CycleCat
Contributor
I agree about buying one you would use in case that ends up being the case. Also remember it will go over his wetsuit so his skinny wrists won't be so skinny. He could even put ot through a D-ring.
Question Diving Computer for 11 year old
- Thread starter samcraig
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If you are insistent on "go big", Shearwater just released a new watch sized PDC, which has an option to have AI....
We all* love some SW....
* - many of us vocal supporters...
We all* love some SW....
* - many of us vocal supporters...
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Contributor
me too but my depth guage is now dead, spg is 20 years old and I'm concerned it's nearing its end and I want a smart watch for more than just diving so it's time for me to upgrade. Still, I'm of the opinion a diver ought to know how to dive without a DC.
I got a mares puck for PDI IDC because I wanted some training and my wife uses it, has lasted over a decade for under 200 bucks. So I highly recommend a Mares DC for anyone on a budget. Mares Smart (not a smartwatch) can be had for around 400 bucks but if you're spending $400 you should spend another hundred or two on a much better DC.
Rob9876
Contributor
The Mares Puck Pro (and substantially the same Puck Pro+) are good 1-button simple computers that are nitrox capable and can often be found for good prices. My son and I both got them about 5 years ago (when he was 13). I just recently got a Shearwater Perdix 2, but still dive with my Puck Pro+ as my backup -- when you set the conservatism setting on the Puck to least conservative, it does not have significantly more conservative NDL times than my Perdix. I still really appreciate the Puck for being a great computer to start with, at a reasonable price.
Speaking of price, we got a good deal on our Pucks when buying a bunch of stuff from Divers Supply. They do have great deals on them when you buy a bcd/reg/computer package. Also, from the product description and buyer reviews, it looks like the "Mystery Box" 1-Button computers at Divers Supply are usually Puck Pros. A similar computer is the Cressi Leonardo, which I looked at years ago, but I believe they are a more conservative computer than the Puck.
Speaking of price, we got a good deal on our Pucks when buying a bunch of stuff from Divers Supply. They do have great deals on them when you buy a bcd/reg/computer package. Also, from the product description and buyer reviews, it looks like the "Mystery Box" 1-Button computers at Divers Supply are usually Puck Pros. A similar computer is the Cressi Leonardo, which I looked at years ago, but I believe they are a more conservative computer than the Puck.
After owning a Puck, I can't recommend Mares....even if super cheap. The lack of support, funky programming with the whole date failure thing, annoying single button menu, algorithm not matching (it was in my pocket and locked up for a DECO violation where my main PDC, and the team's units didn't)... Proprietary band with no bungie option. Expensive proprietary download cable...
Maybe the "Pro" is an improvement, but the sour taste is there for me, and I simply feel there are better choices.
YMMV
Maybe the "Pro" is an improvement, but the sour taste is there for me, and I simply feel there are better choices.
YMMV
Rob9876
Contributor
That's interesting, my son and I have each had ours over 5 years, and bought an extra for a backup several years ago, and no issues at all with any of the 3 of them. The Pucks also seem to get pretty good reviews on most websites. As you said, YMMV.
I used to dive a Puck Pro, no problems for years. My students used them, no problem until this year. Then, on one dive we had two separate computers go into deco and lock the students out. I can't explain what happened. It was two buddy groups (each with their own instructor) and one buddy in each group went into deco. The students had the same depth, time etc and we always leave the bottom with 5 minutes of NDL remaining or 1k psi (OW, max depth 60 feet).
That said, I have some puck pros for sale....
That said, I have some puck pros for sale....
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Contributor
My wife had an issue with ours a couple years ago where it restarted or something during the dive and my wife said she was dubious of the data on the display including ndl for the rest of the dive. Only issue we ever had but a potentially very serious one.
It's the older base model Mares Puck which is also apparently the one that had issues with not being able to have the date set beyond a few years ago. I don't know much about the newer pro models except that they're also inexpensive.
For what it costs, to have a DC that lasts years it's not a bad option for recreational diving. I never had issues with the menu as all I want to do is make it so it never beeps and to see whatever data I need at a glance. If you're not looking for a budget DC, disregard all of this. If you are, you're basically choosing from several models.
For me, I tried an Oceanic before I tried the Mares and I hated it. I had to press a button everytime I looked at it to see the rest of the data I wanted to see. It also reset for some reason the first day I used it and began beeping, a lot. It reset again the next day for some reason and I lost the settings that someone helped me input so that it would not beep and yeah, beeped a lot during the dive.
I consider a PADI dive table to be a solid upgrade over an Oceanic Dive Computer. I absolutely hated that thing to the point I never bought a single Oceanic product ever again. It also had rust on the metal part of the strap, the hardware, after two dives which doesn't really matter I guess.
I was looking at an Aqualung DC recently but I heard it was recalled over programming.
There's Suunto but I pretty much stayed away from Suunto Dive computers after I heard a description from a Suunto fanboi. It was something to the effect that he loved the safety it provided him because it gave him less bottom time and if he'd ascend any faster than the speed of a jellyfish, he'd have a longer countdown on his safety stop. Since it's your kid, you might have a look at that. Suunto has a solid support base that kept them alive despite a class action suit over faulty depth sensors if I understand correctly.
I was on a dive with a guy who had a Cressi Leonardo and it beeped a lot, so I decided then that I don't really want to be in the same ocean as one of those again if I can help it. However, I probably have been around them without any beeping happening and just didn't know it.
There are other brands I haven't looked too closely at obviously. I wouldn't worry about the size of your kid's wrist. You can make new holes in the strap if you have to and kids tend to grow. If you do go budget, I suggest having extra batteries on hand for it.
It's the older base model Mares Puck which is also apparently the one that had issues with not being able to have the date set beyond a few years ago. I don't know much about the newer pro models except that they're also inexpensive.
For what it costs, to have a DC that lasts years it's not a bad option for recreational diving. I never had issues with the menu as all I want to do is make it so it never beeps and to see whatever data I need at a glance. If you're not looking for a budget DC, disregard all of this. If you are, you're basically choosing from several models.
For me, I tried an Oceanic before I tried the Mares and I hated it. I had to press a button everytime I looked at it to see the rest of the data I wanted to see. It also reset for some reason the first day I used it and began beeping, a lot. It reset again the next day for some reason and I lost the settings that someone helped me input so that it would not beep and yeah, beeped a lot during the dive.
I consider a PADI dive table to be a solid upgrade over an Oceanic Dive Computer. I absolutely hated that thing to the point I never bought a single Oceanic product ever again. It also had rust on the metal part of the strap, the hardware, after two dives which doesn't really matter I guess.
I was looking at an Aqualung DC recently but I heard it was recalled over programming.
There's Suunto but I pretty much stayed away from Suunto Dive computers after I heard a description from a Suunto fanboi. It was something to the effect that he loved the safety it provided him because it gave him less bottom time and if he'd ascend any faster than the speed of a jellyfish, he'd have a longer countdown on his safety stop. Since it's your kid, you might have a look at that. Suunto has a solid support base that kept them alive despite a class action suit over faulty depth sensors if I understand correctly.
I was on a dive with a guy who had a Cressi Leonardo and it beeped a lot, so I decided then that I don't really want to be in the same ocean as one of those again if I can help it. However, I probably have been around them without any beeping happening and just didn't know it.
There are other brands I haven't looked too closely at obviously. I wouldn't worry about the size of your kid's wrist. You can make new holes in the strap if you have to and kids tend to grow. If you do go budget, I suggest having extra batteries on hand for it.
Don't saddle your child with gear you wouldn't use yourself. Especially since children are usually more tech savvy than most adults I've dived with. Shop for a good computer with a bungee option. Even at 65, my wrists are too small for a watch style strap. I wear double bungees on my forearm, and that works well for WWPF as well as ice diving.
Start your child off on a computer that you would be using if your own computer became your backup.
Start your child off on a computer that you would be using if your own computer became your backup.
OTF
Coney Island Whitefish Biologist
Will the kid be doing dives (or multiples) that even remotely approach any limits? He really doesn't need a computer if it's just shallow shore diving. But do carefully plan your dives and dive your plans.
I did a lot of years of diving before I bought a computer.
That said, shearwater is always the answer, in this case because of the big fun colorful screen and easily adjustable straps or bungee mounts...
I did a lot of years of diving before I bought a computer.
That said, shearwater is always the answer, in this case because of the big fun colorful screen and easily adjustable straps or bungee mounts...
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