Dive Computer or Tables - which is safer for a newer diver?

[NAM001]

CT

the intent of my comment was that it (for me) provides a continuing learning opportunity. To watch the computer and try to out guess it , so to speek, to the point that you can start predicting what the computer will provide in the near future. ie 80 ft and you go to 50 ft. How will the computer respond to this movement. You start working a little harder and you can see when your time remaining becomes controlled by gas supply and not the ndl, ect. This has been a great learning tool for me. Not just that,,,, i start comparing various agincies tables to computer results and i begin to understand them better. preticularly when it comes to the definition of bottom time or how the assumptions for using the tables affect the difference n the tables. I doesnt take a lifetime to be able to tell when the computer may be lying. When you understand the factors involved,, buddy checks become more meaningful. it even makes dive planning easier..Like DO THE DEEP STUFF FIRST AND THE SHALLOWER STUFF LAST. What doesnt make sence , you start asking why and it leads to continued learning. You can definately seee the difference in the o2bg and n2bg when doing nitrox. AS opposed to a learning device perhaps its more a validation tool as well as a tool for identifying lacks in knowledge.

Refiewing the dive log and profile is the best thing short of a video replay of the dive for pointing out assect rates ect.

I hope this isn't how divers are learning about deep to shallow

 

[azmodan50]

To the OP:

Why even consider buying a computer before you've even bought your own regulator? I know the rentals from my LDS are in good working order, but owning your own is much better. You can get a decent set up with with console gauges for a reasonable price. Then consider adding a computer later if you want.

 

[CT-Rich]

I agree a computer should come after an BC, reg/octo, and a good, well fitting exposure suit. Those are certainly more important for both safety and comfort. But a lot of the x-mas tree gear can wait. A computer can be purchased as part of a reg set up for a nominal amount of extra money.

The tools you use are only going to be as effective and useful as how they are utilized. I have read of more than one diver who died with an empty primary air and a full pony. If you don't learn to maximize the tools in your kit, it is not the tool's fault. All goes back to training.

 

[windapp]

To the OP:

Why even consider buying a computer before you've even bought your own regulator? I know the rentals from my LDS are in good working order, but owning your own is much better. You can get a decent set up with with console gauges for a reasonable price. Then consider adding a computer later if you want.

I bought a computer and bcd before anything else. A regulator is the least personal of scuba items. I put it way down on my list of to buy. That being said, I did buy my own regulator so I could get the console configuration the way I like it.

A dive computer is a wonderful item for a new diver because it drops down on the task list. You have one place to look for depth and time, and that makes a big difference to task loading. One less task can make the difference between making an serious error and not making a serious error.

 

[azmodan50]

I bought a computer and bcd before anything else. A regulator is the least personal of scuba items. I put it way down on my list of to buy. That being said, I did buy my own regulator so I could get the console configuration the way I like it.

A dive computer is a wonderful item for a new diver because it drops down on the task list. You have one place to look for depth and time, and that makes a big difference to task loading. One less task can make the difference between making an serious error and not making a serious error.

I wouldn't consider the equipment that delivers my life source to be "the least personal". Knowing that your regulator is well maintained is much more important then having your own BCD or computer IMHO. To each their own, but a failed rental BCD won't effect me half as much as a failed rental regulator.

If I could only own 1 piece of my gear, it would be my regulator. I would much rather rent the rest.

 

[Them]

Personally I bought the BC first and rented regs for awhile. The BC is the "most personal" of what I bought just in that it was the first fit-critical bit of gear (after mask and fins). The regs usually had computers built in and honestly the "known good" argument seemed to favor the rentals for the first dives. Then I bought a reg set, mainly because I wanted to play around with a long hose (and to save $$ on rentals).

I bought my computer and my HP100 tank at the same time.

The last item I bought was my exposure suit. The lake was running high 80s down to 30 feet so I didn't need a suit at all, which means I could take my time shopping for a drysuit.

 

[Pane]

First thing I bought was a mask (plus snorkel, but I don't use that anymore), followed by a suit + fins. The suit is the big one for me, when it comes to 'personal'. A rented suit is full of rented pee :shocked2:

 

[CT-Rich]

My thoughts are there are 3 factors that dictate order of purchase: Fit, comfort and reliability. I agree the reg is the top priority, even though it may be regularly serviced by the LDS. a tech can make a poor job of adjusting it, I have had mine come back less than satisfactory.... I can only imagine what happens when your boss dumps twenty of these things on the bench and tells you he need them all serviced before the OW start their certification dives. And it is the one piece that if it freezes up or free flows can actually create a serious problem (especially for a Noob). There was a thread where the wife was scared to dive because she had a free flow on a reg. It was poor maintance, but it freaked her out.

For me the exposure suits is key. It involve my comfort and that effects a lot of aspects of diving. I am a big guy and I hated having a rental wet suit that fit like crap (and was filled with pee). It also means that you have to screw with your weights some every time you get a different suit (I know it won't be a huge deal but you may go thicker or thinner or have a semi dry or they only rent farmer johns...).

A BCD is up there two because it is what you are going to hang accessories on and the tank. It is nice to have it set up the way you like it and get to know its quirks. Mine has the dump on one side so I like to roll a little to the right to get it completely empty (probably don't have to but that's the way I do it) I also have a back up knife attached to it and I hang my secondary reg from a D-ring on my right sholder so it is close by. It is set up the way I like it and know. I think that a rental will require to much attention, so I say it is right up there on my gear list. Also different types/ makes of BCD will affect weighting and again, who wants to spend there time readjusting their weights?

 

[windapp]

I wouldn't consider the equipment that delivers my life source to be "the least personal". Knowing that your regulator is well maintained is much more important then having your own BCD or computer IMHO. To each their own, but a failed rental BCD won't effect me half as much as a failed rental regulator.

If I could only own 1 piece of my gear, it would be my regulator. I would much rather rent the rest.

And we here that a lot, especially from an LDS who wants to sell us the latest $1000 regulator set. However, I don't here a lot about incidents involving rental regulator failures. Dive shops tend to purchase the minimum bells and whistles easiest to maintain regulators, and they service them as per the recommended schedule.

On the other hand, I do here a lot about sudden unexpected ascents where the diver says "I just shot to the surface. I don't know what happened", and I think that a lot of these incidents (near misses for the most part) are a result of unfamiliarity with the BCD they are wearing. I would put in order of purchasing preference:

Mask, Fins, Snorkel, Boots, Gloves, Weight Belt .... These are relatively inexpensive, sometimes hard to rent, and sometimes hard hard to fit. This is not a safety thing, but more of a personal preference thing really.


BCD. This item goes at the top of my list of items to buy first. There are a number of unsafe conditions that can rise from a misfit BCD, and it is essential, in my opinion to be able to use the BCD controls without having to think about it. Trim can be adjusted by using built in weight pockets, or adding your own custom modificaitons to accomodate trim weights. Even if your first BCD isn't quite right long term, it is yours, and you can modified to work for your style of diving. I believe that the biggest danger to new divers is task loading, and achieving good trim early on significantly improves the attention a diver can pay to other more important things. In short the BCD doesn't have to technically "fail" to endanger my safety. All that really has to happen is for me to forget which button is the inflator, and which is the deflator.


Dive Knife. I don't dive without one, and it only goes below the BCD, because I need somewhere to put it.

Computer. Yes, this item rates second on the big list. The reason why it does, is it substantially reduces the amount of task loading on the diver. Instead of having to constantly track depth and time, the diver only has to supervise the computer to ensure it is functioning correctly. The brain power that would have gone into tracking max depth (and those little max depth needles tend to bump pretty easily), and time, and making decissions about going a little deeper to look at something can than be used for things like not running into the boat, or keeping track of a buddy's location better.

Wetsuit. Wetsuits are hard to get to fit right, especially the 7mm and 7mm two piece. The thicker the wetsuit, and the colder the water, the more important it is to have your own. I personally have no trouble renting a 5 mm or 3mm though, and I really don't care if someone peed in it.

Regulator. This to me is actually a "nice to have". I can fit my own mouthpiece to it, and configure my hoses and SPG however I want. However, I trust the rental regulators just as much as my own, and I find that for the most part the regulator is not a personal "fit" item. They all pretty much work the same. One caveat, is that if you are diving cold water, you really need to trust the place you rent your regulator from, but you also need to have the same trust when it comes to servicing your own cold water regulator.

 

[Them]

It's interesting how different people prioritize gear choices. I went with a critical vs. available model.

Critical equipment varies depending on conditions and even activities you plan to engage in. A dry suit may be critical in one area, and a wet suit totally non-critical in another. In my case the critical equipment list was: Mask, fins/boots, BC, regs/instruments, tank. Depending on those choices weight may or may not be critical.

On availability, the relevant measure is availability of something that will actually do what you need. So wetsuits are only available if you can rent/borrow a suit that actually fits you. Rent/borrow availability can vary depending on how picky you are too. A BCD is available. A BP/W may not be. In my case I decided to try a BP/W so that was low rent/borrow availability. Critical equipment you can't rent = buy, so I bought the BP/W first. I rented regs/instruments until I wanted to try long hose. Long hose rental reg = low availability = buy. I rented tanks until I wanted an HP100. Rental HP100 = low availability = buy.

Fit is only really important as it affects availability in that model. If you can rent something that fits you perfectly, the incentive to buy for fit goes away.