What would you do if your computer died?

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I was interested in the BUD and wondered why the price drop. Was $300+ last year. Did a quick search and found a place selling it for $129! wtf? If I didn't have a backup already I'd be all over this.


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Where do you see it for $129?

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Even tough I do have have two computers that I wear on tech oriented or diving in demanding conditions, I normally just wear one and a watch on rec dives and carry a console with SPG and depth gauge.

In said scenario, I would switch switch to my back-up back-up computer worn on my GF right wrist and compare her NDL with the one I had originally obtained with mine and then use my watch for the rest of that dive remaining at or above the present depth and respecting said NDL. I would finish my dive in a normal fashion then hit the tables to establish my PG based on the two dive profiles just completed then use table, watch, depth gauge and brain for the remainder of the day and probably remainder of the week depending where I am.

For those trips of a lifetime, I would have my two computers with me but here again, if all else fails, I would have no problem reverting to the basics and carry-on. BTW, that's how I learned scuba diving in the first place...ie before the appearance of dive computer.
 
Know you tables, carry a timer (watch), change the battery pre trip.


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I have been having issues off and on with my computer and ran into this on a couple days of diving. For some odd reason the computer shuts off midway through the dive. The first time this happened I aborted the dive and surfaced and called it a day. The second time it happened, I had my dive tables tucked away in my BC pocket so I was able to continue the dive and used the deepest part of the dive up to that point as the planned depth and stayed well above that depth for the rest of the dive. Since then I have bought a small computer that does everything and then some that my primary does for a backup that clips right on to my BC.

PS The backup I bought is the Oceanic BUD that is mentioned above by mikeycanuk and it works great. Only downside is you can't download the dives to a computer at home.
 
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 run down to the dive shop, replace the battery and keep diving..
If I had a computer that ISNT self-servicable I would just use my ciztizen and dive tables, but assuming high RNT. Wheey, how handy to have a backup plan :)

Actually, let me rephraze that - I DID do the latter. Not because I dont have a self-servicable computer, but because the battery case got flooded on my first dive and I was on a 3-dive boat..
 
It is not practical for many people to change the battery in their computer before a trip (eg all Uwatec computers other than most recent and pre-1993) due to the cost involved.

For all trips of more than a weekend, my wife and I take as a backup my 1990 model Uwatec computers. Still work perfectly. Like some others have mentioned, they are attached to our BCDs and go on every dive. If our main computers die during a dive or even on the surface, we use the spares as the controlling computer for at least 24 hours, then switch back to the main one (assuming it was just a battery problem).

If you are going on a week long diving trip, if you do not have a spare, borrow one from a friend.

BTW, if you ever check the no-deco times between buddies using the same computer, they are invariably within a minute or two of each other unless one dives considerably shallower or deeper than the other.
 
I was into only my 5th or 6th OW dive when I went to two computers. An Oceanic 2.0 on the wrist and an Atomic Cobalt console. I would not even consider a dive without both. In fact I was on a boat dive in Bonaire that I was really looking forward to, just prior to splashing in the O ring on the Atomic crapped out and there was no spare in my gear, that will never happen again, but I was able to screw in a spare SPG and I was able to enjoy the rest of the day. Replaced the O ring back at the resort, a nice long surface interval and was up and running. So, yes, I preach double computers. A few extra bucks for a great deal of peace of mind.
 
It is not practical for many people to change the battery in their computer before a trip (eg all Uwatec computers other than most recent and pre-1993) due to the cost involved.

So an aborted dive trip is more practical than paying for a battery change before the trip? I know in my circumstances, having never been on a trip due to finances, that if I go, I'm not going to allow poor proactive (not saying that about the OP) maintenance ruin my diving. Oh, I would also not buy a comp that was prohibitive to maintain.
 

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