Suunto D5 setup guide

Also covers: Suunto D5

Colour-screen wrist dive computer with three buttons on the right side, Suunto Fused RGBM 2. Air/Nitrox (multi-gas possible), Gauge and Free modes; rechargeable battery charged by USB; optional Tank POD air integration.

Buttons

Button	Where	What it does
`Upper button`	right side, top	Menu: scroll up / increase. Dive or watch view: start/pause timer (hold: reset timer).
`Middle button`	right side, middle	Hold: open the main menu; in menus press to select, hold to go back/exit. Dive view: press to change view; hold to change gas.
`Lower button`	right side, bottom	Menu: scroll down / decrease. Dive view: press to change the switch window; hold to add a bookmark (in compass view: lock bearing).

Turn on / wake

Dive state starts by itself at 1.2 m / 4 ft (water contact on), or at 3.0 m / 9.8 ft if the water contact does not register (p. 43).

Press any button to wake the D5. Connecting it to a charger or getting the water contacts wet also wakes it.
Manual p. 34
A brand-new or reset unit: connect the USB cable to start it, then follow the setup wizard (language, units, time and date). Charge fully before the first dive.
Manual p. 10
Press and hold the middle button to open the main menu.
HoldMiddle button
Manual p. 11
In menus, press the upper or lower button to scroll and the middle button to select.
PressUpper buttonPressLower buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 11
Press and hold the middle button to go back and exit the menu.
HoldMiddle button
Manual p. 44
After 2 minutes without use it dims to idle; after a day without use it goes into deep sleep. Press any button to wake it.
Manual p. 33

Date and time

Press and hold the middle button to open the menu.
HoldMiddle button
Manual p. 45
Go to General » Device settings » Time & date.
PressLower buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 45
Scroll to Set time or Set date with the upper or lower button, then press the middle button.
PressUpper buttonPressLower buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 45
Change the value with the upper or lower button. Press the middle button to go to the next value.
PressUpper buttonPressLower buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 45
After the last value, press the middle button to save. Hold the middle button to exit.
PressMiddle buttonHoldMiddle button
Manual p. 45
12/24 h and date format are under General » Device settings » Units & formats (Time format, Date format).
Manual p. 45

Units (m/ft, °C/°F)

Press and hold the middle button, then go to General » Device settings » Units & formats.
HoldMiddle buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 44
Select Units and choose metric or imperial with the upper or lower button. This changes all measurements together.
PressUpper buttonPressLower buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 45
To mix units (for example metres for depth and psi for tank pressure), choose Advanced instead.
PressMiddle button
Manual p. 45
Hold the middle button to exit. The display updates straight away.
HoldMiddle button
Manual p. 34

Water type (salt/fresh)

Not available on this computer

The manual describes no salt/fresh water setting: the full menu map (p. 61) has no water-type item.

Dive mode (Air / Nitrox / Gauge)

Dive modes can be renamed and customised in the Suunto app, so a rental unit may show custom mode names (p. 21, 26).

Press and hold the middle button, then go to Dive settings » Mode.
HoldMiddle buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 11
Choose Air/Nitrox, Gauge, Free or Off, then press the middle button. The D5 restarts to change mode.
PressUpper buttonPressLower buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 11
Gauge is a bottom timer only: no decompression information at all.
Manual p. 27
After a dive in Gauge mode, decompression is locked for 48 hours. Air/Nitrox and Free dives in that time show Locked instead of deco data.
Manual p. 28
Gauge dives also give a 48-hour no-fly time.
Manual p. 40
Off turns all dive functions off; the D5 then works only as a watch. Never dive with it set to Off.
Manual p. 26
If a deco stop is skipped for more than 3 minutes, the algorithm locks for 48 hours.
Manual p. 15

Nitrox O₂% and ppO₂ limit

Default is 21% O2 with pO2 1.6 bar (p. 26, 31). The manual does not describe any automatic reset of O2% to 21%; the value stays as set, so check it before every dive.

Make sure the dive mode is Air/Nitrox (Dive settings » Mode).
Manual p. 26
Press and hold the middle button, scroll to Gases with the lower button and press the middle button.
HoldMiddle buttonPressLower buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 51
Select the gas and set its O2 % to your analysed tank and the pO2 limit. Use upper/lower to change and middle to confirm.
PressUpper buttonPressLower buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 31, 51
The factory pO2 is 1.6 bar. For nitrox Suunto recommends changing it to 1.4 bar.
Manual p. 31
For a normal single-tank dive, keep only one gas in the Gases list, or it will ask you to change gas during the dive.
Manual p. 31
Hold the middle button to exit. Check the gas before every dive.
HoldMiddle button
Manual p. 44

Conservatism / personal setting

Press and hold the middle button, then go to Dive settings » Parameters » Personal.
HoldMiddle buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 38
Choose +2, +1, 0, -1 or -2 with the upper or lower button and press the middle button.
PressUpper buttonPressLower buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 38
+1 and +2 are more conservative (shorter no-deco times, more margin). 0 is the default for ideal conditions.
Manual p. 37
-1 and -2 are aggressive and raise the risk of DCS. Do not use them for training.
Manual p. 38
A more conservative setting also gives a longer no-fly time.
Manual p. 40

Altitude

Altitude is a manual setting; it is not detected automatically.

Press and hold the middle button, then go to Dive settings » Parameters » Altitude.
HoldMiddle buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 15
Choose 0–300 m / 0–980 ft (default), 300–1500 m / 980–4900 ft or 1500–3000 m / 4900–9800 ft, then press the middle button.
PressUpper buttonPressLower buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 15
Wait at least 3 hours after arriving at altitude before diving. Do not dive above 3000 m / 9800 ft.
Manual p. 16

Audible alarms (depth / time)

The guide lists the alarm items only in the menu map (p. 61); setting a value uses the same upper/lower to change, middle to confirm pattern shown for other settings (p. 51).

Press and hold the middle button, then go to Dive settings » Alarms.
HoldMiddle buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 61
Choose Depth or Dive time (also Tank pressure and Gas time if a Tank POD is used), then press the middle button.
PressLower buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 61
Set the value with the upper or lower button and confirm with the middle button.
PressUpper buttonPressLower buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 51 (same up/down/middle editing as other settings)
A 50 bar / 725 psi tank pressure alarm with a Tank POD is built in and cannot be changed.
Manual p. 14
Sound: General » Device settings » Tones. Vibration has its own setting there. Keep tones on so you hear alarms.
HoldMiddle buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 36
When a warning appears, press any button to acknowledge it.
Manual p. 13

Reading the log after a dive

Press and hold the middle button, scroll to Logs and press the middle button.
HoldMiddle buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 34
Dives are listed by date and time with max depth and dive time.
Manual p. 34
Scroll with the upper or lower button and press the middle button to open a dive.
PressUpper buttonPressLower buttonPressMiddle button
Manual p. 34
A dive shows start and end time, depth profile, surface time, max depth and the temperature at max depth.
Manual p. 34
Totals per dive mode (number of dives, hours, max depth) are under General » About D5 » History.
Manual p. 25

Battery

Rechargeable lithium-ion battery; replacement only at an authorised Suunto service centre (p. 55).

The battery icon at the bottom of the screen shows the battery status; a number shows the dive time left.
Manual p. 12
Yellow 'Battery low' pop-up: less than about 3 hours of dive time left.
Manual p. 17
Red 'Recharge needed': less than about 2 hours left. Below 2 hours you cannot start a scuba dive (30 minutes for freediving).
Manual p. 18
Charge with the supplied USB cable from a 5 V, 0.5 A USB port or wall charger. Make sure the device and cable are dry first.
Manual p. 54
A fully charged battery gives about 6–12 hours of diving.
Manual p. 57

What the main screen shows

Depth is shown at the top centre, with dive time below it.
Manual p. 11
The coloured arch shows key information such as no-deco time (No deco view), tank pressure, timer or direction.
Manual p. 11
Ascent speed is the coloured bar on the left: green OK, yellow 8–10 m/min (26–33 ft/min), red too fast.
Manual p. 16
Stop depth appears on the right during a safety or deco stop; the safety stop is yellow, a mandatory one red.
Manual p. 38
The switch window at the bottom shows changeable information. Press the lower button to change it.
PressLower button
Manual p. 11
Press the middle button to change view (No deco, Compass, Tank pressure).
PressMiddle button
Manual p. 11
Hold the lower button to add a bookmark.
HoldLower button
Manual p. 52

Pre-dive check

Tick each item before you get in the water.

Battery charged: no 'Recharge needed' message (below 2 hours you cannot start a dive).
Dive mode is Air/Nitrox (not Gauge or Off).
Gas O2 % matches the analysed tank and pO2 is 1.4 for nitrox (or as instructed).
Only the gas you will use is in the Gases list.
Personal setting is 0 or more conservative, as your instructor wants.
Altitude range is correct for the dive site.
Tones are on so you can hear the alarms.
Not in the 48-hour lock after a Gauge dive or skipped deco (no 'Locked' shown).