Recreational Dive computer / Watch

[Russoft]

I own a Mares Puck and my wife owns a Puck Pro. The only thing I don't like: navigating menus. Otherwise, it's exactly what I need for a price I can justify.

 

[KeithG]

Some good computer advice here, but I get my panty's in a knot over the 1 button vs 2 button argument.

I like a zero button computer. No pushes required. It has buttons, i do not touch them anymore...

My first computer had 1 button. And you had to push it (way to often!) in order to activate it. I still (vaguely) remember having to resurface, hold my arm out of the water and push the stupid button (once under water it refused to activate). Stupid stupid design.

My next computer had a set of "wet contacts" (Uwatec Aladin) that served as buttons, but only above water - if you needed them...

I have not pressed a button on my computer in over 15 years. I configured it once, it now automactically turns on when wet and shows me all of the information I need to know. Buttons? We don't need no stinkin' buttons!

How often will you need to screw with your computer?

 

[KeithG]

I'm a little surprised you never had a dive charter operator tell you that you were not allowed to dive unless you had a computer.

From what I understand, nowadays most charter operators at least say that they require all divers to have a computer (or a depth gauge, bottom timer, and a set of tables).

I dive 2 computers on every dive. I am not going to fly somewhere for a dive trip, have 1 computer crap out, and have to miss the next dive because, according to the tables, I have no NDL time left (or short enough NDL to not be worth splashing at all). Computers are cheap when you compare them to the cost of a single dive on a fly vacation (pro-rating ALL the trip costs in the per-dive cost).

All 3 of the Caribbean LOBs that I use declare that a dive computer is mandatory. I am unaware of how close they examine computers. One day I will drag my bendomatic along? I forget what Bonaire Divi position is.

We both dive with 2 computers each. I also drag along a few extras. On our spring dive trip this year one of our backup computers died. It took a few days for the substitute backup to get loaded up with enough nitrogen to be within a few minutes of the primary NDL.

1 is none. 2 is one. 3 is enough.

 

[lowflyer]

I have an Aeris A300, which I still use for backup. I think it is a good computer, especially for the price. I like being able to use DSAT, and it has tech capability. Oceanic bought Aeris and covered the warranty when I got it. If it still has warranty coverage, I wouldn't hesitate recommending it.

 

[Centrals]

Open Water certification from all the agencies I'm really familiar with trains people to not exceed the NDL given by their computer (or tables, if they choose to use those instead of a computer).

What you are "suggesting" is for all those people to violate their training. I do not agree with that.

If someone (who is not trained for staged decompression diving) wants to maximize their bottom time, without getting more training and without breaking the rules of their training, their only option is to use a more liberal computer.

And if they are going to dive aggressively, for example by staying down right to the end of their NDL, then they should consider extending their safety stop beyond just the minimum that they were taught in their training. And take extra care to ascend from their safety stop in a very slow and controlled manner.

1. Where did I suggest deco dive to anyone?
2. I only pointed out that a "deco obligation" can be related to the computer that the diver was using.
3. I do not recommend to anyone to maximize the ndl to the limit, I recommend diving conservatively.
4. No computer is 100% safe.
5. Which diving agency advocate dive to the end of the ndl and then consider to extend safety stop........?

 

[dmaziuk]

I'm pretty goog on air, especially after a few dives, I have 300+ so am pretty efficient.
Thanks for your help, if it's only a slight difference it is no bother but if it is know for being concervative or too conservative then I would have an issue with that.

You won't know until you know. I never pushed my "conservative" Cressi Leonardo into deco in 7-8 straight days of diving, but I'm typically not pushing it. Diving Al80/air, rarely more than 3 tanks/day. Plus you can "game" the algorithm to some extent: e.g. if the computer penalizes you for fast ascents, then you may expect shorter NDLs on the dives where you come straight up the anchor line as opposed to ones where you slowly follow the bottom all the way to shore. I suppose after a few days of 5 tanks/day on a LOB you could see significant NDL difference between the Puck and a DSAT computer... but I don't think anyone can guarantee it one way or the other. You'd just have to try it for yourself. Or drop an extra fifty quid on a known "liberal" computer.

 

[scubadada]

Some good computer advice here, but I get my panty's in a knot over the 1 button vs 2 button argument.

I like a zero button computer. No pushes required. It has buttons, i do not touch them anymore...

My first computer had 1 button. And you had to push it (way to often!) in order to activate it. I still (vaguely) remember having to resurface, hold my arm out of the water and push the stupid button (once under water it refused to activate). Stupid stupid design.

My next computer had a set of "wet contacts" (Uwatec Aladin) that served as buttons, but only above water - if you needed them...

I have not pressed a button on my computer in over 15 years. I configured it once, it now automactically turns on when wet and shows me all of the information I need to know. Buttons? We don't need no stinkin' buttons!

How often will you need to screw with your computer?

Set your FO2? I guess that would not be necessary if you always dive air

 

[stuartv]

1. Where did I suggest deco dive to anyone?

1. A conservative computer will let you dive beyond the allowed ndl, it just goes to deco mode. You then have to clear the "deco obligation" otherwise the computer might lock out for 24hrs.

I interpreted that to mean "you can use a conservative computer and get just as much bottom time as from a liberal computer by diving it into deco and then clearing your deco obligation on the ascent. Therefore, there is no real reason to pay extra for a liberal computer."

If that's not what you meant, that what was your point? If you were in no way suggesting to run a computer into deco, then what is the reason for even talking about how it behaves when you DO go into deco?

 

[stuartv]

I have not pressed a button on my computer in over 15 years. I configured it once, it now automactically turns on when wet and shows me all of the information I need to know. Buttons? We don't need no stinkin' buttons!

How often will you need to screw with your computer?

I don't normally use different gases on the same day. But, I frequently use a different gas from one dive day to the next. So, I screw with my computer almost every dive day. And that's not even counting the times I get back on the boat and the captain or somebody else asks "what was the temp on the bottom" or some other question where I end up going into the dive log on the computer to see.

 

[Six Feet Under]

The DG03 seems to have spotty reviews in the SB archives. Anybody have experience with it?

I had one, purchased it new in early 2014 from DGX. I had to send it back to Hollis almost immediately after purchase. I realized the altimeter/elevation sensor had crapped the bed after I watched it upon start up a few days after it tried to tell me I had 11 minutes of deco to complete after breathing 32% at 105 feet for all of eight minutes. I want to say it was reading an elevation of 5,000 feet (I live in Florida, the most it had ever been above sea level was 147 feet lol). I checked it against my buddy's Petrel during that dive, as I was fairly new at the time, and realized there's no way it could be right. I did a 5 minute safety stop at 15 feet to be sure and got out. It locked me out for 24 hours because of the "missed obligation."

Hollis did fix it and it worked well after that, but I sold it as I didn't really trust it anyways. I doubt I'll ever willingly purchase something from them again, seeing as that was not the only Hollis issue I'd had. Both of my backup lights I purchased from them stopped working, they replaced them with two new lights of a different model because they were out of the exact ones I had. Neither of the new ones worked when I got them. I had a Hollis reel too, it jammed constantly because one side of the line drum (where the set screw keeps it from unwinding) was horribly out of shape/spec. It would turn freely until it hit the one part where you had to force the drum to spin and release the line.

IMO you're taking your life into your own hands if you use their regs, or God forbid, one of their rebreathers. LOL