Necessity of Dive Computer for new diver

[rsingler]

Oceanic Veo 100 NX Wrist Air/Nitrox Dive Computer 14-1A | eBay

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And what CuzzA said. Very important

 

[Steve_C]

Get the DC. Read the manual and understand it. Just make sure that
1. It is nitrox capable
2. You do not have to send it away to change batteries.
3. Will hold your nitrox setting unless you change it (my preference)

Lots of dives are not square profiles.

Computers vary with how they display the information. Dive one you know which is your own.

Had an instabuddy last year. Looked at her dive computer during the dive and immediately sent her up the anchor. She had 1 minute of NDL left on an AL80. We had HP 100s and Nitrox 30 and had lots of NDL left. It was a rental computer and she did not really know how to read it. She got a course in NDLs, and how to read her computer during the SI.

Usually new dives suck air and are air limited. But in NC where we do not have many shallow dives I have seen a number of new divers who happen to be fit and very relaxed in the water that needed to watch their NDLs.

 

[wheeledgoat]

My equipment purchases went in this order:
fins, mask, snorkel, booties, gloves
bc & sundries (safety sausage, light, spool, etc...)
gear bags
hood
weights
computer
regs
...and i'm still renting wetsuits

I really liked renting the computers, it helped me get a feel for what's out there and what I liked and wanted. (You can rent $600+ computers for $16-20/weekend). Finally bought myself a new DG03 computer for $200. It's inexpensive for what you get, but it's been discontinued (mostly because of bad press from a previous firmware version displaying incorrect pressure from the wireless transmitter). Still available from Dive Gear Express, though, until they sell out their stock. Do your homework before just ordering one, obviously, but it's a good fit for me.

I only did a few dives without a computer, and those were dives in the local quarry where I was just repeating previous dive profiles of depth and time, so I knew I was good. (That was a good refresher on reading the tables, though!) Still, I felt naked without the computer.

 

[Bubblesong]

When I rented computers, I really did not have enough time to learn how to use them before diving with them. I bought an inexpensive one and reviewed how to get info on it/ off it while at home a few sessions before I used it for diving.

 

[Chavodel8en]

It also depends on what kind of dives you want to do -- and what kind of dives you WILL NOT BE ABLE TO EASILY DO w/o a compu.

I dove for years without a compu. I had one initially, but it flooded, and I didn't replace it. I relied on a depth gauge & watch.

But I was only doing local shore dives that maxxed out at 40-50' (12-18m). I only did 2 dives a day. There are some local shore dives where 60'+ (20m) were a possibility -- I avoided those depths, because I preferred longer dives. There was only one shore site I avoided entirely, as a primary feature was unlimited depth.

The lack of a compu did not limit my diving, because I was a shore diver who only did 2 dives a day. The same financial constraints that limited my buying a compu, limited me from vacation or boat dives, so it all worked out.

However, once I had a vacation planned, I felt I needed a compu. There are just too many dives I might miss without one -- wreck dives, deeper dives, more than 2 dives a day. Moreover, some of the deeper local shore dives are now back on the menu for me. Some of them are really cool, Im glad I can dive them now.

 

[Clayton122]

Hi all

I went to my LDS last night to get a rough estimate of what it will cost me to get certified along with mandatory gear and equipment required. While I wasn't expecting any of this to come cheap, it was significantly more than I thought it would be.

One of the things that stood out is that the instructor recommended I buy a dive computer for the dives but said I could get away with using a stop watch but in that case I'd need to do some extra work with tables and what not.

My question is - as someone brand-spanking-new to diving, how necessary is it to have a dive computer versus a simple stop watch? The difference in cost is huge. While I don't want to penny pinch and buy the cheapest product out there, I also have to face the fact that I don't have endless amounts of money to dish out on all sorts of things.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

It sucks but get the computer. It really makes everything else so much easier. While you SHOULD always consult your tables BEFORE a dive so you know what your bottom time can be, a computer is useful for many other things. water temp. depth, rate of accent, and so forth.

I bought a Mares Puck Pro for my first computer and love it. Eventually I will get a nicer one that integrates with my 1st stage, but until then, its the perfect computer for me at least.

 

[stuartv]

Hi all

I went to my LDS last night to get a rough estimate of what it will cost me to get certified along with mandatory gear and equipment required.

Mandatory gear should be no more than mask, snorkel, fins, and booties. The price for an Open Water certification should include use of a wetsuit, BCD, regulators, and a computer.

After you are certified, you should dive with a computer. Whether you rent or buy is up to you.

There is no way you should be required to buy a computer, nor told that your only alternative is to do the class using tables and a timer.

 

[stuartv]

It sucks but get the computer. It really makes everything else so much easier. While you SHOULD always consult your tables BEFORE a dive

... or check the dive planner on your computer, if it has one.

PADI no longer requires even teaching tables, and SDI never required teaching tables.

 

[2airishuman]

My question is - as someone brand-spanking-new to diving, how necessary is it to have a dive computer versus a simple stop watch?

The problem is that a dive watch combined with a depth gauge will cost just as much. If your anticipated diving is all shallow, you can get by without, but I wouldn't recommend it. There are plenty of cheap dive computers, new and used.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Look for other places to save money.

2airishuman's diving gear for a typical warm-water dive
Conshelf XIV reg set, purchased used, including cost of service, new hoses, and new SPG....$300
Speardiver Reef 3mm wetsuit, new, ncluding freight, $269
BC, Used DSS backplate and wing, ebay, $300
Wetboots, DGX, free shipping, $25
DGX frameless mask, new, free shipping, $29
Fins, Cressi Reaction, $110, new, leisure pro, free shipping
Compass, DGX "pro" wrist, bungee mount, $59
Dive flag, hardware, webbing, bungee, and so on..around $100
Computer, Oceanic Geo, $299 on sale from Leisurepro

 

[BoltSnap]

you will likely be limited by air consumption so the extra bottom time allowed is moot.

The thought process is they know based on tables they simply don't have enough gas to exceed their NDL on a square 40-60 ft. dive.

You are forgetting about repetitive dives where it is very possible to exceed dive table limits while still have enough gas in the Tank. There are also advantages for multi-level diving, accuracy in depth/time and deco. measurements even when the user is on a rocking and rolling boat puking and seasick enough to not be able to plan the dive correctly or forget to set the stop watch and many of the issues we had way back then before dive computers came to the market. And yeah, I made thousands of dives between 1973 and 88 before I bought my first dive computer (US Diver Datascan I) just before Christmas 1988 and I never went back to dive tables in my own diving except when I have to teach them but always use computers when diving since that time.

A novice diver has more need to use dive computers than an experienced diver. A depth gauge with an appropriate dive watch will most likely cost a lot more than an entry level dive computer, so yes, buy a dive computer from the get go and enjoy your diving.