Best streamlined gear...dive computers

Hi all

I dive in south Florida and also spearfish with tanks and freediving. I want to buy a dive computer and streamline my gear as best i can, the less i have the better for me and i was curious as to what most prefer here, a wrist dive computer, a wrist watch dive computer or one attatched to your tank? what are the pros and cons of wrist watch dive computers to ones attatched to your tank? i was thinking of the Sunnto D4 dive computer watch(has freediving setup as well) but also thinking of having a dive computer attached to my tank so it is easily read and gives me better readouts. Any advice would be great thanks all.

Personally I think this whole idea of a scuba diver being "streamlined" is a bunch of nonsense. A diver is about a streamlined as a cinder block. If you want to split a hair or two, the streamlined attributes of one computer or another is far, far outweighed by that big can on your back and BC wrapped around you.

Freediving with nothing but a dive skin, mask, and fins.... that's another matter.

-Charles

Ok great, maybe streamlined is not the proper word for what i was asking, i would like to know what people feel is best a wrist computer or a console one, also what is probably better a wrist computer or watch style computer, my senses say a wrist computer (suunto gekko) over a (suunto D4).

black1:

Hi all

I dive in south Florida and also spearfish with tanks and freediving. I want to buy a dive computer and streamline my gear as best i can, the less i have the better for me and i was curious as to what most prefer here, a wrist dive computer, a wrist watch dive computer or one attatched to your tank? what are the pros and cons of wrist watch dive computers to ones attatched to your tank? i was thinking of the Sunnto D4 dive computer watch(has freediving setup as well) but also thinking of having a dive computer attached to my tank so it is easily read and gives me better readouts. Any advice would be great thanks all.

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You might get the best of both worlds by using a wireless integrated computer. In that system you will have the readout on your wrist with the pressure information from the tank coming from a wireless sensor/sender. No hose on the first stage...just a screw-in insert. Suunto D9 comes to mind as well as the Scubapro Uwatec Galileo Sol. Then if you combine your inflator hose with a secondary reg as your "Air 2" you now only have to hoses coming from your first stage (assuming you are not diving "dry").

charlesml3:

Personally I think this whole idea of a scuba diver being "streamlined" is a bunch of nonsense. A diver is about a streamlined as a cinder block...

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I'd agree with that in principal. But there are ways to reduce dangly things.

I use a Pro Plus2 but then again, I'm in a drysuit most of the time so like Charles said, I'm basically a cinder block anyway.

For what the OP asked for, spearfishing in Florida, I'd use a simple pressure guage and a wrist computer.

black1:

Hi all

I dive in south Florida and also spearfish with tanks and freediving. I want to buy a dive computer and streamline my gear as best i can, the less i have the better for me and i was curious as to what most prefer here, a wrist dive computer, a wrist watch dive computer or one attatched to your tank? what are the pros and cons of wrist watch dive computers to ones attatched to your tank? i was thinking of the Sunnto D4 dive computer watch(has freediving setup as well) but also thinking of having a dive computer attached to my tank so it is easily read and gives me better readouts. Any advice would be great thanks all.

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My husband bought a Suunto D4 for free diving. My computer (an Oceanic Atom 2.0) took a dump a couple weeks ago and I've been using the D4 since then. It is just a bottom timer and depth gauge, so it doesn't tell you how much NDL time you have, but if you go by the tables, or learn how to do some depth averaging calculations in your head, it's pretty straight forward and you realize that having a true dive computer isn't really that big of a deal, imo.

I don't know about other dive computers, but the Atom had a free dive mode that was not at all intuitive to get to and stay in that mode....a free dive computer like the D4 is definitely sufficient.

BTW, I see you posted asking about wrist versus console, and I definitely prefer the wrist mounted computer. Most people I know (and pretty much all the people I dive with) prefer the wrist mounted as well.

ligersandtions:

BTW, I see you posted asking about wrist versus console, and I definitely prefer the wrist mounted computer. Most people I know (and pretty much all the people I dive with) prefer the wrist mounted as well.

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Different strokes, for different folks. . . spearfishing in the midwest, means reaching into holes, downed trees (man-made lakes) as well as tangling with a fish after spearing. Divers that I know usually buy a wrist mount gauge, then tie it onto the pressure gauge hose, to get it out of the way.

If I speared fish up off the bottom, I might wear something on my wrist. . . but in the thick of things. . . I want my hands and arms empty. Your milage Will vary.

mudhole:

Different strokes, for different folks. . . spearfishing in the midwest, means reaching into holes, downed trees (man-made lakes) as well as tangling with a fish after spearing. Divers that I know usually buy a wrist mount gauge, then tie it onto the pressure gauge hose, to get it out of the way.

If I speared fish up off the bottom, I might wear something on my wrist. . . but in the thick of things. . . I want my hands and arms empty. Your milage Will vary.

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Ahhh, very good point. I didn't even think of that....I don't hunt at all so I have no reason to be putting my hands in anything....but it makes sense that if you're going to, you would not want something that could get caught.