What would you do if your computer died?

[adutto]

If you have your previous dive info (FROM YOUR COMPUTER) logued, you can go ahead and do old-fashion dives the rest of the day... that is use the tables.
It is never a good idea to share a single computer between divers.

Again, if you logued somewhere max depth and the times of the previous dives, you can plan accordingly using the tables and problem solved.
This is safe and you get to practice your planning skills

Alejandro.

 

[asimpkinsjr]

Hypothetically...

You're at a dive resort for a week and you get 5 days of unlimited dives- for you, that's about 5 per day. It's the middle of the 2nd dive and your computer runs out of battery. You surface, slowly and safely with your buddy, with no incident. You're now back at the resort about to have lunch with 2 afternoon dives and a night dive planned...

What do you do? Call the rest of the dive day off? Dive shallow, short dives? Go off your buddy's computer- after all, he was right there with you for the first 2 dives? You have access to a rental computer or you can replace your computer's battery, but either way, the computer you'd wear for the rest of the day doesn't have your residual nitrogen figured in.

My husband and I were discussing this today. Try to be honest with yourself. Imagine you only get maybe one serious dive trip a year. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

id look at my other one....I always carry two

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I love this question. It illustrates the reason why I still calculate pressure groups and dive intervals and residual nitrogen time and no deco limits before every dive. It take little time, and provides a means to dive with a depth gauge and watch if a compute malfunctions. I do carry a back up computer, but as the OP points out, it will not have the residual nitrogen time from the earlier dive. I am a HUGE advocate of everyone maintaining proficiency in dive planning using the RDP or better still, "the wheel." Remember the wheel? If you took a PADI advanced open water class more than 10 years ago you know what it is and should have learned to use it. Anyway, dive planning with the RDP- a lost art. Don't leave home without it. Oh, and for the "dead computer, I would have a nice memorial service, making sure all of its computer friends could attend, recounting the many adventures it enjoyed, and lay it to rest in an appropriate location with all appropriate solemnity and honors due appropriate tothe occasion,
DivemasterDennis

 

[Lorenzoid]

In relation to the cost of a week at a dive resort, a backup computer is cheap.

If I didn't have a backup on me, I'd reluctantly sit out the afternoon dives and start the next day with a rental computer. That's just me.

 

[Hawkwood]

As others have said, you can fall back to tables.

If you have been diligent about recording depths, times, surface intervals, etc. between each dive you might be able to use a table.

If you are using the RDP, the caveat is that all your previous dives have to fit into the dives the RDP allows you to do. The RDP is conservative, dive computers allow you to dive profiles that would not be possible using the RDP.

 

[NorCalDM]

As others have said I put fresh batteries in my computers berfore I leave for a dive trip. I carry a back up computer but it doesn't stay in my dive bag it goes diving with me that way if one computer dies which has happened to me the other one has my nitrogen loading and I don't have to sit out dives and as a back up to my back up I carry my tables with me. I still use my dive tables to figure my pressure groups I like to stay in practice and not rely on computers.

 

[redacted]

If I were pushing NDLs, I would go to my back-up computer from my save-a-dive kit, and finish the day with more conservative dives based on tables and other information (like my buddy's computer). If the planned dives were conservative to begin with, I would be less concerned with finishing the day with more conservative dives. Much depends on my familiarity with the planned dive profiles and sites.

In fact, if the location were Bonaire (which it sounds like) I would have no concern with DCS risk diving for a week in Bonaire without a computer. Heck, I would wager that I could do a week of very enjoyable diving in Bonaire (4 dives per day) with nothing but an SPG (no computer, no depth gauge, and no dive timer) without ever incurring more than a 75% loading on an Oceanic computer diving air. On nitrox, I would not expect to exceed 50%. But I would probably never go below 40' on typical 60 to 75 minute dives sticking to sites I am quite familiar with.

Then there are other dive destinations like the Flower Gardens that I would not consider diving without a computer. I sometimes carry 2 computers at that location. Most dives there are pushing NDLs and you are rarely far from the limits when you start up. For me, when just diving one computer, a failure would mean a big dose of extra caution to finish a day of diving while loading up a replacement computer.

 

[Kharon]

I would get the battery, leave the computer in my room for 24 hours, do some snorkleing and use tables for dives on the rest of that day estimating my last nitrogen category. Simple. Would I not dive. Seriously?

 

[Wolfie]

Here is a thread of exactly how not to do it.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/accidents-incidents/431107-bent-belize-blue-hole-incident.html

When I'm on the safety stop I memorize the dive profile so I can remember enough to log it even on the next day. (yah sometimes I get lazy and just chat on SI rather than logging dive.) If my computer dies. I'd just break out the paper and tables and pound it out. I wouldn't automatically cut a dive as Jim mentioned yet working tables with square profiles will likely knock one off when you recalibrate your plans. Then I'd run tables with a computer as backup the following day then start trusting the computer profiles two days after failure as it has your previous day nitrogen load logged. Now that I have one I do have a spare computer now as well, It's a veo 100 that is not nitrox. threrefore if I'm on voodoo gas I'd have to run it gauge mode and plan tables anyway, at least it's back up depth logger and bottom timer. They can be had new now from a online retailer everyone loves to hate for $150.

 

[BUDMANOK]

that's why I wear two wrist computers all the time.