First Computer

[stuartv]

Agree and it was corrected:

Fair enough. But saying it has everything the "average" recreational diver needs begs the question, what features does it lack that a non-average recreational diver might need?

Nobody NEEDS AI, so that's out.

The only thing I can come up with is that some recreational divers might be diving in such low visibility conditions that they would legitimately need a screen that offers visibility like what the Cosmiq, Oceanic VTX, Perdix, or similar provides.

Can you think of anything else?

I am basing my comments on the "U.S.-centric" definition of a recreational diver, which is to say someone who does not do decompression dives.

 

[Dive Cochran]

Preface: I know there are a lot of discussions out there already on this topic. But I think that has left me even more unsure of what product to get.

I'm a new diver at about 10 dives but I live in Florida so I see this being a regular hobby. My boyfriend is also certified so I have a built-in buddy. I want to get a computer before getting nitrox certified so that I can get help setting it up during my class. So after extensive research I'm thinking the Geo 2.0 might be the one because of the liberal DSAT for repetitive shallow dives. I do want to get my AOW at some point but it seems like I can switch it over to Pelagic Z+ for deep dives. But I have heard that it seems to be terribly convoluted to operate and I would have to invest $100 for a stupid download cable.

I also have interest in the deepblu cosmiq since I am a millennial and bluetooth just seems practical. But I have read that even the progressive setting isn't as liberal as Oceanic DSAT. Also, it seems it can only be controlled by the app and I'm not always a fan of bringing my phone on the dive boat. I was originally going to with a Suunto Zoop until I read horror stories about being locked out on expensive trips. I know safety takes precedence when diving, but I assume Oceanic wouldn't sell products to the general public if it wasn't safe.

Can anyone give me guidance? Thanks in advance.[/Q

BullDiver,

Please take a look at the Cochran EMC-16, it's the simplest of dive computers to use and understand, even for beginning divers. It is ready-to-use straight out of the box. Merely understand the large easy-to-read display and audible warnings. If you purchase one, Cochran will include the Analyst software for free.

Cochran Undersea Technology

Have a great weekend
Safe Diving
John

Cochran Undersea Technology designs, manufactures, and markets state-of-the-art diving computers for recreational, technical, CCR and commercial divers from our facility located in Richardson, TX. Cochran has been designing dive computers for itself and others for over twenty years. Cochran is the exclusive provider to the U.S. Navy and its dive computers are "Authorization for Navy Use (ANU) Program" and its dive computers are being used by other international Navies and have NATO part numbers.

 

[offfi]

I am basing my comments on the "U.S.-centric" definition of a recreational diver, which is to say someone who does not do decompression dives.

OT and out of curiosity:
Is decompression diving generally considered "tec" in the US?
Isn't almost any PDC, even the very old ones, able to calculate decompression stops anyways?

 

[stuartv]

OT and out of curiosity:
Is decompression diving generally considered "tec" in the US?
Isn't almost any PDC, even the very old ones, able to calculate decompression stops anyways?

Yes, by the standards of PADI, SDI, SSI, NAUI, GUE, and any other U.S. agency that I know of, recreational diving does not include any decompression other than that which occurs during a normal, continuous ascent and an optional safety stop. Diving that has mandatory deco stops during the ascent is classified as technical diving.

I specified U.S.-centric because it is my understanding that at least one European agency (CMAS?) has a level of certification that includes training on limited decompression that is still classified as "recreational" and not "technical".

And, yes, as far as I know, any recreational-oriented dive computer will still calculate deco stops if you stay down past your NDL. But, I would not recommend to anyone to use one of those if their intention is to actually do decompression dives. The reasons why are too long and OT for this thread. There is a reason why those computers' manuals generally tell you that if you exceed your NDL you should do the stops that the computer tells you and then stay out of the water for at least 24 hours afterwards.

 

[KevinNM]

Planned decompression diving is not recreational diving as defined by the various certifying agencies. Planned decompression and diving in overheads are technical diving and doing them without appropriate training is a very bad idea.

For me, once you are taking more than $299 you might as well buy a shearwater. But you can do a lot of diving on a zoop or other inexpensive computer.

 

[WinfieldNC]

My girlfriend has an Aqua Lung i300 and it is in the $299 price range. We were able to purchase one new at a LDS for $200 in March of 2016 but I have never seen it priced that low again. It is easy to use, gives you all the info you need and it has worked great for her. I recently picked up one myself to replace my old, dead beyond repair, SubGear computer.

 

[stuartv]

My girlfriend has an Aqua Lung i300 and it is in the $299 price range. We were able to purchase one new at a LDS for $200 in March of 2016 but I have never seen it priced that low again. It is easy to use, gives you all the info you need and it has worked great for her. I recently picked up one myself to replace my old, dead beyond repair, SubGear computer.

I think that is basically the same computer as the Oceanic VT4.1 (both of them being made by PPS for AL and Oceanic), except the AL has one of the 2 algorithms removed. The Oceanic has the DSAT and PZ+ algorithms in it (you can choose which to use) and the AL only has the PZ+ (which is more conservative than DSAT) in it, I believe.

 

[stuartv]

I think the AquaLung i450 is the same as the Oeanic Geo 2.0, but, again, with one of the algorithms stripped out.

 

[BoltSnap]

Fair enough. But saying it has everything the "average" recreational diver needs begs the question, what features does it lack that a non-average recreational diver might need?

Nobody NEEDS AI, so that's out.

The only thing I can come up with is that some recreational divers might be diving in such low visibility conditions that they would legitimately need a screen that offers visibility like what the Cosmiq, Oceanic VTX, Perdix, or similar provides.

Can you think of anything else?

I am basing my comments on the "U.S.-centric" definition of a recreational diver, which is to say someone who does not do decompression dives.

I am being careful to avoid absolute terms and the next guy would bring something that would contradict my "absolutism"

If I were starting over, the VEO2 or Geo2 would be my choice. In fact, based on what is available now in the market, I am considering either the SP Aladin or the Veo2 for use for my students in my dive school. I started teaching the use of dive computers in my entry level courses (along with extensive dive table training) and will need to get more computers and retire what I have now. SP new version of the Aladin computers have a much better display and features at a competitive price actually.

The D6 computer would be one of the choices but it isn't out yet unfortunately.

For "hoseless" AI, I don't see why would anyone buy anything other than SW or Ratio at all.

The only other features I can think of are the compass or more than one mix but this will drive the cost much higher and one may argue that they aren't essential for the "average" diver.

 

[BullDiver]

In all my research about algorithms I don't really seem much mention of Nitrox. Will a liberal computer still be more liberal on Nitrox than a conservative one?