To buy a computer or rent one on liveaboard

[agd]

I ended up buying a Suunto Zoop about 4 years ago for just this scenario. I found one brand new for less than $200. On a trip where there will be some diving, but it will not be the main focus, the Zoop, my prescription mask and rental gear works out great and it has paid for itself by avoiding the rental charges. And in my experience, the basic rental units are likely to be Zoops anyway, so you will be on the same page as most others on the boat.

Have fun!

Andy

 

[victorzamora]

Plus - although it probably doesn't matter in this case - Suunto's algorithm is more conservative than Oceanic's.

I see this frequently but contend it's not true. Suuntos simply use a different algorithm that behaves differently from the Oceanic one. It's far too simplistic to say that Suunto's is more conservative, and I believe it's also wrong. Suuntos have a tendency to punish short Surface Intervals, reverse profiles (deeper second), sawtooth profiles (lots of ups-and-downs), but have a longer first-dive (if you're "behaving") NDL.

OP: For your trip it won't make a big safety difference, but you'll very likely get less total diving on the Suunto than on an Oceanic....and you'll then be stuck with algorithms that don't match. If you're buying a wrist-mounted computer to later function as a backup, get an Oceanic wrist-mounted computer (my fav of the bunch is the Geo 2.0 for price, but I haven't kept up very well with computers in the rec market). That way, whether you choose DSAT or Pelagic Z+, you'll have a computer that matches.

However, if you're simply looking for absolute rock-bottom price....you should be able to get a decent used computer for under $100 or a decent new computer new for $150 as have been referred to earlier. Dive it, sell it, buy a backup later.

 

[rek_diver]

I was on the 3 dive "wreck trek" with Ocean Divers in Key Largo in early September. Did the Duane, the Bibb, and the Spiegel Grove. As we started the second or third wreck dive and most divers had splashed, I heard one of the crew say to the other "Those two will be back much more quickly, they've got Zoops". I thought he said "Zoosk" or something like that. I'm thinking what the heck is a Zoosk and why would they be back sooner? My first - and only- thought was that it was a scooter and for some reason, scooting around the wreck would burn more air, or maybe the battery would die on the scooter.

After my completed dive I asked the crewmember what he meant. He said they're diving a Zoop- it has a much more conservative algorithm. It's probably safe to say that he speaks from a boatload of experience.

 

[flyingDiver75]

Made 5 two-tank trips diving both a Zoop and a Aqualung i300(DSAT) together. Most were 85' 1st dive, 65-70' 2nd dive, all on Nitrox 32 and ~1 hour surface interval +- a few minutes.

NDL's dive 1 were always within a few minutes. NDL's dive 2 were always 11 - 12 minutes longer on the i300 vs the zoop. Once I got my HP100 tanks, the zoop went to a diving coworker who needed a starter computer. Aqualung must have very aggressive dive shop pricing for rentals as many of the shops in my area have mostly converted to i300's in the last 18 months.

The i200 is now available which is also an Oceanic clone and very watch sized - although not budget priced at around $350.

 

[scubadada]

Made 5 two-tank trips diving both a Zoop and a Aqualung i300(DSAT) together. Most were 85' 1st dive, 65-70' 2nd dive, all on Nitrox 32 and ~1 hour surface interval +- a few minutes.

NDL's dive 1 were always within a few minutes. NDL's dive 2 were always 11 - 12 minutes longer on the i300 vs the zoop. Once I got my HP100 tanks, the zoop went to a diving coworker who needed a starter computer. Aqualung must have very aggressive dive shop pricing for rentals as many of the shops in my area have mostly converted to i300's in the last 18 months.

The i200 is now available which is also an Oceanic clone and very watch sized - although not budget priced at around $350.

Aqualung does not run DSAT, only PZ+. So your comparisons only compare PZ+ and Suunto RGBM. These are both relativey conservative decompression algorithms.