Backup computer or SPG?

[pilot fish]

I have an air intergrated dive puter and just bought a backup dive puter, not AI, to have in case my main puter conks out, as it did once. I have it mounted on my puter hose next to primary puter. This has been already dicussed in some detail in another thread but I wanted to post it here because I got different advice, conflicing actually, from my local dive shop, where I buy all my gear, than I got here on the Scubaboard.

One of the guys at the shop said, keep your backup puter and buy the spg but don't attach it to your reg until you need to, if the main puters fails. Just carry it with you on the boat. I called back the next day and spoke to the owner and he said, nah, just keep you backup puter, [that is all he uses, he says] you don't need the spg. He could have made money on selling me the spg but advised against it. Both of these guys have many years of experience and thousands of dives.

I'm going to take the owner's advice and keep the backup, actaully exchange it for nitrox compatible like my main puter. I'm sure there is an equal body in both schools of thought on this subject? Thoughts?

 

[DandyDon]

Your back up computer won't tell you air remaining, will it?

I carry a console with spg, compass, Nitrox computer, and wear a Nitrox computer on my wrist.

 

[Michael Schlink]

DD is most certainly doing it the safe way. I do it a little different. I carry an AI hoseless on my right wrist and a Stinger on my left. I keep a SPG on a hose in my dive bag just in case. Now I must add that this is my "open water reef" set up. Caves and wrecks I have a completely different setup.-JMHO-M

 

[pilot fish]

Your back up computer won't tell you air remaining, will it?

I carry a console with spg, compass, Nitrox computer, and wear a Nitrox computer on my wrist.

No, it won't but I will end the dive if I get a primary puter failure, unlike before. I want to keep things simple, you know what they say, KISS. I dont want a lot of hoses and such. I think the backup puter is the way to go. I just want depth and time to get me to a safety stop and out of the water. I apprecaite your views, and see your point, but I think I want to keep things more simple, at this point anyway. The thought of buying an spg to carry along, with a wrench to attach it, is not such a bad idea, but it just seems soooooooooo busy.

 

[pilot fish]

DD is most certainly doing it the safe way. I do it a little different. I carry an AI hoseless on my right wrist and a Stinger on my left. I keep a SPG on a hose in my dive bag just in case. Now I must add that this is my "open water reef" set up. Caves and wrecks I have a completely different setup.-JMHO-M

What is DD? How is it AI if it's hoseless?

 

[Michael Schlink]

??? DD is DandyDon, I was refering to his post. I'm not sure what your second question is?? I dive with a hoseless/air integrated comp. I have quite a few comps. Hoseless AI's- Alladin Air x Nitrox, ScubaPro Air X, Oceanic Atom, Suunto D9

 

[Jason B]

Pilot Fish,
the hoseless/air integrated computers use a transmitter that connects to the first stage and transmits the data to the hoseless AI computer.

Jason

 

[ZenDiver]

I have about 750 dives on an AI computer. If it fails then you end your dive. Its pretty simple really. If you are paying attention to your dive profile and periodically checking your air pressure then you will have a good idea where you are in the profile. What does it take to come up from 100 feet and do a safety stop? 350 psi or so, you shouldnt be below 500 psi anyways which makes for plenty of air to ascend, stop and exit.

If you get into decompression diving where, after a failure the need to know exactly what is in your tank to do decompression schedules is necessary then use a SPG for that dive. For recreation, non-decompression dives I would go for the back up computer with a SPG in the bag on the surface. Once on the surface switch to the SPG and back up computer. I dont want two HP hoses hanging off me. Less is better in some cases.

Brian

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Two points. You said you like to keep it simple, yet you bought two computers? Also, the guy in the shop could have made money selling you an spg? You stated on the other thread that you just bought the backup computer there. Exchanging it for an spg would save you a couple hundred bucks. I read about so many new divers wanting to streamline their gear by removing a hose, but end up complicating everyuthing more by replacing it with an expensive computer prone to failure. I seriously recommend looking at the big picture and deciding for yourself if that hose was really in your way.

 

[Quarrior]

I never dive without an SPG.