Total Newbie

[KatieMac]

Katie, like the BCD question, we can give you a little more personal advice if you tell us a bit more about your planned dives and what features you would like in a DC. There is a lot more to dive computers then just the algorithm.

Wow, great advice from everyone. Thank you all. So lots of detail coming.

I have family who dive - my sister, my husband and others all advanced or higher. My sister has several hundred dives mostly in Caribbean but some in the St Lawrence which holds little interest for me right now. Lots of multilevel driving in warm water. They avoid big resort diving. They don't like boats full of newbies, too much traffic, short dive times, etc. Typically in Roatan, my sister was the most inexperienced on the boat. I feel lucky to have started off with such knowledgable divers.

Yes, it seems I will be an air sipper. I hope this trend will continue. My sister is a bit smaller and usually dives with 60lb tanks because she is so short and still comes up with more air than the men. But generally where she dives, they go down as a group and up as a group but they are 50 to 70 minute dives.

I didn't hate my rental BC. I actually liked that it was a hybrid. I have to admit that a back inflate worries me a bit. Maybe I just don't understand how they work but it seems that if I were unconscious having all the air in the back we push my face in the water.

The problems I had - the vest was long, the Cumberband covered my weight belt and the chest strap was over my throat and choking me when rolling off the boat. It was XS men's. The separate weight belt seemed to work well without any trim weights. I had no problem establising neutral buoyancy and could easily get into any position I wanted.

So this is my story. My kids are now grown and off the payroll and I can actually start doing things for me. So this will include as many dive vacations as I can justify with work .

First on my wish list is a computer because neither my husband nor I have one nor do we have dive watches. I think being able to time safety stops is most important and I would like to not have to rely on others watches/timers. The BC is number two just for comfort.

 

[uncfnp]

Hi Katie!

As to the dive computer, you will want one. Know your tables as backup but a DC works so much better for the real world multilevel dives most of us do.

First, decide wrist or console. I prefer wrist and it does seem to be the most popular choice now.

Second, vision. At 49 you might not have too much problem reading a small screen but it will likely get more of an issue as you get older. You may want a larger screen or even LCD.

Third, algorithm. I have had it all. From a "conservative" Cressi to "liberal" Oceanic to the "ultimate" (my wording) Shearwater. I am older, 57, and dive very conservatively, even on the Shearwater but not all divers feel the same way. The advantage of a computer with a wide range of choices is that you can make it as liberal or as conservative as you feel appropriate for you or even vary the level based on dive conditions or personal factors with each dive.

 

[DavidFL]

Hi Katie,
My first dive computer was a Suunto Gekko, and I currently dive with that as a backup and a hose-air-integrated Suunto Cobra 2 as my primary computer.

In actual practice, over the last ten years or so, a couple of hundred dives on these computers have not "brought me up" dramatically sooner than other divers on my trips with similar air supplies, and I have selected even more conservative personal settings (more below). My dive buddy has a computer with a much more liberal reputation, and we are still within a couple of minutes of NDL on most dives; particularly over week-long, 5-dives-a-day/night, liveaboard trips. [Nearly all of these dives have been warm-water].

The comment in the first reply to your post about people being "against conservatism" rings true to me. I nearly always dive Nitrox; I currently have my Suunto computers set to the most conservative personal settings which means I am getting results close to a conservative philosophy of breathing Nitrox but using Air tables and/or computer settings...but my version gets me some tracking of oxygen toxicity exposure. I am deliberately conservative, for what I consider my own good reasons (age [67], two past major surgeries, a couple of other ongoing medical anomalies). In the last two years or so I've done a lot of amateur research, read the book Deco for Divers, attended decompression seminars at the DEMA trade show, and I've learned a lot more about algorithms and what is known and quantifiable in even the best computers, and what is still not considered at all in the calculations.... There is a great article in the current issue of Alert Diver magazine that discusses the possible future where we might be able to adjust "the algorithm" for our personal genetic and physical makeup...but it is still way off in the future. The result is that none of that has made me decide to be less conservative in choice of computers and settings.

I do always explain to the others when I'm diving in a group that I will be diving conservative profiles, and that frequently brings out the 'anti-conservative' spirit in a lot of divers. A divemaster in Grand Cayman got nearly apoplectic trying to convince me how wrong I am in my choices.

It's a personal choice. I choose to balance the risk vs. reward in a conservative way. I make that choice on the surface before planning every dive. I've never had the computer "lock me out" because of unplanned deco, because I don't change my mind about conservatism in the middle of a dive and I follow the limits for which I planned before the dive, no matter how great a time I'm having,

 

[Littlerayray]

Katie mac if you or your family are interested myself and a few others would be more then willing to go for a dive at lock 21 if your interested on a weekend sometime in longsault I'm sure you would not be disappointed with the dive

 

[Offgassing]

Welcome Katie! Good luck on your computer hunt; let us know which one you eventually go with and why. Really hard to make a bad choice; lots of great units out there.

 

[Offgassing]

Hi Katie,
My first dive computer was a Suunto Gekko, and I currently dive with that as a backup and a hose-air-integrated Suunto Cobra 2 as my primary computer.

In actual practice, over the last ten years or so, a couple of hundred dives on these computers have not "brought me up" dramatically sooner than other divers on my trips with similar air supplies, and I have selected even more conservative personal settings (more below). My dive buddy has a computer with a much more liberal reputation, and we are still within a couple of minutes of NDL on most dives; particularly over week-long, 5-dives-a-day/night, liveaboard trips. [Nearly all of these dives have been warm-water]. ,

Hey David, I appreciate your experience and take on your Sunnto, and I'm glad you are happy with your choice. But in fairness to Katie I would like to give her another experience. It wasn't a bad experience, but as you will see, the device was much more conservative, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I'll give you a real world example I experienced while visiting my buddy in west palm. Note that it was 6 years ago, and is a different model from David's. My buddy was diving a Suunto Vyper 2; I'm using a Galileo. We both had our units set on the most liberal settings. We stayed right together during both dives.

Dive one: N34. Max depth 81 ft, average depth 62 ft, median depth 75 ft.
26 min into the dive, he gives me the the thumb; his Vyper displays 2 min no stop time remaining. My Galileo shows 26 min of no-stop time remaining. We make a slow ascent, do a 3 min safety stop at 15 ft. Total in water time 35 min.

Dive two: N37 max depth 64 ft, mean depth 61 ft.
35 minutes into the dive he thumbs it, 2 min no-stop time left on the Vyper 2; 68 minutes left on the Galileo. Slow ascent, 3 minutes at 15' to increase our safety margin. Total in water time 46'

As you can see there is a vast difference in the algorithms between those two computers. The Suunto has one of the most conservative around; the Galileo is considered moderate. Different models make different assumptions and produce different numbers. Which one is right? You will have to decide that for yourself. I find the Suunto to be way too conservative for me, but my buddy loves it and swears by it. We have both been diving computers for a long time. We are both happy with our choices.

I do always explain to the others when I'm diving in a group that I will be diving conservative profiles, and that frequently brings out the 'anti-conservative' spirit in a lot of divers. A divemaster in Grand Cayman got nearly apoplectic trying to convince me how wrong I am in my choices.

That is unfortunate and inexcusable. People need to feel free to be as conservative as they want. There shouldn't be any shaming of someone trying to be more safe. I'd have your back on that every time.

It's a personal choice. I choose to balance the risk vs. reward in a conservative way. I make that choice on the surface before planning every dive. I've never had the computer "lock me out" because of unplanned deco, because I don't change my mind about conservatism in the middle of a dive and I follow the limits for which I planned before the dive, no matter how great a time I'm having,

Big thumbs up here. I absolutely agree with you. That being said, Murphy being Murphy I would hate to have a unit that would lock up on me if I had accidentally slipped into a decompression obligation. That's really when you need the unit to work. I know there used to be units that would do that. I'm not sure there are still units being made that would lock up during a dive but honestly I haven't looked around at all the new units recently.

 

[Steve Tyler USA]

Hi Katie.

 

[DavidFL]

I know there used to be units that would do that. I'm not sure there are still units being made that would lock up during a dive but honestly I haven't looked around at all the new units recently.

Thanks; I haven't been aware of a computer that would lock up underwater because of a deco obligation; what I have read about is computers "locking out" a diver from normal further use until some period of time elapsed. Similarly, well-run (in my opinion) live-aboards may have rules about sitting out a dive if you surface with a computer "in deco". In both cases, the people and the tools are very definitely trying to get a diver's attention. The diver may feel the attention is undeserved, but absent a malfunction, the warning or limitation is a result of an exceedence that wasn't planned. Divers sometimes feel a DCS hit is 'undeserved' too. The OP and first responses sort of connected Suunto and conservative; I have both an older (Gekko) and relatively newer Suuno (Cobra 2); neither of them "locks out" underwater.

 

[jhunt]

Just joined, but just for some comparison, I just came back from a trip. I was using an older Mares Puck of mine, and then I had Suunto Zoop on the regulator I was renting. I don't think there was much difference between them diving EAN, EXCEPT....I hate to admit this, I had an uncontrolled ascent (oops) and the Mares Puck locked me out for 24 hours and the Suunto Zoop did not. Something to remember I guess.

 

[Diving Dubai]

Hi Katie, and welcome to the wonderful underwater world.

I think everyone's voiced their opinions on algorithms. I don't get bent out of shape over them. I happen to dive a computer that's deeply unpopular on Scubaboard buit is very popular in my area.

Anyway..

I started out with a Cressie Leonardo - a basic wirst mount that had a nitrox setting. it was fine and never really had issues on NDL except on the rare occurrences I was on a wreck at 25+m even then it wasn't much shorter than others.

If you're going warm water diving then you'll naturally come shallower throughout the dive keeping your NDL in check (if it even gets close)

I've never had a lockout even when a new diver that had more in common with a cork than anything. So lock outs don't worry me personally. If one did lock me out then I'd have probably done something foolish and would be better served by spending a day on the beach not diving rather than spending the day in a chamber

So my initial points for choosing a first DC (others might disagree) would be the following:

1. Nitrox cabability
2. Read ability - my eyes started to make my wrist mount harder to read (first admission of aging)
3. Ease of use. Hear me out here. My wife is smarter than I but can't be bothered with technology. to her it's a tool - strap it on and go, so she uses me as the place to go for the geeky info. Also some computers can be frustration to some on their user interface. It's all very personal.
4. Price.

You'll no doubt be investing in other equipment too why spend all your money on one item straight off? Yes I know people say buy once, but as my diving evolved and my equipment requirements changed needing more of different equipment (that I couldn't envision at the start let alone afford) Frankly just upgrading (not new purchase) my camera would make the cost of the top end DC look like very small change

Finally if you can buy it form a shop that services them, someone you can turn to if it needs a service etc. I know that one Canadian manufacture has brilliant customer service etc, but I prefer not to have to send my stuff away, I like to take it to a shop in person and collect in person. But that's just me

I'm not going to recommend a brand because at entry level I think they're all much of a muchness between the main brands.

Of course this is only my opinion

Kind regards from Dubai