Decisions on dive computer purchase.

[KevinNM]

Wireless Air integration adds a bunch of money, like $2-300+ with transmitter. But I dove with a Suunto Vytec that worked fine. If you screw up at the start of a dive you can have issues with the AI, but you can clear that in the water if needed. The only time it got hopelessly confused involved a dive op that forgot to fill half the tanks on the boat, and it turns out that cycling through 5 tanks in 6 minutes causes issues, but it was fine when I got back after using a spg for that dive.

If you are not planning on learning deco diving where you actually have gas switches in the water I wouldn't spend any extra to get that feature. If you decide to go there the cost of a new computer will be buried in the training, gear and gas costs.

 

[Diving Dubai]

Okay, my input

I strongly disagree with @Johanan, AI with all the info on your wrist ( depth, NDL & gas contents) is invaluable. While other say that in clipping an spg to look and re clipping is no problem (and it isn't) often when I dive one hand is used for hanging on in a current. So everything on my wrist is a boon. Thus was recently proved where I brought a panicked diver to the surface on my spare 2nd stage.

So back to computers. I've invested heavily in AI, I now have 4 transmitters for my unit, my wife has 3. I still have back up SPG's even though we've never had a TX failure

Should you go for AI then make sure transmitters are perminatly paired (or paired for life)

All that said, doing 4-5 dives a year, then why bother. Just get a basic wrist unit like a Cressie or Suunto as your not diving enough to justify anything more

In time if your diving picks up then invest at that time as technology changes. You only need multi gas for instance if you're trained and carrying out regular dives requiring multi gas deco profiles for instance.

Technology marches forward, a basic computer will be easier to sell on later, as you get higher in the price range, well people will want the attest greatest and you might struggle to sell just to get a different model.

I still have my original Cressie Leonardo, I don't use it, but the price of it ($200?) is frankly insignificant given the other gear dive I've brought as I've got further into diving ($000's)

So in short either rent or just buy an entry model and forget about the rest until you dive lots more

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Computers is one area where newly certified divers will over spend. This is where diveshops will get rich and you will get poor. There are two types of divers. Category 1 are those who enjoy fiddling with gadgets during a dive and those who find it annoying to fiddle with gadgets during a dive. If you are in the first category then nothing I write below will apply to you. If you are someone who wants to enjoy diving for the sake of diving then ...

... the cheapest "puck" out there will give you the same vital information that these high end models. Depth, temperature, bottom time, NDL and nitrox capability. Wearing a more expensive one will not change any of these. The higher end models will just assume that you are a category 1 diver who is essentially a fiddler who has recently gotten into diving. They will give you more built in toys to play with on the assumption that the consumer loves to fiddle with gadgets. I dive with the cheapest puck and never have I been in a situation where I felt like if I had a higher end model then I would have had a better dive.

Wrist mount is what I personally prefer as it enables me to watch my depth while I am inflating of venting BCD while holding a stop in mid water.

 

[Johanan]

The higher end models will just assume that you are a category 1 diver who is essentially a fiddler who has recently gotten into diving. I dive with the cheapest puck...

Sounds pretty arrogant, don't you think?

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

That was not my intention but let me rephrase.

Designers of higher end models know very well that as a recreational diver, you will have no use for adjusting Gradient Factors, M-values, switching between decompression models, adding Trimix and setting ascent rates to conform to different dec models etc. They have to come up with creative reasons on how they can sell a fairly simple 150 USD device for 500 USD and higher.

An experienced diver may not fall for the cosmetics and the gimmicks so easily so they will target the "newly certified." They will rely heavily on training agencies and instructors who have taken dive tables out of their curriculum so that a new breed of divers can be created that will be totally computer dependent from day one. This new breed will have no clue about how to plan a dive using tables and basic common sense. They can also be convinced that the information that is being displayed (Depth, time, NDL, temperature, nitrox settings etc) is somehow inferior and unreliable when it is shown by an entry level computer but becomes great when displayed on a 700 dollar one! They are the same numbers but they want you to have a higher end model to calculate the same numbers.

I understand that some folks like to play with technology and gadgets. There is nothing wrong with that. I also understand that dive computer can be a status symbol and style for some people. Nothing wrong with that either. It can be a display of someones commitment to diving. I am kool with that too. My post is intended for the person who wants to buy a computer for what it does rather than all the sociological and psychological functions it may be performing besides being a computer.

 

[scubadada]

I'm going to throw this out there for you to devour as you feel necessary. I haven't seen any new posts on the topic since my unrelated last post so here it goes.

I want to get a dive computer as presently I do not own one nor have I ever owned one before. I feel I would be wasting money for an entry lever unit but I don't want to buy something that's both enticing and useless at the same time. I'm recently re-certified and for the next 3-5 years I plan on diving 4 or 5 times a year mostly during vacations and perhaps targeted trips to the sea to keep certification current. I'm also Nitrox certified. I fancy wrist based units with air integration technology, but does it really replaces the time tested console? I'm eyeballing a Oceanic Atom 3.1 unit that has great features. Then there is Aqualung i450t unit, which is AL's version of Atom 3.1. These seem reasonably priced and may be good for a long time and have an option to add the transmitter after I get my own reg.

So the questions I have about these units or perhaps other similar ones are, will I out grow these sooner than later? Conversely I'd hate to buy a unit that doesn't have air integration such the Puck by Mares, or the Cressi Giatto/Leonardo, unless the air integration is ahead of it's time.

Conversely, some of the nicer units are out of price range momentarily and I've looked at Aeris A300, and Oceanic VTX A300 (maybe the same as Aeris), or Scubapro M2.

If I do get one that doesn't have all the features and I decide to sell, do these keel their value or are akin to other electronics and loose value as soon as you "drive it off the lot"?

As you have guessed budgetary constraints are driving all of this so I'm trying to balance other gear needs for the rest of family member as well.

Thanks for you posts!

No question in my mind. The Atom 3.1 offers dual algorithm, liberal DSAT and middle of the road PZ+. The Aqua Lung i450t is manufactured by the same OEM, Pelagic Pressure Systems, but only offers the more conservative decompression algorithm, PZ+. Why buy the limited Aqua Lung product? Aqua Lung got rid of the Suunto line, at least partly due to the very conservative Suunto RGBM algorithm. Now they're offering their own conservative line. The Atom 3.1 is a good computer, I have been diving the non-AI Geo 2 for 5 years. The battery change is simple, better than the newer models, OCi and OCL. I'm not a great fan for the direction Oceanic is going, discontinuing the VT3, VT4, 4.1 series in favor or the new VTX.

 

[scubadada]

Cressi is probably the most conservative of all the bubble model decompression algorithm computers, personally I would steer clear.

 

[DogDiver]

Since this topic is in the Basic forum I would go with a simple one gas nitrox wrist or console mount unit. Technology changes daily and your computer with all the whistles and bells may very well be obsolete in 6-12 months.

With that said, if you are doing mixed gas staged decompression, then you need a compatable computer and the ability to go to tables if the feces hits the fan.

 

[Johanan]

That was not my intention but let me rephrase.

Thanks for taking time to reply to my remark. My fault, I didn't pay attention that you talk specifically about recreational divers, who dive 4-5 times a year.

 

[Diving Dubai]

@scubadada Boy you guys are getting ripped off on prices. A quick check on my online sites shows a $212 difference between a Eon Steel with Transmitter and a Petral 2


So lets talk about conservatism, remembering this is in the beginners section and that this thread was intended for recreational.

Most divers (in the world not those on Scuba board) Use AL 80 cylinders. With this in mind even on a conservative computer the limiting factor on deeper dives will be the gas rather than the NDL. Most dive guides on LOB use these conservative computers, diving 3-4 times a day 6 days a week, they don't hit problems, as they dive to their guests limits (normally gas)

Moving on from this, I recently planned and carried out a 30m dive intending to invoke deco as part of an assessment. The tables (BSAC) planned a 34min dive on EAN32 to 30m, with 2 x 1 min stops. Okay so far. My computer on its mid conservatism ended up giving me 6 mins Deco (4 mins more)

Am I worried, no. Firstly 4 mins is nothing, but more than that the tables were drawn up using 20 year old fit Royal Navy seaman - whereas I'm a 50 yr old slightly unfit person. So I'm happy for the extra.

I'm sure a ton of people love the more technical computers where they can fiddle with Gradient factors. But do they really understand them? Or (as I suspect of a majority), are they inputting GF that they read is the latest fashion on SB, what their mate suggested etc etc. Do they us the same settings on each dive? of do they adjust them if they had a beer the nigh t before or not great sleep?

In the last 2 years I've witnessed 2 people get bent. They were both doing simple rec diving

#1 Diver on 1st dive of day, previous day was 1 dive as a check dive to 10m. Diver went to a max of 22m kept well within his NDL (on a Suunto) and surfaced after 45-50 mins. Diver got a bend. Took a over night ride in the chamber Contributing factor was being overweight, and dehydrated.

#2 Dive on second day of LOB. Easy diving again on a Suunto. 3rd dive of day 2 came up being ill went on O2 and got evacuated on advice of Dan took a chamber ride. Contributing factors - recovering from a virus before holiday & dehydration

Diver 1 was really unfortunate as he hadn't read the fine print of his cheapo dive insurance that came with his travel insurance. it only covered him to 18m. This guy had over 600 dives and was part way through his PADI IDC. His bill was $20,000

Diver 2 had DAN, but even after that he wasn't allowed to dive until he'd been certified fit by a dive doctor, which meant he lost the rest f his trip (possibly got an insurance refund but that doesn't make up for the loss of the experience)

My point being, is that people get uptight about entry level computers being "conservative" They may not be suitable if you're on large tanks going deep, but for the average diver they are just fine. You can still get a chamber ride staying withing the limits of a conservative computer by doing silly things like not hydrating and diving while not 100%

Better to start with a conservation computer until you get more experience and better understanding of what you are doing is my advice to all newer divers