Do I really need a computer?

[DiveGolfSki]

Dive tables should be the holy grail of dive planning. If the water depth is 60' and the tables give you 60 minutes, you will probably be low on air after 60 minutes, if you come up with any decent ammount of air left in your cylinder for a saftey margin (500-800 psi). Not much need for a computer is there.
And to log gives, I didn't know that was a law.

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Enough of this paucity of responses. I share your view.

 

[Cold_Under_Here]

A computor offers the potential for increased safety and/or longer bottom times on deeper, multi level dives; especially when doing multiple dives per day. For shallow dives like you describe it is mostly a rather expensive logger.

Increased safety? How so!!!???

-Tables are more conservative as you never really dive a flat profile, and thus you don't load as much nitrogen into tissue as the table indicates.
-Most computers use outdated algorithms, but with tables, you can buy the most update to date algorithms/models (ie RGBM) and use multiply algorithms to check your plan.
-You plan your dive.
-At shallow depths (below 12m/40ft) you may not be loading as much nitrogen as the table indicates. If you find your max bottom time is too low/short, then dive nitrox.
-You think.


My bottom timer will used for as long as the batteries last, and then I will buy another one.
Tables + timers are safer.

 

[Goose75]

I just realized something today - MY RDP is in FEET, and I think my crew will be using metric RDP's and I need to find a metric wheel type RDP. Where in the USA am I going to find one of these. Maybe a supplier in Canada will have one. Any clues?

If your LDS doesn't have one, go online. You can order from an ebay store and ask for expidited delivery if needed.

The other option is to bring a calulator and convert. 2.54cm = 1in.

 

[latitude]

My bottom timer will used for as long as the batteries last, and then I will buy another one.
Tables + timers are safer.

How so? I'd venture that if you look at the statistics, your timer will die just as often as a dive computer... They're both electronic devices (unless you're REALLY old school) subject to the same problems... what do you do if your timer dies? Same thing I do if my computer dies - I surface...

I agree - grabbing a computer hopping in the water and watching the NDL tick down to zero isn't the way to dive. I've seen divers staring at their computer and trying to figure out what it was trying to tell them - if you're going to use one, learn how to use it.

Plan a dive with your tables, you have a baseline and a way to validate that the computer is giving you good information. Next time you get on an airplane think about this - a computer is controlling that airplane. Why is there a pilot there? Because someone has to make sure the computer is doing what it's supposed to. Computers (in all aspect of life) are great tools, but are prone to problems (mostly from user or programmer errors) and that's where the grey matter comes in - does what I'm seeing make sense?

 

[DiveGolfSki]

... Computers (in all aspect of life) are great tools, but are prone to problems (mostly from user or programmer errors) and that's where the grey matter comes in - does what I'm seeing make sense?

What you're saying makes sense. In diving, we have to know about Dalton, Boyle's, et al's laws but, most particularly, Murphy's Law.

 

[Goose75]

...Next time you get on an airplane think about this - a computer is controlling that airplane. Why is there a pilot there? Because someone has to make sure the computer is doing what it's supposed to. Computers (in all aspect of life) are great tools, but are prone to problems (mostly from user or programmer errors) and that's where the grey matter comes in - does what I'm seeing make sense?

The plane was also probably designed trusting computer analysis, some planes cannot fly without computer control, I've heard some newer cars no longer run without the computer, the list goes on. If all computers across the world failed simultaneously tomorrow, many would lose their lives. I agree with your point. We trust computers with our lives to fly us on vacation and drive us to the dive site but question them after that? We either trust computers with a backup for failure or we do not.

 

[Cold_Under_Here]

How so? I'd venture that if you look at the statistics, your timer will die just as often as a dive computer... They're both electronic devices (unless you're REALLY old school) subject to the same problems... what do you do if your timer dies? Same thing I do if my computer dies - I surface...

lol...I don't mean I'll dive with it on low battery! What I was trying to convey, is that I will never buy a computer. A bottom timer will be with me from the beginnings (now) till I advance to more complex diving. We all need backups :14:

 

[PerroneFord]

We trust computers with our lives to fly us on vacation and drive us to the dive site but question them after that?

Can you get one of those at Leisure Pro for $399?

 

[latitude]

lol...I don't mean I'll dive with it on low battery! What I was trying to convey, is that I will never buy a computer. A bottom timer will be with me from the beginnings (now) till I advance to more complex diving. We all need backups :14:

Sorry... I went on a mini-rant and wasn't clear. I was just debating that "Tables + timers are safer." as you said... Your timer is electronic, just like a computer (heck, timers ARE computers - even if they're a Casio G-Shock) and therefore just as prone to failure as my computer. How can they be safer? (given that I'm smart enough to use my computer properly and recognize a failure)

 

[ShakaZulu]

Hey, what are you REC divers arguing so much about computers, just get one, it could save your lives. Just go to a local dive site, and observe the abilities of 80% of the divers. Scary I tell you, and you expect these dewds to still figure out tables, monitor depths, and control their boyency through all this. As soon as they deviate from a planned depth, the plan is shot. Are you guys crazy???

I've been on this board for a while, and I've never seen anyone of the TEK dewds giving out the secrets to multi-profile, on-the-fly depth calculations. The fact of the matter is, that most REC divers ride the NDL curve..........