The value of air integration varies according to the needs of the individual diver. I will describe those differences by describing myself in terms of (1) the diver I used to be, (2) the diver I am now, and (3) the diver I may become in the future.
1. I joined ScubaBoard in 2004, and I had been using an air integrated computer (Suunto Cobra) for 5 years at that time. I was purely a vacation diver with maybe 125 total dives. Those dives all occurred during vacations to tropical resorts, with long periods of inactivity. I had no diving theory knowledge beyond my AOW certification. When AI debates arose, I chimed in, describing why I liked mine. It was nice to see everything I needed to know in one place, but I had other reasons. I learned to adjust my dive based on how fast I was going through air. When I looked at the dive time remaining and didn't like what I saw, on most dives I could change that simply by ascending a little. Even though I had never heard the term "SAC rate," I was learning all about mine, and I learned through experience what to expect during a dive.
2. Today, the overwhelming majority of my dives are open circuit, back mounted technical dives or shallow training dives teaching that. I take oodles of gas on those dives, so I know that if all goes as it should, I will finish the dive with a healthy reserve. When I am doing single tank recreational dives, I know that I will probably surface with more than 1,000 PSI. Thus, almost all my dives end (or change direction) when the planned dive time is reached, not when I reach a certain gas level. Consequently, I only need to check my gas a few times during the dive, just to make sure everything is going normally. A catastrophic gas leak will announce itself through sound without any need for an SPG check. As a result, I don't see any reason to spend the big bucks to get air integrated computers (I dive with 2), so I don't own any air integrated computers.
3. Several years ago, my enthusiasm for cave diving diminished significantly when I was on an exploration team and one of our divers died. I have been thinking about getting back into it, and if I do, I will be doing it mostly while sidemounted. The need to switch tanks during a sidemount dive increases the need to know your current gas levels, and it is a PITA to see those levels via SPG. Cave dives are usually turned on pressure, not time, so it is important to know your pressure levels. Right now, with the little bit of cave diving I do each year, I am content to use SPGs, but if I decide to go into it more, then I will be switching to air integration.
1. I joined ScubaBoard in 2004, and I had been using an air integrated computer (Suunto Cobra) for 5 years at that time. I was purely a vacation diver with maybe 125 total dives. Those dives all occurred during vacations to tropical resorts, with long periods of inactivity. I had no diving theory knowledge beyond my AOW certification. When AI debates arose, I chimed in, describing why I liked mine. It was nice to see everything I needed to know in one place, but I had other reasons. I learned to adjust my dive based on how fast I was going through air. When I looked at the dive time remaining and didn't like what I saw, on most dives I could change that simply by ascending a little. Even though I had never heard the term "SAC rate," I was learning all about mine, and I learned through experience what to expect during a dive.
2. Today, the overwhelming majority of my dives are open circuit, back mounted technical dives or shallow training dives teaching that. I take oodles of gas on those dives, so I know that if all goes as it should, I will finish the dive with a healthy reserve. When I am doing single tank recreational dives, I know that I will probably surface with more than 1,000 PSI. Thus, almost all my dives end (or change direction) when the planned dive time is reached, not when I reach a certain gas level. Consequently, I only need to check my gas a few times during the dive, just to make sure everything is going normally. A catastrophic gas leak will announce itself through sound without any need for an SPG check. As a result, I don't see any reason to spend the big bucks to get air integrated computers (I dive with 2), so I don't own any air integrated computers.
3. Several years ago, my enthusiasm for cave diving diminished significantly when I was on an exploration team and one of our divers died. I have been thinking about getting back into it, and if I do, I will be doing it mostly while sidemounted. The need to switch tanks during a sidemount dive increases the need to know your current gas levels, and it is a PITA to see those levels via SPG. Cave dives are usually turned on pressure, not time, so it is important to know your pressure levels. Right now, with the little bit of cave diving I do each year, I am content to use SPGs, but if I decide to go into it more, then I will be switching to air integration.