Rent a dive computer or buy cheap till I can afford a shearwater Petrel?

[Jim Lapenta]

Depends on how discplined you are about noting times and average depths. So for most, yeah a cheap computer may be better. I hate to say that and would never tell a student that.

 

[chrpai]

I have nothing against tables. I play with v-Planner all the time. But it's one thing to grab the PADI / DSAT air tables that you were taught ( that I see so many struggle with ) vs plugging a bunch of variables that she may or may not understand and cutting her own tables. Then there are the practical aspects. For one, I doubt she owns wet notes or is trained in how to use them and for two, I doubt she even has a waterproof watch / bottom timer. She probably just has the depth gauge that's in her console. Finally if she's doing shore diving in a far away land, she probably doesn't know what assumptions to make when cutting the table so she's either going to have to cut a lot of them or bring a computer with her.

This is all fun stuff, but I fail to see how it's a better suggestion then dropping $250 on a multilevel dive computer ( that I see some struggle to use ).

And for what it's worth, I've been a bad boy in her shoes. After 8 years of diving, I gave all of my gear away in 2008 when my wife was diagnosed with cancer. A couple years later she was better and we were in Jamaica. I wasn't planning on diving but I ran across an old DM friend and he convinced me to go.

I had the depth gauge in the rental console but no computer or bottom timer. I decided to take some risk and basically ride his profiles. It's not the best thing to do but I had the discipline to always be at his level or above and I trusted that he wouldn't stay past NDL times. I'm not saying this is right and that the OP should do this but it does happen.

 

[keyshunter]

I think computers are great to have for vacation diving and quite frankly are much more practical for this sort of diving than any table. And I've got nothing against gadgets, or saving to afford something you want, but I don't see how dropping close to a grand on a computer makes any sense in your situation. Plus if you're renting your other gear maybe it makes more sense to put that money towards getting your own? That will likely do way more to increase your enjoyment of diving.

There are a couple downsides to your idea of buying one inexpensive computer now and a second very different computer later. For one, its considered bad practice for 2 people to share a computer. Now if you are sticking close and doing every dive together, and diving only on your own, maybe that works for now. But if you do any boat dives, realize the op may insist the person without a computer stick to table profiles, which means their buddy will have to as well, making the computer somewhat useless for that. There's also much to be said for you and your husband having the same or similar computers, and at least the same algorithm. Personally in your situation I'd buy 2 inexpensive Nitrox capable wrist mount computers (and sort out the prescription mask situation.) Then start spending your money on other gear. If you really discover you want the expensive toy in a few years and have excess cash to blow on it, have at it.

Another thing about computers, they fail occasionally. To some people that does not matter, but if you get into the this more, and find yourself on an expensive trip far away about to lose precious dives because your computer crapped out, having a backup computer is priceless. 2 inexpensive computers will be of much more use than one expensive one, especially if the one croaks. There will always be people that say use tables as backup, but practically speaking that simply doesn't work when you have been doing multiple multi-level dives for many days.

Very good advice, especially the part about the backup computer. For less than the cost of one Petrel, they could have three (same algorhythm) entry level nitrox capable computers. Then they would have a back up computer, which could be carried by one on every dive, and which, if they dive identical profiles, could fill in for a disabled computer.

 

[Quero]

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[ianr33]

I doubt she owns wet notes or is trained in how to use them

Damn! I missed that class myself. Will operators allow me to use wetnotes on a dive without a "Wetnotes Diver " card ?

 

[chrpai]

Damn! I missed that class myself. Will operators allow me to use wetnotes on a dive without a "Wetnotes Diver " card ?

Ok, hand an O/W diver some wet notes and tell them to use write down their plan(s) and use it execute their dives. Let's see how many "plans" get written down and what information they include.

Think we will see max depth, expected gas consumption, turn pressures, stop depths and times and what not? Think we'll see a contigency plan?

Go ask a group of tech divers how they use their wet notes for this purpose and I'm sure you'll get more then pencil meet paper. Think it's an unfair comparison? Well, I'm not the one that said go use a bottom timer and custom tables.... I'm the one that said go pick up a Hollis DG03.

Certification course? No. But clearly some investment in some form of strategy has to be made...

 

[jd950]

You have gotten a lot of advice and even gotten to see how contentious the issues can be of computer vs. bottom timer vs. AI computer. I would agree that you get the vision issue corrected --and-- buy 2 Hollis DG03 computers. They are on sale "cheap" right now for around $250.00 due to some likely future upgrades that won't matter to you. They are pretty easy to read, although a bit confusing at first to operate. But you can get the hang of it after about an hour or less with the computer and manual in front of you.

If you later want horseless air integrated computers you can add transmitters whenever you want and you are all set. If you decide air integration is the devil's work, or want to go all techie or just want to be a tables kind of person, you can use them as bottom timers only. If you want to later get a computer with all the newest gadgets like compasses and can openers and stuff or you want something to use with your rebreather, you can sell these or use them for backups.

Middle aged divers doing warm water rec dives once or twice a year don't need a tech computer and are not realistically going to be cutting tables and using wrist notes, and if you later want a computer like a petrel you will be able to get a computer then that meets those needs. Who knows what the computer market will look like in 5 or 10 years. (No offense meant by the age thing, its just less likely that you will want to take up caves and doubles and trimix and such as the years go by, although who knows?).