OP
Buying my first Dive Computer need a little help
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Stuff you might want which some entry level computers surprisingly lack:
Average depth - so you can calculate gas consumption.
Logging for more than a handful of dives - so you can be lazy about writing up your log book.
PC downloadable logs - so you can star at graphs and wish you could hold stops better.
I was astounded when I discovered a buddy's computer did not have average depth. It was one of the cheap ones with a single button. And the UI sucked.
Try not to plan on gauge mode. Get a computer which can use more than one gas. Eventually you will want two, although using the bottom timer as a backup with a slate is fine, so long as you have a plan.
Average depth - so you can calculate gas consumption.
Logging for more than a handful of dives - so you can be lazy about writing up your log book.
PC downloadable logs - so you can star at graphs and wish you could hold stops better.
I was astounded when I discovered a buddy's computer did not have average depth. It was one of the cheap ones with a single button. And the UI sucked.
Try not to plan on gauge mode. Get a computer which can use more than one gas. Eventually you will want two, although using the bottom timer as a backup with a slate is fine, so long as you have a plan.
K
KeithG
Guest
Average depth?
Gas consumption?
Multiple Gasseses?
My tank has never been close to empty. Why do I need to know my SAC? Who really cares? Why do you think you need all of this stuff?
Please explain what problem each of these metrics solves?
I think we all need to understand the audience when giving advice. I am a habitual vacation diver and am very happy diving my circa 1995 Uwatec Aladin "Air only" computer. My needs are simple. Actually I really do not need a computer.
But my last 2 weeks of diving featured dive ops that provided 30 to 45 minute SIs for the 2 tank morning dives. My computer was happy. Suunto? Not so much. I saw a few divers get spanked for bottom time on the afternoon dives.
I claim it makes more sense to step back and primarily reflect upon diving behaviour as opposed to dive computer features.
I have yet to come across any computer that will provide additional relevant info that I would need for recreational diving over my Aladin Pro Nitrox(1997). BTW, I have to shine my torch to read the screen during night dive.
K
KeithG
Guest
97? a new one? Luxury! We used to sleep in the middle of the road.
Actually I have a hard time getting my divebuddy to regularly look at her pressure gauge, let alone her fancy 1995 dive computer. The answer is always the same: lots of air, lots of bottom time - we are very conservative.
And I agree - my Uwatec Aladin is my perfect computer. No buttons to push, all required info on the huge easy to read screen., multi year battery life...
Caveeagle
Contributor
I have two of the pre-93 Aladin Pro Air computers. I like them for simple air dives. The uncluttered display really works for me. Sometimes I will keep the Uwatec on one arm and my Nitrox computer on the other. I like the simple readout, but also don't want to completely give up the advantages given to me by either of my Nitrox capable computers. If I was in an area where Nitrox was not convenient, I would probably be using the Uwatec Aladin Pro nearly all the time.
halocline
Contributor
I would either spend as little as possible for a bare-bones recreational computer or get a fully capable technical computer, the most popular of which these days is the shearwater perdix. ($850) You might also find a used petrel or a liquivision Xeo for closer to your budget.
I would stay away for air integration; its useless in technical diving and adds a lot of cost for essentially no return (IMO) in terms of recreational diving. Is it really that big a deal to look at a SPG a few times during the dive?
Take a close look at the diving you are doing now and try to learn what you can about basic decompression models; there's a good primer in the PADI encyclopedia of recreational diving. You'll see that all computers are based on mathematical models that use theoretical "compartments" that both load and unload N2 at different rates. The various computers simply use different combinations of compartments and often modify the results with added conservatism based on different factors. The bottom line is: 1) All commercially produced dive computers are considered safe, and there is no evidence that one model is safer than another, and 2) The more you know about how basic deco theory works, the better you can control your own dive profile to result in safer, more enjoyable diving. Most of my local dives I don't even bother with using a computer (they're shallow), and I rarely pay much attention to NDL info on many other dives. This is because I know that the profiles I plan are well within recreational limits. I pay more attention to N2 loading info at the end of a dive, and of course time/depth info throughout.
I guess what this means in terms of a computer purchase is to go cheap and learn, unless you are confident that you will want a tech computer (and that even better ones won't come along between now and the time you take up tech diving), in which case go for the best available and spend the extra $300 or so.
Scuba-Blue-13
Contributor
My rec level single button Puck Pro provides all of these, including gas switching.
high/baric
Contributor
I just recently went through the next stage of this hurdle, which is getting my second dive computer. Not because I absolutely had to, but because I had lost confidence in my primary due to it breaking down (I got a replacement through warranty, but figured it might break down as well). While at it, I revisited the motivations that guided my first dive computer purchase and I can say that I have some regrets. My advice from this experience is to get a popular and basic dive computer that supports nitrox (important!). Consider the computer's reputation, is it reliable and durable? Can you change the batteries yourself (might be a considerable asset depending on where you live)? I value the option of having air integration, but to a lot of people it has no appeal whatsoever and probably won't increase the computer's resale value. I could have easily went all the way to technical, mixed gas diving with a significantly cheaper and less complicated computer than the one I ended up getting the first time around. If you end up going the technical diving route, by that time you'll have a much better idea of what you want and need. Definitely discuss the options with other technical divers, if possible with divers in the group you plan to train/dive with. Your basic dive computer will serve as a fine back-up not only in gauge mode, but also on recreational dives. Alternatively, it will be easy to sell on if you don't want to keep it.
This is just my two cents.
PS: There's one rather surprising thing I really like about my otherwise too fancy first dive computer. Having a metal casing it logs temperature changes much more accurately than my new primary that is encased in plastic. Liking to keep meticulous logs about my dives, I think my first computer will stay with me for as long as it functions for this reason alone
This is just my two cents.
PS: There's one rather surprising thing I really like about my otherwise too fancy first dive computer. Having a metal casing it logs temperature changes much more accurately than my new primary that is encased in plastic. Liking to keep meticulous logs about my dives, I think my first computer will stay with me for as long as it functions for this reason alone
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