What is it?
DiveComp is a scuba dive computer simulator. It comes complete with most features you would expect from a real dive computer. You control the simulation by tapping the dive controls, and DiveComp displays all relevant parameters as your virtual dive proceeds. It uses a 10 tissue model, and even allows you to monitor saturation of each tissue. You can perform repetitive dives, track air consumption, and adjust simulation speed from 1x (real-time) to 8192x.

It uses metric units, and is designed for compressed air dives only. It was primarily conceived as a teaching aid, to demonstrate the effects of different dive profiles on tissue nitrogen absorption.

It is compiled for OS 2.1 and has been tested on a MP2100.

Download

  Mac Win
Archive containing .pkg and docs: divecomp.sit.hqx divecomp.zip
NTK project source: dicosource.sit.hqx -

Installation
Installation is very simple, just download the package with NCU or Package Installer.
It can reside on any store, either internal or card. To remove, simply delete the package.

Operation

DiveComp requires at least a basic knowledge of physics of compressed air dives. If you are familiar with dive computers, you will quickly find yourself at ease with DiveComp. Have fun and experiment: after all, this is what DiveComp is about.

Here you can find some notes on the decompression model used by DiveComp.

After launching the application, the main display appears.

Main Slip

Simulation speed is controlled through the buttons.
Tapping pauses the simulation (*PAUSED* appears on Status A). Tap again to resume.
Initially the simulation runs in real-time. Each time you tap the or button, simulation speed is multiplied or divided by 2, as showed by the Sim speed display.

The buttons act as dive controls. Each time you tap the button, your descent rate increases by 10 meters per minute, up to a limit of 40 m/min. Similarly, each time you tap the button, your ascent rate decreases by 10 meters per minute, up to a limit of -10 m/min, which is the suggested ascent rate.
Tapping the button resets your dive rate to 0, so you are actually hovering at constant depth.
Your current descent or ascent rate always shows on the Dive rate display.

The buttun, as you might have guessed, stops the simulation and resets all parameters to their initial condition.

The button brings up the tissue floating slip, allowing you to monitor all 10 modeled tissues. This is perhaps the most instructive feature, as it lets you observe how tissues behave under different dive profiles.

N pressure is the nitrogen pressure Pa at the current depth.
For each tissue, M0 is the saturation pressure, and Pt the current nitrogen pressure in the tissue.
The vertical line represents the saturation pressure M0.
You will see the graph change as the simulation proceeds. When a bar reaches the vertical line (M0), that tissue is saturated, and you are in a decompression situation.

Tapping on the button, you can access the About slip or the Prefs slip

In the Preferences you can pick your tank size from the popup menu, fill (or re-fill) the tank to the desired pressure, set the surface altitude (to simulate an altitude dive) and adjust your surface breathing rate.

When satisfied with your settings, tap the Done button to return to the main display.
When you acces the Prefs slip, the simulation in *PAUSED*. To resume, just tap the button.

Other display areas will be visually demonstrated in the Getting Started page, anyway here is a summary:

Values Notes
Status A SURFACE Any time depth is shallower than 0,5 meters
DIVING Any time depth is greater than 0,5 meters
*PAUSED* Simulation paused by tapping the pause button or by selecting Prefs from the Info button
Status B OK On surface and completely desaturated
SAFE DEPTH You can remain at the current depth indefinetely, without incurring in a decompression situation
NORMAL The most common diving condition: no tissue is saturated yet, and you can still remain at the current depth for the time shown by the Deco display (which now indicates No Deco time) before incurring in a decompression situation
NO DECO At least one tissue is saturated and you need decompression, which is not possible at the current depth, so you must ascend to a depth not shallower than the safe ceiling as shown by the SAD display. Note also that the Deco display changes to Ascent time, which is the total time needed to ascend to SAD and decompress.
DECOMPRESSION You are currently decompressing. The Deco display changes to Deco time and shows the decompression time still required at current depth
DESATURATING You have surfaced after a dive, and your tissues are releasing nitrogen. The Dive time display now indicates time before complete desaturation. Note that Depth display changes to Max Depth, indicating the maximun depth reached during the previous dive.
Dive time hours, minutes Dive time for current dive, or time to desaturation
Sim speed x1,x2,x4,x16...x8192 Simulation speed factor
Depth display meters Current depth if diving, or max depth if surfaced.
Note that if you try to dive deeper than 60m (!!), simulation is automatically reset and an alert slip appears.
Deco display minutes Time still allowed at current depth before decompression is needed. When Status B is NO DECO, it indicates total ascent time. When Status B is DECOMPRESSION, it indicates decompression time still required
SAD display meters In a decompression situation (i.e. any time a tissue becomes saturated) indicates the shallowest depth to which you can safely ascend
Air gauge analog Visually indicates the current air pressure in the tank.
Note that if you run out of air during a dive, simulation is automatically reset and an alert slip appears