Need new Nitrox computer with Bottom Timer

[Griffo]

Hi, this is kind of a cross post from the DIR forum, but thougth I might get some more input here as well.

Basically, i'm making the switch to DIR diving, so need a new computer as my current Cobra 2 is hose mounted. It will be a good 4-5 months before I can finish the tech courses, so I need a new computer for both me and the wife to do us until then. what i'm hoping to find is something that is then also usefull as a bottom timer.

I am looking for 2 computers that provide

a) Wrist mount
b) Large Display if possible
c) Nitrox compatible
d) Shows Seconds in Guage mode either as raw time, or preferably as stopwatch

It doesn't seem possible to find this in a computer under $800. When buying two, that's a lot of money for 4 months of use as a computer.

 

[Tortuga68]

Another option would be buying a cheap-ish nitrox computer with gauge mode eg Suunto Vyper, and a dive watch as a backup timer/seconds counter

The problem you'll encounter is that once you've done a dive in gauge mode, computer mode won't be available for ~24 hours - so if you want to do a tech dive in the morning and a recreational dive in the afternoon, bad luck

Personally I have a Vyper, an Uwatec bottom timer and an old Citizen Aqualand with depth sensor. I use the Vyper for recreational diving, and the BT & watch for tech diving, which gives me a backup. The three cost me about $600 (Vyper and watch were second hand)

Don't forget that if you do a tech dive on a BT and then a rec on your computer, the computer won't track your N2 from the first dive (that's why using gauge mode locks you out)

 

[Griffo]

Thanks. Yeah I get the lockout and N2 tracking, it's more a case of having a "full featured" dive computer for the next 4-5 months, then just using it as a bottom time solely once I understand all this ratio deco theory. I've been told that a stopwatch is a great feature as often the stops are 30 seconds or so.
Also the missus is most likely to always want to follow the computer, and i'd like to have the same / similar model to "assist" her to use hers.

 

[Tortuga68]

I've been told that a stopwatch is a great feature as often the stops are 30 seconds or so

Typically the short stops are 1 minute, which means the ascent time to the next stop is included (by most people) in the stop time... what that means is that if you have, say, 1 minute at 27m and 1 minute at 24m, then you could spend 30 seconds at 27m and take 30 seconds to ascend to 24m, arriving on the minute to spend another 30 seconds there before repeating the process... So you're doing your stop and maintaining a nice slow ascent rate (30 seconds/3m = 6m/min)

So it's nice if you have a second hand or second display to aid this, rather than staring intently at your BT waiting for it to flick over to the next minute incrememnt... although once you have a bit of practice at it, it's quite easy to do from a minute display by counting in your head and/or winding your line in at a known rate (eg if one turn of your reel = 0.1m of line then 30 turns = 3m and 1 turn every second = 6m/min, for example)

 

[Liquivision]

The Liquivision Xen is the ideal DIR device (designed by DIR divers), and only $499, but it is only a bottom timer with stopwatch.


Eric Fattah

 

[Tortuga68]

Now the ad break is over, welcome back to your regular programming

 

[Griffo]

I ended up buying two of the Mares Icon units. They actually seem to have a decent stopwatch functionality in Gauge mode - and should be easy for the missus to understand. Got them 2nd hand for $400 each, will flog them once i'm ready to do mental deco if they are no longer suitable. Someone pointed me to the OSTC MK2. I do like the look of that unit. Wonder how it compares to the Xeo.

 

[Sleepdr]

I know you already bought, but thought I'd chime in. If a prospective user is ok with the temporary lockout for about 24 hours after gauge mode, one of the internet retailers (LP) has some Uwatec Tec 2G consoles on a major markdown.

I wanted a nitrox computer. For $225 US, I got a 2 gas nitrox computer that does bottom timer with average depth, and can talk to a PC by infrared. In addition, a compass and SPG are included; good since my compass leaked all its oil. I'll get a DSS wrist mount for the compass & computer, and be good to go.

It won't arrive in time for my nitrox class on Monday, but I'm enough of a luddite to have done all my dives to this point with only tables. I can make it through the class just fine that way.

 

[Griffo]

That's a really good price, but it didn't appear (based on the manual) to have a stopwatch in gauge mode. That was one of the first computers i looked at.