I dont want to bother with one. What do you think.

[boat sju]

Nothing says you can't plan a dive and still use a computer.

An Aeris XR1 is quite affordable.

The computer will allow you to see the effect of doing a multilevel profile on your NDL's. In my opinion there is value in doing a multilevel dive - tooling around at 20 ft for awhile as an extended safety stop. Diving a square profile can lead to a direct ascent from 60 ft for example, so as not to exceed the NDL. The computer will allow you that extended shallow time that can make you feel so much better. (Not sure if I'm being clear here or not.)

 

[DiveNav]

there is ONE feature that most dive computer have but you can't find in tables .... ascent rate indicator and ascent alarm.
I think this feature is worth enough to justify the extra cost (few dollars?) of a budget dive computers vs. tables+timer+depth indicator

sure ... I could figure out my ascent rate with timer + pressure gauge + some mental calculation while being chilly cold in bad viz or being swept away by the current with no visual references.... but, why not use something more efficient?

We could all go back and become pen-pals ... but, aren't we now using the internet for the same reasons (more efficient then exchanging letters)?

 

[SIUegyptiandiver]

there is ONE feature that most dive computer have but you can't find in tables .... ascent rate indicator and ascent alarm.
I think this feature is worth enough to justify the extra cost (few dollars?) of a budget dive computers vs. tables+timer+depth indicator

sure ... I could figure out my ascent rate with timer + pressure gauge + some mental calculation while being chilly cold in bad viz or being swept away by the current with no visual references.... but, why not use something more efficient?

We could all go back and become pen-pals ... but, aren't we now using the internet for the same reasons (more efficient then exchanging letters)?

I bought my puter in 1995 and ONLY because I was about to honeymoon in Truk Lagoon....and THAT ancient dog has an ascent rate indicator and alarm.

Honestly, if it goes off, I do slow down but dont panic. When I learned 60'/min was the norm, which I stuck to for more than 10 years....

Computers are great and Ill likely never dive without one again, but If OP is only gonna dive to 60' or less and no more than 2 per day, its NOT worth the expense. Better to buy diapers imho .

 

[SIUegyptiandiver]

tables+timer+depth gauge?? Sorry but dont most consoles COME with a depth gauge? doesnt 80% or more of the general diving population dive with a watch even if they have a puter? and didnt you get tables included with your OW certification course?

Just sayin...

 

[ptyx]

there is ONE feature that most dive computer have but you can't find in tables .... ascent rate indicator and ascent alarm.
I think this feature is worth enough to justify the extra cost (few dollars?) of a budget dive computers vs. tables+timer+depth indicator

sure ... I could figure out my ascent rate with timer + pressure gauge + some mental calculation while being chilly cold in bad viz or being swept away by the current with no visual references.... but, why not use something more efficient?

The sad things about computers is that there are plenty of very useful features that ought to be there, but aren't except on a couple exotic or high end models.

Ascent rate? Sure - very useful. In feet/minute please. A bar chart which doesn't allow me to sustain 10fpm or 30fpm accurately? Not so much.

Of course it's easy to compute ascent rate from depth and accurate time. To bad most computers don't display seconds. I know a number of people using a watch besides their computer just to compensate for that.

Alarms are a good idea as well - too bad most are not obnoxious enough and way too easy to miss with a thick hood (you can hear them fine if you're really paying attention, but then you don't need them).

Don't get me wrong - computers are good tools and some are cheap enough to compete with watch+gauge+tables+recorder. But most divers hesitating to buy one already own a watch and gauge, don't care about a recorder, and either already have tables or can happily use the 120 rule as a substitute.

 

[charlesml3]

Right. And I don't NEED my cell phone to also be an iPod, keep my calendar, give me access to my email, eliminate my handheld GPS, keep my To Do list, keep my grocery list, take photos, watch the stock market for me, and let me surf the web.

But I do WANT it to.

I know I CAN track my nitrogen load and PPO2 by hand, even on a multi-level dive. I just don't want to be bothered with that when my computer can do a better job of it anyway. And before someone jumps on that tired, old bandwagon again.... No, I'm not substituting my own judgement for the computer. It's a tool. It provides me with data. It's up to me to use that data and my own knowledge to turn it into information I can use.

-Charles

 

[ptyx]

I know I CAN track my nitrogen load and PPO2 by hand, even on a multi-level dive. I just don't want to be bothered with that when my computer can do a better job of it anyway.

No argument there.
If you got the cash for one, a good computer is a very convenient tool.

 

[Walter]

I love my computer and I really don't want to dive without it, but I can and I did for years before I got one. Is it needed? No. Is it a wonderful addition to basic dive gear? Yes.

 

[Troutmaster]

To do the diving the OP wants to do, you do not need a computer. They are a nice tool, I use mine more for data logging than anything else. The profiles the OP is diving are not likely to cause any problems with N2 load. Tables are fine. In those depths if you need a little more bottom time, consider nitrox.

My computer is great when I am doing 4 dives a day with 2 at or below 100 ft on vacation someplace warm and tropical.

You have the equipment you want/need to make the dives you are doing, don't change unless you want to.

For square profile tech diving I use 2 bottom timers for redundancy and plan on v-planer. Alot of tech guys do not use computers and we are getting alot of N2 and O2 exposure. The only place where I think a computer is really mandatory is saw-tooth tech diving, like the cave divers do. For that kind of diving there is a BIG computer advantage.

 

[ianr33]

Diving a square profile can lead to a direct ascent from 60 ft for example, so as not to exceed the NDL. The computer will allow you that extended shallow time that can make you feel so much better.

On the rare occasions I dive without a computer I just figure anything shallower than 30 feet counts as a safety stop. i.e. Dive to 60 feet for,say,30 minutes. Come up to 29 feet and stay there all day if you want.