Catalogue

I may say that Oceanic OCi resembles previous popular and non air-integrated model - Oceanic OCS dive computer. It has mainly the same user interface with differences regarding to setting of extra gas mix, TECH FREEdive mode, and wireless transmitters. OCi offers us four buttons to navigate through menus, sub-menus and call the dive data.

Dot-matrix display inherited crisp-and-clear digits. Display layout changed to accomodate all symbols related to wireless air integration and gas in use. Size of display is big and it has large viewing area.

OCi has two bar graphs - one for nitrogen loading (TLBG ) and it's located on the left side, and another bar graph (VARI) is for representation of an ascent speed.

Display has main and alternative screens to provide the user with information available in certain moment whether on surface or under water.

Oceanic OCi has large number of functions and to help a diver setting them, dive computer offers certain sets of menus.

Oceanic recommends firstly adjust digital watch parameters (time, date, alarm, alternate time) and calibrate integrated compass (also compass will rewuire calibration each time after replacing a battery).

Below you may find extensive list of menus and sub-menus that shows us all versatility of this Oceanic dive computer:

1. Set Watch Mode:
• date and hour format;
• time and dual time;
• date;
• daily alarm;
• countdown timer;
• chronograph
2. Set Gas menu - NORM:
• FO2 for Gas #1-4;
• Default FO2;
• PO2 alarms for Gas #1-4
3. Set Alarms menu - NORM/GAUGE:
• audible alarm - ON/OFF;
• Depth alarm - OFF/ON/10-100 m;
• Elapsed Dive Time (EDT) alarm - OFF/ON/10-180 min;
• Tissue Loading Bar Graph (TLBG) alarm - OFF/ON/1-4 segments;
• Dive Time Remaining (DTR) alarm - 5-20 min;
• Turn Pressure alarm - OFF/ON/300-1500 PSI;
• End Pressure alarm - ON/1000-3000 PSI
4. Set Utilities menu - NORM/GAUGE:
• water type - sea/fresh;
• wet activation - OFF/ON;
• units - imp/met;
• Deep Stop - OFF/ON;
• Safety Stop - OFF/ON/Timer/3-6 meters;
• Algorithm - DSAT/Z+;
• Conservative Factor - OFF/ON;
• backlight - OFF/ON/5/10/30/60 sec;
• sampling rate - ON/2/15/30/60 sec;
• set TMTs link codes;
• set dive computer operating mode - NORM (Air/Nitrox), GAUGE, FREEdive/TECH FREEdive

If you select FREEdive/TECH FREEdive mode, you will be given another set of specific parameters that correspond to freediving:

• set countdown timer;
• audible alarm - OFF/ON;
• Surface Recovery Time (SRT) alarm - OFF/ON/0-30 min & 0-59 sec;
• Repeating Time Interval (RTI) alarm - OFF/ON/0-9 min & 0-59 sec;
• Repeating Depth Interval (RDI) alarm - OFF/ON/3-33 m;
• Descending Depth (DD) FREEdive alarms - OFF/ON/3-100 m;
• Descending Ascending Depth (DA) TECH FREEdive alarms - OFF/ON/3-150m;
• auto GLO TECH FREEdive - OFF/ON;
• sampling rate TECH FREEdive - ON/0.25/0.5/1/2 sec;
• Dive Start Depth (DSD) - ON/0.6/1.2/1.8 m;
• Between Dive Surface Interval (BDSI) - ON/1-60 sec

Oceanic OCi: Diving With Air & Nitrox

As a dive computer, Oceanic OCi operates in 3 modes:

1. Normal Mode – when you set it for Air or Nitrox;
2. Gauge Mode – in this mode OCi functions as a depth gauge and timer only and doesn’t perform calculations for nitrogen absorption and oxygen accumulation. Diver may activate compass mode and switch between paired transmitters;
3. Freedive Mode – this mode is for diving without scuba gear

Because of plenty of dive data, Oceanic OCi dive computer has main and alternative displays with all information related to type of dive, No-Decompression or Decompression conditions, Deep and Safety Stops, Air Time Remaining, and any violations you may have. Also diver may switch between gas mixes during the single dive and activate compass mode. Display layout is very intuitive and I didn't have any troubles to read it or view the digits, even the smallest ones.

I set Wet activation to ON and dive computer activated NORM dive mode at depth 1.5 meters.

Copy this Oceanic OCi NO-DECO Card for your Reference and Share with your friends and buddies!

Scuba dive computer displayed Dive Time Remaining (DTR) by monitoring my current depth, oxygen accumulation, No-Decompression status. Computer showed not only my DTR at certain depth in minutes, but also displayed status of TLBG by adding or taking away segments (4 segments - No-Deco/5 segments - DECO). OCi doesn't have bar graph to display %O2 saturation, so it's value is displayed on ALT#3 screen in numerical way (if set for Nitrox dive).

When you dive with compressed air – you have 79% of nitrogen and 21% of oxygen approximately in your tank. If this is the case – your tissues absorb nitrogen and Dive Time Remaining (DTR) is shown according to nitrogen loading.

If you set Oceanic OCi for Nitrox – dive computer performs calculations in different way. Diver has different percentage of nitrogen and oxygen, and human body responds differently to such a gas mix. In this case diver is exposed to oxygen toxicity. When amount of time remaining before you reach O2 limits becomes less than No-Decompression (NDC) Time Remaining at certain depth, dive computer starts calculations for that depth regarding to O2 and Oxygen Time remaining (OTR) will be displayed as Dive Time Remaining on the main display.

During my ascent the speed was displayed on the VARI bar graph and was quite sensitive to my ascent. VARI has 5 segments, where 4 of them is normal ascent speed and if all 5 segments are flashing - speed is too high - slow down!

Upon reaching certain conditions I could get my Deep Stop and Safety Stop prompts if those parameters were set to ON and I did. Deep Stop was activated on my way up after my descend below 24 m. And Safety Stop function has fine-tuning options: I was able to set specific depth and time to perform it.

It goes without saying that Oceanic OCi constantly monitors our O2 exposure and PO2 level. If you reach depth where PO2 level will be less than 0.2 ATA of the PO2 Set Point - dive computer will give you warning, and if PO2 level reaches PO2 Set Point - you will get that irritating alarm, and to shut it you must ascend where the level of PO2 will be less than Set Point.

Diving computer gives a High O2 warning when oxygen toxicity reaches to 80% (240 OTU) and alarm when O2 hits 100% (300 OTU) with all vital data displayed.

Switching gases was an easy procedure - from the Dive Main display by pressing M-button, I used combination of A/M/S-buttons to access Selection display and choose the mix I wanted, according to the allowable depth and current PO2.

Oceanic OCi scuba computer has integrated digital COMPASS and I could access it any time from Surface Main/Dive Main/Watch displays. After I calibrated it on surface - it was easy to use underwater. It has similar display and operation as Oceanic OCS integrated compass. And if someone has had experience with integrated digital compasses before - this person won't have any issues with learning, setting, and using it on this dive computer!

If I exceed my No-Decompression Limits - dive computer will activate Decompression mode. In this situation diver must safely ascend to the Decompression Stop Depth displayed and stay there or just a bit below for Decompression Time displayed. I didn't bring my test dives to DECO situation, so I couldn't comment on it. Just accept all DECO mode management from Oceanic words. I believe that Oceanic OCi performs decompression calculations very well, as it should.

Also diver may create violations during Decompression Mode, like Conditional violation or Delayed violations. That means that you ascended shallower than required Stop Depth and stayed at that level for some time, or Decompression Stop depth must be performed within depth of 18 - 21 meters, or you descended deeper than Maximum Operational Depth of 100 meters. Violation Gauge Mode happens when diver needs to perform decompression at the depth more than 21 m.

All those violations have appropriate main and alternative displays available.

Oceanic OCi: Diving In GAUGE Mode

Next dive mode of Oceanic OCi is Gauge mode. In this mode OCi doesn't calculate No-Decompression Limits and works as a depth gauge and timer. It monitors conditions of the dive and diver can get into Delayed Violation 3 (DV3) upon descending deeper than 100 meters. In this mode I could access COMPASS mode and I might switch between available transmitters from GAUGE DIVE MAIN display.

Below is a summary from main and alternative displays while diving in GAUGE mode:

• Air Time Remaining (ATR);
• Elapsed Dive Time (EDT);
• Tank pressure;
• transmitter (TMT) in use;
• current and maximum depth reached;
• VARI, while ascending;
• Run Time (if Timer is ON);
• temperature;
• time;
• applicable icons

Oceanic OCi: FREEdiving

Oceanic OCi has two FREEdive modes: FREE and TECH FREE. They have few differences and main of them are:

• different maximum operational depth (MOD): FREE - 100m/TECH FREE - 150m;
• 3 depth alarms in FREE mode and 6 depth alarms in TECH FREE;
• performing calculations for nitrogen/oxygen intake between NORM and FREEdive;
• 24 hrs post dive period before diving with scuba in TECH FREE mode;
• sampling rate setting in TECH FREE mode

Depending on which freedive mode we select - dive computer has specific set of alarms and functions to support it, like:

• Descending Depth alarms;
• Countdown Timer alarm;
• Surface Recovery Time alarm;
• Repeating Time Interval;
• Repeating Depth Interval;
• Auto Glo set up (TECH);
• Sampling Rate (TECH), etc.

Freedive display has main and alternative screens and below is a summary of what I had:

• No-Decompression (NDC) Time Remaining;
• Elapsed Dive Time (EDT);
• TLBG;
• current depth;
• Countdown Timer status;
• time;
• temperature;
• applicable icons

During freediving I could access COMPASS mode.

In Freedive mode this Oceanic computer monitors nitrogen loading that you may have from previous dives and current freedive, and it displays number of segments on Tissue Loading Bar Graph respectively.
If diver gets into DECO level - dive computer will display 5 segments flashing on TLBG, NDC will be "zero", and alarm will beep. After I silenced audio alarm, TLBG and NDC were replaced with VIOLATION notation. After resurfacing - Oceanic OCi locked to FREE Mode for 24 hours. During this time I could access digital watch and compass functions.

Back to Top

After diving I was interested mainly in NO-FLY and DESAT timers, also briefly checked max depth and temperature for recent dive, and I did planning consecutive dive as well. Dive Planner went through 9-57 meters depths with corresponding NO-DECO times and allowable max depths according to my nitrogen and oxygen loading, and whether Conservative Factor was set or not.

Other modes are available on surface after diving:

• set modes;
• Logbook - stores 24 recent dives for NORM & 99 freedives in 4 pages of detailed data;
• History NORM/GAUGE - up to 9999 total number of recorded dives/up to 9999 total hours of elapsed dive time;
• FREEdive History - total number of recorded dives in daily session/up to 24 hrs accumulated elapsed dive time;
• PC interface mode - Oceanic OCi has USB cable included in the package;
• CLEAR function - allows a diver to reset nitrogen and oxygen memory

Oceanic OCi: What Divers Say

Diving with Oceanic OCi dive computer resembles diving with its compatriot OCS, excluding wireless air integration in the latter.

New display layout is very easy to interpret even with tons of dive data. Small digits, symbols and notations are sharp and clear at any angle view. Easy access to alternative displays by pressing one button. Everything is made to help user feeling comfortable and just enjoy diving. I didn't notice any inconveniences using display while underwater or on surface. But you need to allow yourself some time to learn all button combos thoroughly.

Compass can be accessed anytime underwater or on surface from the main display. It works fine, but first make sure that you calibrated it and set east or west declination.

Gas switching can be made from dive main display by pressing M-button in certain moment. When I had to do this - Oceanic OCi presented me with display of availably mixes. I selected desired one and after dive computer picked up wireless transmitter signal from that tank - all computations started for that particular mix.

In my opinion, such high-tech dive computer lacks the Dive Simulator, like we have for example on Oceanic Pro Plus 2.1. It would be easier and faster to learn this advanced scuba computer!

Oceanic OCi	Dive-Computer-Wizard Rating

Oceanic OCi dive computer best suits experienced diver, beginners should start with something much cheaper and easier.

If you don't dive with Helium in the next 5 years, but still diving with variable Nitrox mixes, and want to add piece of sophisticated scuba equipment to you other dive gear - consider Oceanic OCi. Its 4 mixes setup, 4 dive modes, Dual Algorithm, and highly customizable number of functions will satisfy you in all possible ways!