to be as accurate as possible. It is designed to disable itself if the computer is not moved for a period of time, but I think ours had different ideas. I recommend users take a USB cable when they travel, and also make sure you have access to a computer or USB charger. Also, on one occasion, it ‘lost’ the wireless transmitter and we couldn’t pair them up; fortunately, it was back again on the next dive.
This all leads me to question whether dive computers are getting so complex that they become prone to bugs. When I mentioned some of my concerns to the manufacturer, the response was: ‘Have you downloaded and installed the latest version of software?’ We connected everything up and, after a few minutes, had the latest version. This appears to have cured the random power-ups we experienced, but in a way proves my point. I’m prepared to update software on various gadgets I might own to iron out bugs, but should I have to do this regularly with a dive computer upon which my life might depend, and would I have faith in it if I did?
The upside, though, is that you can store a vast amount of data in the logbook’s 2,000-hour memory, including specific details of individual dives. You can customise the Zurich with your personal details, store dive site names and locations, and connect it to the internet to synchronise it with the Uemis online community. Undoubtedly, the Zurich is at the very top end of the dive computer market. But is it too sophisticated? Computers from the likes of Suunto, VR Technology, Mares, Oceanic and Uwatec appear far more robust in terms of software stability which is exactly what you want when underwater.
DIVE SAYS…
Loads of features, but is it over-complex?
Value 7 Performance 8
Contact
Uemis
www.uemis.com