First Dive Computer

[Kharon]

+1 - get a cheap rec computer and do a lot of diving. If you find it lacking an option you want, that lack will point you toward the "right" computer for you. Also, +1 on shortly there will be better computers with better features. Finally, +1 on keep the cheap 1st computer as a backup.

I'd only suggest to make sure the battery is user replacable and that you can read the display.

 

[Freewillow]

answer to Tbar:

No problem: I have had 3 different computors so far: Aladin PRo ( Three+ Buttons), Cressi Leonardo (1 button), and OSTC Sport Heinrich Weinkamp ( 2 button). The easiest of them all is BY FAR the OSTC. Why? With the left button ( very accessible, protruding from one side ) you go to the first page of the menu. You navigate through it with the left button and select with the right ( also very accessible on the other side of the computor). VERY easy to navigate, even with gloves and underwater. For a gas switch for example. With the small central button of the Leoardo you have to push, one second or several seconds in order to navigate. I found it quite uneasy at the surface, not to speak under water. The multiple buttons of the Aladin Pro, is even worse ............. except if you dive everyday.

When it comes to RGMB. Let me say that I may have wrongly expressed my thoughts on that one since the same algorithms can give large variations when it comes to their usage in a computor. I am used to deco dives or at least close to the NDL and the Cressi Leonardo has given me very funny deco stops that others did not have. I have read quite a bit on different forum ( mostly French ones ) and their seem to be a consensus that for dives close to the NDL, the Suunto and the Leonardo can be a real pain. As far as I know, they both follow a modified VPM. This has been confirmed by dive operators in various places. I do not say more, I have explained what I did not like with the Leonardo somewhere else in this forum.

When it comes to the ALADIN. This has been THE reference in this side of the pound for a whole generation of European divers.

To finish, I am actually diving these days with a Buhlmann with additional GF factors.

Hope my answers help you and clarifies my statements

 

[Yuri_RP]

Hello,

Here is my latest situation, I can get these Dive Computers for these prices :
-Suunto Zoop : USD 214
-Suunto Vyper : USD 263
-Suunto D4i : USD 468
-Suunto D4i Novo : USD 501
-Mares Puck Pro : USD 240
-Mares Smart : USD 314
-Oceanic VEO 3.0 : USD 293
-Oceanic GEO 2.0 : USD 375

Which one do you think would fit my needs the most?

 

[Nasser]

Of those on your list, I would eliminate the Suunto Zoop and the Suunto D4's as they do not have a gauge mode (the D6l does have it ) - a necessity if you want to get into tech later. That leaves you with the Suunto Vyper, the Mares models, and the Oceanics.

I have owned a couple of Vypers and while many here on SB criticize the Suunto's "less elegant" user interface and for being overly conservative, I have not found this to be a major problem on extended diving trips over several days/weeks ... as long as you provide adequate surface intervals you will be fine. The Suunto has been a workhorse for me and very reliable.. it is probably the most common computer I see here in the Red Sea for NDL sport diving... although I do also see quite a few Uwatecs and some Oceanics.

The Mares and the Oceanic I have no personal experience with but they do also include a gauge mode, so will allow you to move into tech when the time comes. Given the options you have left, you should base your decision on these factors.

1. Cost

2. User interface and workflow operation.

3. Design (do you want a large display, console mounted, or wrist watch style)?

4. Has a gauge mode

I wouldn't be too considered about which algorithm to choose at this stage, just go with something that fits the above criteria and feels right for you... and this is where only you can decide what your preferences are.

 

[Bigd2722]

Unless you can do a lot of diving in a short period of time, by the time you are ready for the advanced options, your computer will be outmoded