Looking for a computer that can grow with me.

[00wabbit]

Hi
I'm sort of looking at dive computers.
Right now I have a cressi Leonardo. It works fine but is very basic.

Ive been asking around a bit about computers and the Shearwater Petrel/predator comes up quite a bit, but the divers I have been diving with are very advanced divers. After watching some videos on the computers I wonder if they are just too much for me.
On the other hand I don't want to waste money on something that won't expand with me.
Right now I am just a recreational diver. I have aspirations in the future to dive doubles and take the advanced nitrox and decompression classes. These classes probably won't be until next year or later though. Even then I don't see myself doing extreme deco dives. More like dives to 100ft or so and staying a little longer than ndl allows.

I am looking for a wrist computer with a large display that can handle gas switching and deco without locking me out afterwards. Air integration is not important and I won't pay extra for it. If it comes for free I might use it for convenience but I will always have an Spg. I'll probably look to find this computer used. Maybe in the $400 range.
Do you have any suggestions?
I'm in no hurry to buy but I know eventually I will need something more than my Leonardo.

 

[Superlyte27]

Well the price range isn't right, but the Predator or Petrel is the ONLY computer to buy if you can afford it. Simplest computer on the planet, best customer service in the world (regardless of the industry), and impossible to outgrow.

If you really are in no hurry to buy, save some more money and buy a petrel.

 

[beaverdivers]

Scubapro Galileo Sol. Easy to use & read. Does gas switching.

Has a Gauge Mode!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Wait a couple more months. Some of the people diving Predators will be selling them when they move to Petrels. You can't go wrong with Shearwater. Easy to use, upgrading is quick and easy via bluetooth. Support is second to none. Manual was written by divers. Not goofball engineers and lawyers. Batteries are user replaceable, no stupid alarms, and it treats you like an intelligent person. It requires you to think a little and trusts that you know how to do that. And if you send them an email they answer it! And Dive Nav has a class on line for it that's simply the shizzle.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Scubapro Galileo Sol. Easy to use & read. Does gas switching.

Has a Gauge Mode!

The Galileo Sol has a lousy screen, an interface that is barely comprehensible after reading its 80 page manual, and, contrary to the OP's requirements, will lock your ass out if you don't follow its deco schedule. Its deco alogorithm is also far from ideal for a computer that might be used for a planned deco dive.

Go peddle your one-brand-fits-all approach elsewhere.

To the OP, look hard at a Petrel. If you can't stretch to $950, look hard at a nice, used Predator. They can be had for less than $700 and are also excellent computers. If you want to try tech diving on the cheap, skip the computer entirely, learn how to plan and cut tables in your AN/DP class, and dive with a bottom timer and tables. Trying to do "well it's just a little over the NDLs" dives with a $400 used tech computer strikes me as a poor life plan.

 

[rlynch]

I just went to a petrel - it does 5 gases, its easy to use, it has a nice screen, It does Gauge mode nicely (if you do GUE stuff or technical diving) it uses a normal AA battery, the list goes on.


Its great.

i dove with a Bottom timer and custom cut tables/plans from Decoplanner and ratio deco, mostly before but the entire team switched to shearwater, so i jumped too. Happy i did (even though we still use custom cut tables, and Depth/time as our primary tools), having the pretzel is nice. I still use a backup BT (Scubapro meridian watch) as well. It can do 2 gases, and if it locks you out in computer mode, you can desaturate it on the fly if you read the manual carefully. I use it in BT mode exclusively.

I would not recommend flying a computer only (any of them), I would always plan then execute that plan on a dive.
The Shearwater is about the same cost relatively as most of them but does a lot more.

Think of it as a 1 scuba-buck purchase

 

[00wabbit]

Ok that is sort of what I was looking for. I'm in no rush and don't want to throw good money after bad. I will wait for a petrel.

 

[Superlyte27]

I just went to a petrel - it does 5 gases, its easy to use, it has a nice screen, It does Gauge mode nicely (if you do GUE stuff or technical diving) it uses a normal AA battery, the list goes on.


Its great.

i dove with a Bottom timer and custom cut tables/plans from Decoplanner and ratio deco, mostly before but the entire team switched to shearwater, so i jumped too. Happy i did (even though we still use custom cut tables, and Depth/time as our primary tools), having the pretzel is nice. I still use a backup BT (Scubapro meridian watch) as well. It can do 2 gases, and if it locks you out in computer mode, you can desaturate it on the fly if you read the manual carefully. I use it in BT mode exclusively.

I would not recommend flying a computer only (any of them), I would always plan then execute that plan on a dive.
The Shearwater is about the same cost relatively as most of them but does a lot more.

Think of it as a 1 scuba-buck purchase

Not exactly true. It actually does unlimited gases. It has a favorite five gases, but you can change those gases during the dive. So basically it's unlimited gases.

 

[rongoodman]

Either Shearwater or Liquivision, either of which have good displays, gas switching, won't lock you out, and have non-proprietary algorithms(Buhlmann GF, VPM, and in the case of the Liquivision Xeo, true RGBM).

 

[Edwin T]

I'm a recreational diver right now but planning to do tech diving in the future.can I use Petrel?