Garmin Fenix 6

[ellisj501]

I'm not the OP, but here is why I wore a watch for a while, then stopped. Before my last computer upgrade, I used to like an analog watch for safety stops. For better or worse the newer computers are timing safety stops for me, so that's less convincing. At some point I also thought of a watch as backup, but realistically safely switching to tables after more than 1 dive on computer is probably not going to happen, even before I started diving nitrox.

I had the same thoughts tbh time the safety stops and if it had a depth gauge even if my dive computer failed, I would have a good idea how deep I was without having to rely on my buddies computer.

 

[tbone1004]

I had the same thoughts tbh time the safety stops and if it had a depth gauge even if my dive computer failed, I would have a good idea how deep I was without having to rely on my buddies computer.

if you're in open water you should have a DSMB. Tie knot a simple over knot at 10ft intervals from 10-50ft. 20ft=2 knots, 30ft=3knots, etc. No redundant depth gauge necessary

 

[ellisj501]

if you're in open water you should have a DSMB. Tie knot a simple over knot at 10ft intervals from 10-50ft. 20ft=2 knots, 30ft=3knots, etc. No redundant depth gauge necessary

Ah OK I get it, I haven't had the chance to get out into open water yet, but itching like mad to get out there.

Has anyone ever actually had a dive computer fail on them. I would imagine they are pretty much fail safe, unless you forget to change the battery

 

[d^2b]

I had the same thoughts tbh time the safety stops and if it had a depth gauge even if my dive computer failed, I would have a good idea how deep I was without having to rely on my buddies computer.

Until very recently I had a console with an analog depth gauge in it, along with my SPG. Since I'm always diving with two computers these days, that redundancy also seems a bit, uhh redundant. But I agree with your general idea that it is comforting to have an extra source of depth information in case of computer malfunction. In particular I a timer and depth gauge would make an ascent safer if/when a computer malfunctions. For me those are currently provided by my backup comptuer.

 

[d^2b]

Has anyone ever actually had a dive computer fail on them. I would imagine they are pretty much fail safe, unless you forget to change the battery

I have had a Suunto Zoop Novo fail, but only by refusing to go into dive mode, and then locking up when I surfaced. So annoying, but not a big safety issue in that case.

EDIT: now that I think about it a bit more, that particular computer goes into gauge mode when locked-out of diving mode, so it provides it's own timer / depth gauge in that particular failure mode.

 

[CuriousRambler]

Ah OK I get it, I haven't had the chance to get out into open water yet, but itching like mad to get out there.

Has anyone ever actually had a dive computer fail on them. I would imagine they are pretty much fail safe, unless you forget to change the battery

Someone here had a Shearwater go black on them mid-dive recently. I wasn't following the thread to know what ever came of it, or if the cause was determined. Computers are susceptible to failure by their nature. There are a lot of ways they can fail. Fortunately, failures are so rare they probably border on statistically insignificant.

If/when your diving reaches a point that your life truly depends on the data a computer provides, redundancy becomes mandatory. If you're doing no-stop/no-decompression/minimum decompression/whatever you want to call it "recreational" open water diving, you really don't need to worry about redundancy. I definitely won't say it's a bad idea, and I don't think anyone would ever try to talk you out of having redundancy if it makes you feel better. Just be aware that it truly isn't necessary for diving within "recreational open water" limits. IF your computer fails (which is extremely unlikely) you can simply terminate the dive and make a safe ascent to the surface at any point. You should be proficient enough to do a safe ascent without instruments guiding your ascent rate, and you should pay enough attention to your instruments to have a pretty good idea "where you're at," in the event everything blinks out on you. You'll become familiar with your gas consumption rates, so if you check your gauges regularly and suddenly your air integrated computer is a blank screen, you'll easily be able to think "a few minutes ago I had 1,800PSI, so I know I should be comfortably over 1,500PSI now." That's not an excuse to continue the dive, because you "know" you're over your planned minimum gas, but it should be enough to recognize you have more than enough air to make a safe, controlled ascent, and hold a safety stop when you get there.

You'll also most likely be diving with a buddy, who can check depth and time as well as any analog backup can.

If you feel better with redundancy, by all means. Just don't feel any pressure to spend money on it.

 

[tbone1004]

Ah OK I get it, I haven't had the chance to get out into open water yet, but itching like mad to get out there.

Has anyone ever actually had a dive computer fail on them. I would imagine they are pretty much fail safe, unless you forget to change the battery

it's extremely rare, but it can happen.

 

[d^2b]

If you feel better with redundancy, by all means. Just don't feel any pressure to spend money on it.

I don't disagree with anything there, but I would point out that having a computer fail in the middle of a week long liveaboard trip is a drag. So there are scenarios where yes, you can surface safely and finish the dive, but are then in a position of choosing between missing a bunch of dives you already paid for (the textbook answer) or switching computers, and potentially losing important tissue loading information. To bring it back slightly more on topic, a backup watch won't help in that scenario.

 

[CuriousRambler]

I don't disagree with anything there, but I would point out that having a computer fail in the middle of a week long liveaboard trip is a drag. So there are scenarios where yes, you can surface safely and finish the dive, but are then in a position of choosing between missing a bunch of dives you already paid for (the textbook answer) or switching computers, and potentially losing important tissue loading information. To bring it back slightly more on topic, a backup watch won't help in that scenario.

Good point. Not something I would've even thought about. I don't know that I'll ever do the liveaboard game, but if you're destination diving and relying on a computer as your primary means of tracking your dives, then a backup computer is likely very cheap insurance when compared to the potential missed dives caused by a failed primary computer on your second dive day of twelve.

 

[saxman242]

you can get a nice analogue dive watch with an integrated depth gauge

I've thought many times about getting the Oris Aquis Depth Gauge, but only because I like watches and it has a fun diving nod to it. I wouldn't buy something like that to actually rely on for diving.