How am I suposed to choose a dive computer?

[TiagoFerreira]

Greetings fellow scuba divers!

I recently became a certified PADI Advanced Open Water Diver and as I intend to be diving quite often I felt the need to purchase my own gear. After acquiring all the essentials (BCD, regulators, etc...) my next purchase will be the dive computer (which nowadays can be and probably is considered an essential, I suppose). Despite my humble dedication to researching information on this topic, however, I think there´s no substitute for experience, so I decided to ask the experts!

To make it as easy as possible for you guys to give accurate advice I'll try my best to sum everything up in a relatively short manner.

After a great deal of thinking, these are the models I have been looking at: Suunto Zoop, Scubapro Aladin Square, Scubapro Meridian, Suunto Vyper Air, Suunto D4i novo, UWATEC Galileo Luna and Suunto D6i. I know these vary a lot in price... I am willing to go up to the 900 dollar price range, but technically I don't have a fixed budget (a more expensive computer just means I'll have to wait a couple more months to purchase it).

One of my greatest "setbacks" to making a final decision is that I aspire to do some technical diving. I'm obviously not going to buy a Trimix computer now, as it will take me some years to get to that level of experience and they are much more expensive than recreational dive computers. In short, is it worth buying a multi-gas (2 or 3 gases?) full decompression computer, with EAN compatibility up to 100% now, as an investment for the future or should I stick within the recreational range of features?

One other aspect that I have taken into account is my personal preference for watch sized computers because I could wear it as an everyday carry wristwatch (this is basically the only reason why I prefer them). There's a major setback, however, which is: I'll be carrying a 400 - 900 dollar watch on my wrist! I'm not too comfortable with that, but once again I'd love to hear some feedback. Have you had any problems with wearing a dive computer as a normal watch?

If you could give me some advice regarding the dive computers I've mentioned I'd be extremely grateful and if you happen to know of any other dive computer that fits my "requirements" please be so kind to let me know.

I truly appreciate you taking the time to help me out.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

Nowadays there are a few computers on the market that are upgrade-able to grow with your diving(the Q by Dive Rite comes to mind). I doubt that you will really be satisfied in the long run with a "watch" type dive computer as even the smallest ones are a bit cumbersome for daily wear but also the fact that most of the computers that you will find in the tech diving realm simply display too much info to fit into that category. The option also exists is to purchase a low cost nitrox computer and whenever you decide to make the jump into technical diving it can be used as a back up bottom timer(a biggie in tech diving is redundancy). So with that in mind you really haven't lost out with a low cost nitrox computer. Come to think of it that may be a good option as when you get into tech diving there will surely be "newer and better" out on the market so you can get something that's state of the art and already have a redundant back up.

 

[Tigerman]

A computer like the (not mentioned) Scubrapro/uwatec 2G will give you multigas (nitrox 21% up to 100%) in an easy to use, affordable, although somewhat large (yet smaller than zoop I think) package..
Altitude, freshwater, saltwater, gauge mode..

Whatever computer you go for, Id say it should have as a MINIMUM nitrox capabilities and what I actually missed on my first computer was freshwater and altitude settings, but that is somewhat due to the topography of where I live, which is in the middle of nowhere

 

[Dr. Lecter]

I would get either the Suunto D6i or, much better, the SP LUNA. This is life support equiment and they are the very best options. Both are full of cutting-edge dive technology.

If you can spend up to $900, whatever you do, do NOT get a Shearwater Petrel. It is too simple to use, and too well-supported. You won't really get the full recreational diving experience from one.

 

[tbone1004]

:cool2::cool2: at Lecter, you won't get the real recreational experience without struggling with crap support and pain in the butt ergonomics.


well, you have realistically two options. Somehow DRiS isn't a Shearwater dealer which I don't understand, but it is what it is.

By far the best computer in the world right now is the Shearwater Petrel. Nothing else comes close to it for price per features. The Q isn't bad, but it's not a Petrel.

The Hollis DGO3 is $250 right now from DGX
https://www.divegearexpress.com/computers/dg03.shtml
It is the best bang for the buck in computers right now. Three gas for tech diving, the price is great, the only problem is you need the $100 download cable and it does use weird batteries. So if you want to download dive logs you're in for $350 vs $850 for the Petrel. I'd go for the DG03 right now, it will last you the rest of your dive career. Depending on what happens later in your diving career you'll just throw it into gauge mode and use it as a backup computer.

 

[Seya]

Petrel that is all

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

 

[Nirvana]

If you believe you will take up technical diving in the future, I think you have two good options:


1- You buy a good tech computer (the Petrel being an excellent first choice). By the time you start doing deco and trimix dives, if a new Shearwater comes out, you can buy it, if you want the newer model, and keep the Petrel as your backup. If you ask around you will find out many people use Predators (the Petrel's predecessor) either as their primary or secondary computer and are very happy with it. If you end up sticking to recreational diving, you will still have a fantastic computer for rec diving.

2- You can buy a very simple computer that can be used in gauge mode. This way, when you acquire a tech diving computer, you can use the older one as a bottom timer.

As a side note, I very much dislike watch-like dive computers. I find them more difficult to operate, harder to see and interpret, as words are truncated and data condensed in a small screen, and I don't find them that much appealing as watches.

 

[jeffromonty]

I hate to say but I did not listen to everybody, except LDS when I bought my first DC. I since have purchased a Shearwater Petrel and love it, while at the same time hating wasting $$$'s on other DC's. It is not all hype behind the Petrel. It is an easy to use, easy to read, easy to understand, And with the rec mode almost a no brainer.

 

[doctormike]

A variation on my usual BP/W line:

If you think that you might get into technical diving, get a Petrel. But if you are sure that you will only be doing warm water, recreational diving, get a Petrel.

Seriously, if you can spend $850, it's an awesome computer even if you never get into technical diving, let alone trimix or CCR (which it also supports). The build, the readability, the customer service, the battery options - just terrific, in every way.

I only wouldn't recommend it if:

1) You absolutely had to have wireless AI. Big controversy on this board, lots of threads about it. I used a WAI computer for hundreds of dives (Suunto Vyper Air), had lots of lost signals, and now that I use an analog SPG I don't miss it. But some people simply must have it, so if you are one of those people then that's a deal breaker.

2) You had to have a digital compass. Again, not something that I like, but some people really love these.

3) You really wanted to have your computer double as a wrist watch. This one I can't understand. Maybe if you have young eyes and excellent vision, and only dive in bright, clear water, then these would be OK. But the size of these things really limits the amount of information you can see on the screen, and therefore makes you do all sorts of menu navigation to get the information that you need. Seriously, buy a computer for diving and just wear whatever type of watch you like - cheap or fancy. Unless you are packing for the International Space Station, you will probably have enough luggage space to bring a wristwatch on your dive trips.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

You NEVER choose the dive computer. You read scubaboard and let the dive computer choose YOU!