Equipment Choices for Spouses/S.O.s

[bwerb]

Karl_in_Calif once bubbled...


I completely agree.

Additionally, my fiancee feels peace and one-ness when our computers give the same exact results. And she takes it as a bad omen when there are differences.

Harkens back to the old expression, a man with two watches never knows exactly what time it is. Two different brands or styles of computers is just as bad, if not worse.

Then perhaps she needs some remedial instruction...seems the most basic rule of using a dive computer is that everyone uses their own computer because no one's profiles on any dive are exactly alike. As you well know, when it comes to gas mixes, a few feet can make a huge difference.

Plan your dive, dive your plan...if you are using the NDL reading on your computer as your dive plan for your team...which I personally think is dumb dumb dumb...then the most conservative computer wins and calls the turns.

 

[Karl_in_Calif]

bwerb once bubbled...


Then perhaps she needs some remedial instruction...seems the most basic rule of using a dive computer is that everyone uses their own computer because no one's profiles on any dive are exactly alike. As you well know, when it comes to gas mixes, a few feet can make a huge difference.

Plan your dive, dive your plan...if you are using the NDL reading on your computer as your dive plan for your team...which I personally think is dumb dumb dumb...then the most conservative computer wins and calls the turns.

A really good buddy team, like diver and spouse, will be very very close. There wont be any differences. And since we are not pushing NDL limits, there wont be any "calling of the turns."

What on earth are you talking about? We were talking about gear for diving with our spouse.

 

[Big-t-2538]

Karl_in_Calif once bubbled...


A really good buddy team, like diver and spouse, will be very very close.

Funny...my normal buddy and I are at times 10 to 20 ft apart....but we remain in constant communication....oh yeah...I would consider us a pretty good buddy team

 

[Karl_in_Calif]

Big-t-2538 once bubbled...
Funny...my normal buddy and I are at times 10 to 20 ft apart....but we remain in constant communication....oh yeah...I would consider us a pretty good buddy team

Is that your wife?

 

[Big-t-2538]

Karl_in_Calif once bubbled...


Is that your wife?

Nah...I'm usually a good 100miles or so away from her while u/w

 

[Karl_in_Calif]

Big-t-2538 once bubbled...
Nah...I'm usually a good 100miles or so away from her while u/w

I had lunch with an old friend today, whom I had not seen in 3 years, since we were both ab freediving together last, with our former dive club.

He is engaged too, and his fiancee wont try scuba.

He asked me, How did you get your fiancee to go diving?

I explained, we started swimming together in a pool. She loves to swim. Shes good at it too, used to swim competitively for her school.

Then I bought her a mask and snorkel and fins, for snorkeling in the pool, together.

Then she wondered what would it be like to snorkel in the ocean?

Voila! Wetsuit, next purchase.

Then we went freediving together, and she loved it! Especially all the fish! And the multicolored sea stars as well. It was all a happening that she had never dreamed existed before. And it was real. Not just more TV.

After a few freediving trips, she was ready to try scuba.

And she loves it!

Good luck, Terry!

 

[Big-t-2538]

Karl_in_Calif once bubbled...

After a few freediving trips, she was ready to try scuba.

And she loves it!

Good luck, Terry!

Are you suggesting I want my wife to dive with me???? uke:

 

[BrettM]

Jim,

In general suggest you get regs and computers from the same company IE Scubapro etc... This will allow you to service the regs at the same LDS. Computers from different companies can have very different dive profiles and I'm sure you and your wife will want to be on the same page for diving the same profile. There are some computers from different companies such as Aeris, Oceanic, USD and Genesis that all use the same type batteries and algorithms.

Masks, fins, BC's take your pick. I see no need to match them up unless you want to make a couples fashion statement.

If you and your wife have different levels of air consumption during dives, there may be times where you want to have the heavy breather use the octo from the light breather to maximize bottom time. I've done this many times and it pays to have a nicer octo reg that is reversable like the Oceanic Omega in situations like this.

 

[bwerb]

Karl_in_Calif once bubbled...


A really good buddy team, like diver and spouse, will be very very close. There wont be any differences. And since we are not pushing NDL limits, there wont be any "calling of the turns."

What on earth are you talking about? We were talking about gear for diving with our spouse.

Well...since my primary dive buddy is my spouse...I know from whence I speak. Yes, we stay close but...she has problems clearing her ears from previous jaw surgery. When we descend, she often stops and ascends a foot or so, then descends when it clears etc. I will stay right with her but I don't follow her ups and downs, I wait at one depth. Then when we are diving. Perhaps one of us will drop a few feet below while looking at the Octopus underneath the boat...at the end of the dive and even during the dive our computers will read different max depths, different average depths etc. It's certainly nothing to get in a knot about and if your fiance freaks if her computer doesn't read exactly what yours does, then she doesn't have a great grasp of the whole one computer per diver thing.

So...if you are not pushing NDL's what does it matter in the slightest what your individual computers read...thank-you for effectively confirming my point...it doesn't! Therefore what does it matter what your individual computers read as to remaining NDL? Your computers (regardless of make/model) should read nearly identically if not identically time and current depth if they were started and held at the same depth. Your assertion that you must dive the same computer as your spouse/SI is invalid.

 

[bwerb]

BrettM once bubbled...

If you and your wife have different levels of air consumption during dives, there may be times where you want to have the heavy breather use the octo from the light breather to maximize bottom time. I've done this many times and it pays to have a nicer octo reg that is reversable like the Oceanic Omega in situations like this.

Dude...this is not the worlds best dive planning and bottom time extending practice. If you are consitently breathing tanks down at different rates, perhaps it's time to get someone a larger tank. Sorry, this is a really poor gas plan.