looking for my first dive comp

[Nicole Chan]

i'm a new diver. really new. got my OW license less than a month ago and will be getting my AOW and nitrox this coming june. my dives are all done in warm environment. i have my bcd and regulator already so i'm looking into some dive computers. i'm choosing between a sherwood amphos (suggested by my instructor) and an oceanic geo 2.0
anyone here have any thoughts on this?

 

[Tbar]

What are you looking for in a computer? Both you suggest are watch size - is that a requirement? One can have air integration - is that a requirement? I think they are both pricy!

You could get a lower cost computer that will meet all you nitrox and advanced diver needs. But what is you budget?

 

[Nicole Chan]

i'd prefer to get a watch size but not necessarily a must. currently, both are being sold at less than $360 here. Anything at that price range or cheaper would be ideal. Air integration isn't a requirement.
I want to have a computer that i can change the battery myself. Not much servicing required, with gas mixing available. Maybe not too conservative or with the option to be conservative also. Good after sales service too hopefully.

 

[Laene]

I got the Oceanic Geo 2.0 a few months ago because it was highly recommended as a good starter dive computer. I read the reviews before I bought, so I was expecting the ridiculously obscure and hard-to-learn user interface (the UI design and documentation are truly terrible) but once I got the hang of it, I like it. Unlike some I've tried, it fits well on my (medium-sized adult female) wrist and it's actually pretty simple to read the data once you know which counterintuitive series of buttons to press. I do not use it for anything remotely complicated, and it actually has a lot more features than I expect I will ever need.

They give you the tool to change the battery, there are options for different gas mixes, and there are More Conservative/Less Conservative options.

 

[dmaziuk]

i'd prefer to get a watch size but not necessarily a must. currently, both are being sold at less than $360 here. Anything at that price range or cheaper would be ideal. Air integration isn't a requirement.
I want to have a computer that i can change the battery myself. Not much servicing required, with gas mixing available. Maybe not too conservative or with the option to be conservative also. Good after sales service too hopefully.

There is no service except battery change. The only "after sales service" issue I can think of is, in the very unlikely event that it breaks during warranty, who pays the shipping back to the manufacturer for repairs: you or the shop you bought it from.

I don't suppose it's the amphos air model for under $360? -- that would be a better deal in case you decide to add air transmitter later.

In the US at this point the cheapest options are mares puck, cressi leonardo, suunto zoop (but that one doesn't even have a gauge mode), or the last of aeris a300s on amazon (if there's any left) -- all in the $150 - $200 range. I don't know if you can get them where you are for that money.

 

[scubadada]

i'm a new diver. really new. got my OW license less than a month ago and will be getting my AOW and nitrox this coming june. my dives are all done in warm environment. i have my bcd and regulator already so i'm looking into some dive computers. i'm choosing between a sherwood amphos (suggested by my instructor) and an oceanic geo 2.0
anyone here have any thoughts on this?

Hi Nicole,

The Sherwood Amphos runs the DSAT decompression algorithm, basis for the PADI RDP. The Oceanic Geo 2 runs DSAT and PZ+, a proprietary version of Buhlmann ZHL-16C, somewhat more conservative than DSAT. I dive a Geo 2 as a backup to my VT3, running DSAT.

Mares , Suunto, and Cressi all run proprietary versions of RGBM decompression algorithm and are generally more conservative. Mares and Suunto appear to run similar to PZ+, Cressi is the most conservative of the group. Many divers prefer a more liberal algorithm, particularly when their initial air consumption improves to the point where NDL makes a difference compared to air consumption. I believe dmaziuk dives a Cressi, his air consumption must make NDL less of a consideration. This debate has been played out in numerous computer threads on SB

If I were you, I would go with the Geo 2.

Best of luck, good diving,

Craig

 

[dmaziuk]

Well, I never said it was my SAC that never dropped... but on our last trip we were pretty much in and out with the DM so if you're a regular person diving a typical reef profile on a single Al80 it shouldn't matter. If you have gills and/or diving twin 150s on profiles known to make those computers unhappy, then sure, go DSAT. Personally I don't get the obsession with NDL in general, and why not just do those kinds of dives as deco dives in the first place in particular, but that's just me.

PS. I forget Veo 180 in the under $200 list. Partly because back when I bought my Leonardo, that line didn't even have a user-replaceable battery or PC uplink and so wasn't a contender. If I were buying today, I could possibly be not seeing scary short NDLs on my Veo instead of not seeing them on my Leonardo.

 

[scubadada]

Well, I never said it was my SAC that never dropped... but on our last trip we were pretty much in and out with the DM so if you're a regular person diving a typical reef profile on a single Al80 it shouldn't matter. If you have gills and/or diving twin 150s on profiles known to make those computers unhappy, then sure, go DSAT. Personally I don't get the obsession with NDL in general, and why not just do those kinds of dives as deco dives in the first place in particular, but that's just me.

PS. I forget Veo 180 in the under $200 list. Partly because back when I bought my Leonardo, that line didn't even have a user-replaceable battery or PC uplink and so wasn't a contender. If I were buying today, I could possibly be not seeing scary short NDLs on my Veo instead of not seeing them on my Leonardo.

 

[stuartv]

So you want to buy a new computer?

 

[stuartv]

if you're a regular person diving a typical reef profile on a single Al80 it shouldn't matter

What if you're a regular woman with a decent SAC (as even new diver women often do have), diving a typical reef profile and you happened to rent a 100?

I don't get the obsession with NDL in general, and why not just do those kinds of dives as deco dives in the first place

Some people are not obsessed with NDLs, but nevertheless would prefer to have longer NDLs, so that they can enjoy more time actually diving. Are you suggesting that the new diver OP should start doing deco dives as soon as she is at the point where she her dives are no longer being limited by the gas she's carrying? It's just my personal opinion, but I would say that having her use a computer that allows her a longer NDLs would be a more reasonable option until such time as she is experienced enough and has the (sizeable) budget that is required to pursue deco training. With <25 dives currently, I would guess that she could be limited by the NDLs of a conservative computer (instead of limited by her gas) long before she has developed the experience and the buoyancy control that most instructors would require as a prerequisite to deco training.