Need suggestions about budget dive computer

[cascas]

I wonder what do GUE Recreational Diver 1, 2 and 3 use? Computer, table or something else?
How about T1, T2 and T3 etc etc?

Rec all uses tables and from level 3 also ratio deco to create a deco plan. Rec 1 and 2 probably stay within minimum deco.
T1 ratio deco, T2 deco planner to create a deco plan. Same for Cave 1 and 2.

T3 is not a course yet.
To execute the deco plans or the minimum deco bottom timers are the instrument of choice.

 

[Centrals]

In another words GUE do not advocate the use of computer in its courses!! Bottom timer, computer in gauge mode, table or soft ware are all that required.
A simple Uwatec BT(US$120.00) is as good as a Petrel(US$850.00) in GUE courses/dives!!

 

[cascas]

In another words GUE do not advocate the use of computer in its courses!! Bottom timer, computer in gauge mode, table or soft ware are all that required.
A simple Uwatec BT(US$120.00) is as good as a Petrel(US$850.00) in GUE courses/dives!!

BT and tables or software. Gue is about planning and backup planning. When you plan a dive to say 50 meters or 150 ft for 40 minutes, there is a way to adjust deco if the actual average depth is more (or less) than planned. Or if you overstay your time at depth.

All this can easily be done without tools other than wetnotes if at all. So yes, a 120 dollar BT is as useful as a 850 dollar petrel.

I use a uwatec tec 2g in gauge mode.

 

[jale]

Hi
My point is: what is the point of having a computer if you plan your dive?
But of course you don't get it because I am not as smart and not as articulate as you are
As an "educator" you should try to lower your ego and level yourself to the uneducated mass
And as a "moderator" I find your indirect insults a bit borderline...
But at the end of a day who cares about all this forum name calling?
Have a nice day.

Who said anything about not planning dives for recreational diving? I know it is much easier for you to attack opposing arguments that you make up, but please stick with the ones people are actually making.

To be honest, I am having trouble understanding the things you are saying, so I will sign off here.

 

[KenGordon]

Hi
My point is: what is the point of having a computer if you plan your dive?
But of course you don't get it because I am not as smart and not as articulate as you are
As an "educator" you should try to lower your ego and level yourself to the uneducated mass
And as a "moderator" I find your indirect insults a bit borderline...
But at the end of a day who cares about all this forum name calling?
Have a nice day.

When stuff does not go to plan the computer will give you a view on the current situation. Suppose you are planning 20minutes at 40m. You have a plan on a slate. At 10 minutes you feel cold and the need to empty your bladder so call the dive. Your short plan on the slate is 15minutes and calls for x minutes of deco. Your computer will be showing much less deco than that plan and so get you out MUCH quicker and just as safely as the original plan.

In the real world people dive computers and use a slate/BT for the planning and fall back if the computer fails.

For the OP. Get a Zoop or vyper if you want the backlight. I find nobody remembers how to turn the backlight on. Or buy whatever your buddy uses. Round here that is 90% a Suunto. On the other hand I sometimes dive with a bloke with a petrel and our computers match within a couple of minutes of deco on actual dives such that we have no issue.

Don't get hung up on dive kit. Buy something then learn. It all works and you'll hate some of it but WHY you hate it will be personal.

All this armchair number rubbish! FFS

To Stuartv. One day you will read these posts of yours and cry.

 

[doctormike]

Hi
My point is: what is the point of having a computer if you plan your dive?

Several people have answered that question upthread.

And as a "moderator" I find your indirect insults a bit borderline...
But at the end of a day who cares about all this forum name calling?
Have a nice day.

Sorry, I can't see any insults or name calling in boulderjohn's replies to you. All I see is an instructor who has taken the time to try to explain something about diving.

 

[boulderjohn]

Hi
My point is: what is the point of having a computer if you plan your dive?

I am just as confused as before. As I said earlier, you only seem to think one kind of dive planning is dive planning. There are many ways to plan a dive, and some of them involve using a computer.

---------- Post added September 25th, 2014 at 08:30 AM ----------

In another words GUE do not advocate the use of computer in its courses!! Bottom timer, computer in gauge mode, table or soft ware are all that required.
A simple Uwatec BT(US$120.00) is as good as a Petrel(US$850.00) in GUE courses/dives!!

Yep.

I was trained to do dives this way, and I did it this way for a while myself.

As I said about 5 times now, there are many ways to plan dives and execute that plan. Some people think there is only one way. Others know there are other ways but think there's is the only acceptable way. It all depends upon your personal mindset.

 

[jale]

It is not about the way you plan your dive (of course there are different ways!) but about the fact that if you have planned your dive, why would you need a computer with you underwater?
But lets agree to disagree because it seems we are
I wish you plenty of good dives with or without computer

I am just as confused as before. As I said earlier, you only seem to think one kind of dive planning is dive planning. There are many ways to plan a dive, and some of them involve using a computer.

---------- Post added September 25th, 2014 at 08:30 AM ----------



Yep.

I was trained to do dives this way, and I did it this way for a while myself.

As I said about 5 times now, there are many ways to plan dives and execute that plan. Some people think there is only one way. Others know there are other ways but think there's is the only acceptable way. It all depends upon your personal mindset.

 

[KenGordon]

It is not about the way you plan your dive (of course there are different ways!) but about the fact that if you have planned your dive, why would you need a computer with you underwater?

A dive plan is usually only an approximation, slightly on the conservative side.
The real dive will probably be shallower on average, you will probably be slower on the descent, you will probably spend time looking at stuff not actually at your maximum depth etc, etc. My plan will make conservative assumptions about these so that I can be confident that I have enough gas to complete my deco, however it can easily be the case that the actual deco required is significantly less.

Of course much planning is of the form "jump in, swim about for up to an hour, maybe hit 25m but mostly 15m, get out at 70 bar, that worked the last 100 times we did it.". Come the second or third one of those you can spend the SI telling vplanner stuff or wear a computer. The actual cost of vplanner+bottom timer is about the same as an entry level computer so why not take the easy option?

To the OP. The only people I have actually seen dive (in recent years) without a computer are GUE divers, they have an agency which does not like computers but have a training program which seems to overcome that.

 

[cascas]

To the OP. The only people I have actually seen dive (in recent years) without a computer are GUE divers, they have an agency which does not like computers but have a training program which seems to overcome that.

It is not really a matter of not liking computers. It's more a question of needing (or that lack of that) one. As said, we plan our dives and have a method of adjusting that plan if the average depth or the bottom time changes.

Having this method eliminates problems like differing algorithms producing different outcomes. That may not sound like a big deal but at depths of 60 m or 180 feet plus a minute more bottom time makes for a lot more deco. Having a set plan and a bottom timer eliminates discrepancies and misunderstandings during the dive.

For 30 m or 100 ft dives that is not a big deal. But Gue trains with the end in mind so even at rec levels you are trained as if your end goal is tech 2 or cave 2.
It just makes no sense to train students in using computers and then telling them they don't need them when they progress to tech 1 or cave 1.