Land Locked
Contributor
howman:
I lost a computer due to a flooded battery compartment. Make sure the battery
compartment is isolated from the computer.
1st Dive Computer
- Thread starter howman
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I lost a computer due to a flooded battery compartment. Make sure the battery
compartment is isolated from the computer.
NauticalbutNice
Contributor
I also recommend Oceanic.
My poor little computer is certainly resilient - I once dropped a 5kg weight on it and it's still going strong.
It has a really easy to read/understand display and IMHO it's one of the best you can get.
Nauticalbutnice :fruit:
My poor little computer is certainly resilient - I once dropped a 5kg weight on it and it's still going strong.
It has a really easy to read/understand display and IMHO it's one of the best you can get.
Nauticalbutnice :fruit:
I've used a Suunto Cobra for nearly a year, my first computer, and I like it a lot. I think it has a good RGBM model, and I like that I can set it to be more conservative. I like that it is a smaller, lighter replacement for a console, including a direct connection to the gas supply. Other features I like are its data presentation and readability, dive planning mode that accounts for residual nitrogen, Nitrox-capable, (unlike Uwatec) no need to wet the contacts to interact with the thing, the long and strong battery life, and the quick-disconnect. I wear it across my chest, so I only need to glance down to read it. It's on an accessory reel so I can hold it out in front of me for navigating.
I back up the Cobra with a Suunto D3 bottom timer that I wear on my right wrist. There it's handy for ascending an anchor rode and it doesn't interfere with elevating my dry suit exhaust valve. The Cobra and D3 have similar data presentations, so there's no confusion moving between them. In particular, both use the same ascent rate displays (bar graphs that alarm at 33 fpm). Predive plans tell me the max times and depths to watch for if I have to fall back on the D3.
For me, a killer feature of the Cobra is dive data logging (I'm anal, as you can see). It holds 36 hours of dive data (!). I find it very handy to be able to upload the logs to a computer and use Suunto's Dive Manager program as a software log book. I can annotate each dive with info from my paper log book and sort by depth, bottom time, site, whatever. A special feature is the bar graph that displays nitrogen loading in tissue compartments as a function of dive time. It's useful conceptually, but probably not practically.
Sadly, Suunto doesn't have Mac software, and, my Cobra has a now-ancient serial interface with a Suunto-specific connector on the computer end (current models may now have USB interfaces). Like you, I have a Macintosh. Initially I was able to convert serial to USB and sucessfully upload my dive data to Suunto Dive Manager running on Virtual PC on the Mac, but with Mac OS evolution over the year, I can't do that any more. So I've bought a cheap PC (with a serial interface) just for this job. I export the data from the PC and import it into the Mac from time to time.
I've read the over the pros and cons of wrist mounts, but for my diving there's nothing compelling about a wrist mount. The Cobra attaches and removes in a snap, it's convenient to use and easy to read, and it gets the job done. [No, I have no business interest in Suunto <grin>.]
I back up the Cobra with a Suunto D3 bottom timer that I wear on my right wrist. There it's handy for ascending an anchor rode and it doesn't interfere with elevating my dry suit exhaust valve. The Cobra and D3 have similar data presentations, so there's no confusion moving between them. In particular, both use the same ascent rate displays (bar graphs that alarm at 33 fpm). Predive plans tell me the max times and depths to watch for if I have to fall back on the D3.
For me, a killer feature of the Cobra is dive data logging (I'm anal, as you can see). It holds 36 hours of dive data (!). I find it very handy to be able to upload the logs to a computer and use Suunto's Dive Manager program as a software log book. I can annotate each dive with info from my paper log book and sort by depth, bottom time, site, whatever. A special feature is the bar graph that displays nitrogen loading in tissue compartments as a function of dive time. It's useful conceptually, but probably not practically.
Sadly, Suunto doesn't have Mac software, and, my Cobra has a now-ancient serial interface with a Suunto-specific connector on the computer end (current models may now have USB interfaces). Like you, I have a Macintosh. Initially I was able to convert serial to USB and sucessfully upload my dive data to Suunto Dive Manager running on Virtual PC on the Mac, but with Mac OS evolution over the year, I can't do that any more. So I've bought a cheap PC (with a serial interface) just for this job. I export the data from the PC and import it into the Mac from time to time.
I've read the over the pros and cons of wrist mounts, but for my diving there's nothing compelling about a wrist mount. The Cobra attaches and removes in a snap, it's convenient to use and easy to read, and it gets the job done. [No, I have no business interest in Suunto <grin>.]
bobcsj
Registered
howman:
My friend and I got Uwatec Sports at the same time a couple of years ago.
On a night dive in Hawaii, the very first week using them, hers was tugged off
of her wrist when removing her BC in the water.
We left a message with the local dive outfits, and it showed up in the mail about
6 weeks later with one very long, very flat dive to about 40 ft.
Since then, we have both added lanyards in addition to the strap to act as a
safety leash. My strap just broke, and the lanyard allowed me to do the dive
anyway. I'm now considering replacing the strap with bungee cord.
BobC
WarmWaterDiver
Contributor
Bicster:
With most watch bands, if either one of the pins fail, the watch falls off your wrist. For wrist bands that employ metal links, the chain is only as strong as it's weakest link y'know, as well as the same issues with the pins. The wrist straps on most dive computers and dive watches as-purchased allow a single pin failure to cause wrist band, computer, and all to fall off your wrist if one pin fails. If you're doing a wall dive with the drop into the blue measuring in thousands of feet, it's bye-bye to your nice wrist mount computer or watch with most designs if a single link or pin fails. There are other circumstances - say the bottom isn't thousands of feet down, but is below the MOD of your breathing gas and you have such a wrist band failure occur. Or you're at your turn pressure for safe ascent and this happens. You get the idea.
Here's an item that eliminates that issue - you have to have both pins fail before it will fall off the wrist. The Dive Rite NiTek Duo cinch strap kit also doesn't let the whole computer and strap fall off your wrist if one pin fails - and can be used on the TUSA IQ-700, Cressi Sub Archimede, and Apeks Quantum as well as the NiTek Duo. I know a Waterbourne strap will also work on these models as I was on a boat a few weeks back with a diver who had mounted his Dive Rite NiTek Duo on a Waterbourne strap. It was kind of amusing for me to show him my TUSA IQ-700 mounted to the Dive Rite NiTek Duo cinch strap in return.
http://www.divesports.com/mall/waterborne_watchbands.asp
There's more than one way to overcome the basic issue. Some folks use bungee cord to address this issue. Some people add lanyards to address this issue. Some folks use console mount instead of wrist mount to address this issue, which has its own set of issues. I'm sure there are other creative solutions being used as well.
A diver's dive watch, bottom timer, and / or dive computer is typically an important financial investment as well as safety device and having it fall off your wrist is just plain sub-optimal and undesirable whether it occurs above or below water.
WarmWaterDiver:
I found the Waterbourne strap in a LDS and love it. As WWD says, it won't let the computer (or bottom timer) fall off if one pin fails--the strap goes entirely around the wrist, passing thru both pins. In addition, it's long and adjusts for a big range of arm sizes. I can wear the timer as a watch on my wrist on the dive boat, and with one hand strap it over my dry suit wrist, above the zip seals, when it's time to dive. I couldn't do that (well, not easily) with the straps available from Suunto.
[I compressed your remarks, WarmWaterDiver, to provide some context. Hope you don't mind.]
WarmWaterDiver
Contributor
Take a look at the bottom row of computer scratch & impact protective covers on the bottom of this page. The lanyard is the cord with the yellow section. The lanyard goes over your wrist so if the band breaks, the fall is arrested by the lanyard. Pistol grip style dive lights / lanterns typically come with a lanyard for a similar reason (if you drop it, it may go deeper than you want to go to retrieve it) as well as other reasons (you may need both hands free for getting back aboard a dive boat for example).
http://www.deepbluedive.com/category.aspx?id=722
This page shows some scratch / impact protectors mounted to the computers. The weak points of this approach are if you don't cinch the lanyard well enough around your wrist, you could still lose the computer / watch. The second is these scratch / impact protectors as shown here typically use a velcro strap across the back side of the computer / watch to attach the protector - so you're relying on the strip of vecro to not come apart if / when the computer / watch wrist strap breaks. Submerged in water, there's a pretty decent drag force opposing gravity and I've never personally met someone who lost their computer / watch because the velcro didn't hold or they didn't cinch the lanyard tightly enough.
http://www.deepbluedive.com/category.aspx?id=722&page=2
The Waterbourne strap and Dive Rite NiTek Duo cinch strap don't have these issues (no velcro in the design).
The Waterbourne strap is something that can be fitted to a wide variety of computers and watches (pretty cool Aussie thinking). It still uses a buckle as the final closure around your wrist.
The NiTek Duo cinch strap will only fit the Dive Rite NiTek Duo, TUSA IQ-700, Apeks Quantum, and Cressi Sub Archimede computers as far as I know. This design doesn't use a buckle and is easier to fiddle with while wearing gloves, and I've found I can tighten it hands-free if needed with my teeth. The strap itself is made of material that's a bit stretchy.
No matter what you eventually purchase, I've found investing a few $$$ in a scratch / impact protector of some sort to be a wise investment. Designs like these of hard Lexan are a step up from the older sticky thin sheets put over the computer or watch face as the sheet stuff only really protected from scratches on the face - the hard Lexan offers an additional factor of limited impact resistance.
http://www.deepbluedive.com/category.aspx?id=722
This page shows some scratch / impact protectors mounted to the computers. The weak points of this approach are if you don't cinch the lanyard well enough around your wrist, you could still lose the computer / watch. The second is these scratch / impact protectors as shown here typically use a velcro strap across the back side of the computer / watch to attach the protector - so you're relying on the strip of vecro to not come apart if / when the computer / watch wrist strap breaks. Submerged in water, there's a pretty decent drag force opposing gravity and I've never personally met someone who lost their computer / watch because the velcro didn't hold or they didn't cinch the lanyard tightly enough.
http://www.deepbluedive.com/category.aspx?id=722&page=2
The Waterbourne strap and Dive Rite NiTek Duo cinch strap don't have these issues (no velcro in the design).
The Waterbourne strap is something that can be fitted to a wide variety of computers and watches (pretty cool Aussie thinking). It still uses a buckle as the final closure around your wrist.
The NiTek Duo cinch strap will only fit the Dive Rite NiTek Duo, TUSA IQ-700, Apeks Quantum, and Cressi Sub Archimede computers as far as I know. This design doesn't use a buckle and is easier to fiddle with while wearing gloves, and I've found I can tighten it hands-free if needed with my teeth. The strap itself is made of material that's a bit stretchy.
No matter what you eventually purchase, I've found investing a few $$$ in a scratch / impact protector of some sort to be a wise investment. Designs like these of hard Lexan are a step up from the older sticky thin sheets put over the computer or watch face as the sheet stuff only really protected from scratches on the face - the hard Lexan offers an additional factor of limited impact resistance.
WarmWaterDiver
Contributor
BigTuna:
No problem - I'm known for being a tad verbose and highly detail oriented.
I purchased a Genesis ReactPro as my first computer. It was $260. I have seen it advertised for $249 since. I like it a lot. It can be wrist mounted or console mounted. I bought my own gear, so I have it console mounted. Took some getting used to finding it, but now I have no problem at all.
I chose it because I had seen one a friend had and my LDS recommended it. Very simple to see and understand once I played with it a bit in the house and made the first few dives with it. I chose to get the nitrox version because I know I am going to get Nitrox certified while in Cozumel next month and couldnt see buying a computer that would only do air, when it costs so little to get one that would do both.
Software is not Mac compatible but I have VirtualPC and will use it with that when I get the package, hopefully soon. My brother dives with a Sherwood Wisdom, very nice, and it uses the same cable and software, so we are splitting the cost of the package.
Willie
I chose it because I had seen one a friend had and my LDS recommended it. Very simple to see and understand once I played with it a bit in the house and made the first few dives with it. I chose to get the nitrox version because I know I am going to get Nitrox certified while in Cozumel next month and couldnt see buying a computer that would only do air, when it costs so little to get one that would do both.
Software is not Mac compatible but I have VirtualPC and will use it with that when I get the package, hopefully soon. My brother dives with a Sherwood Wisdom, very nice, and it uses the same cable and software, so we are splitting the cost of the package.
Willie
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