I am a new diver, just certified this past Saturday 8/17. I have all my own gear already and only need to get a few other things like weights and a hood to complete my setup. I have a computer, though it is old, and honestly I am not a big fan of it. Hard to read and dive history is terrible and I just don't like it. However, it gives me the basic info I need for my dive log (depth, temps, dive time) I was all gung ho to go get a new computer next week. I was going with a Scubapro Aladin Sport Matrix. Then I started wondering if I should get something with air integration. Double the price, but was looking at a Galileo Luna. Then I started talking with a few buddies that dive and I wonder if I really need all the jazz that those 2 computers are going to give me. I live in New England. Most of my dives are going to be 20-30' max. I don't really plan on doing more than one dive per day. But at 20-30' is there really going to be an issue with allowable bottom time? Pretty sure I would run out of air waaaaay before I hit that time. I was just reading a thread about gear to get first and computer seemed to always be on the top of the list so it records "your dives" but do I really need all that info if I am doing shallow single dives? Not saying I won't go deeper, but around here that is pretty much the norm for seeing things around here. Also being in New England, my diving window is closing. Probably about another 2 months or so before the water temp gets a bit too cold for my liking. So wondering if I should just dive with what I have for now, and then maybe do some research over the winter months and make a decision then. But then I'm wondering if not having the new computer to log all these dives is not a good thing and may hamper me. Uuggh, so many damn decisions to make lol. And once I decide the yes or no...then which one. As a newbie, am I really going to use all the bells and whistles the Luna is going to give me or should I just stick with a basic computer to start and then upgrade in a few years.
Any info appreciated as always!!!!
I used a galileo luna for about 4 years. It's a nice computer, and will get the job done. That said, it's a bit outdated and there are better options out there.
The good : Readable display of a good size. Does what most recreational divers will want. Very easy to use and navigate. It works with subsurface (free third party open source dive software). Price. Since it's an older model, you can get used ones VERY cheap (compared to modern competitors).
The bad: Display is only good for day dives. If you do anything in low vis or at night, it kind of stinks. The backlight is poor and you'll need to shine your light on it, which means reading your computer becomes a 2 hand operation. The compass really sucks, don't bother trying to use it. The infrared PC interface is outdated. it's hard to get irda working on a modern computer. Laptops don't usually ship with built in irda anymore so you'll have to try and get the scubapro usb dongle working. Transmitter is pathetic on battery life. I can't overstate how bad it is. I was only getting about 15 dives on a fresh transmitter battery until I switched battery type to something other than what scubapro ships. There's a detailed post on this forum about the battery swap.
I switched to a shearwater for about a year, this year I replaced the shearwater with a Ratio ix3m. Both of these computers have displays that are FAR better than the scubapro. They're both color, and very bright. They both have compasses that actually work. The shearwater only supports 2 transmitters (which was part of my upgrade decision). The ratio has gps and a host of other features.
Shearwater:
Perdix AI - Shearwater Research
Ratio:
Ratio Dive Computers - Choose a model
If you do go with the galileo luna, look for used ones. They show up all the time for well under $500 with the transmitter.
Bottom line, unless you get into serious technical diving any computer that you know how to operate will work perfectly. Nobody makes dive computers that don't support nitrox, so don't bother considering that a criteria.
A note about air integration: I've used it for years. Except for technical diving, I use it exclusively to monitor my gas pressure. It works very well in both galileo, shearwater, and ratio. Other brands are probably great, too. Combine hoseless AI with an air2 and you can have a regulator with only two hoses!