Necessity of a back up computer/watch for NDL diving

[tbone1004]

For the people who dive a watch, I'm curious how many of you do a time hack before you splash? If you have a dive watch, do you set the bezel? How many of you actually use a dive watch as intended, and how many of you just have a watch with you?

I don't time hack immediately before I splash, typically first thing in the morning, but I do always set the bezel

 

[Divectionist]

Interesting so far, I am surprised that some form of redundancy outweighs none by 61 to 39% at this time.

To address some of the deciding factors mentioned here, my own diving is local double tank boat diving and shore diving, every now and then a trip up to the GBR involving a few days of diving on day boats, have not been on a proper liveaboard for 10 years now because my lady is a non-diver and living right next to the ocean, most extended travel goes to non-beach destinations.

I think I feel fine diving without a backup locally as I can handle sitting out a second dive, but will acquire a backup for the next significant dive trip if no wrist-mounted computers can be rented as a backup. I may have to resort to screwing a spare SPG, which should be found on any of the larger dive boats, into my reg for a subsequent dive so as not to invest in a second AI-capable computer and backup transmitter to cover all potential failure points.

I used to wear dive watches, the capable and expensive kind, ironically in a non-diving phase and thus they have never seen SCUBA action. Now that I own only one non-diver watch for the benefit of daily wear, I won't take it diving due not having a dive bezel and so as not to deteriorate the seals with a lot of salt water exposure, but I sure wish I did not sell the divers in hindsight. Fact is, unless they have a depth complication via bourdon tubes or membranes (IWC Aquatimer Deep Three comes to mind) to be worked with using max depth and assuming a square profile on tables for the next dive, they are of limited use as a backup. The problem with most of these watches is that you can stack a bunch of Terics on each limb and have a drawer full of transmitters for the price of otherwise fairly unattractive (to me) watches.

I think the biggest benefit of a dive watch these days, beyond the 'quick glance' appreciation of time, is using the bezel not to look at total dive time but to estimate distance travelled for nav purposes.

Some guys carry backup masks and snorkels on every dive. And take the mask into the water with them.
Whatever floats your boat.

I would leave the snorkel at home if I could (required to have one on you by law here, although it never saw a mask strap) but I am a believer in carrying a spare mask on every dive. Short of the octopus, this is the only redundancy I currently have on me underwater.

 

[BoltSnap]

Always at least two dive computers.

 

[TMHeimer]

Interesting so far, I am surprised that some form of redundancy outweighs none by 61 to 39% at this time.

To address some of the deciding factors mentioned here, my own diving is local double tank boat diving and shore diving, every now and then a trip up to the GBR involving a few days of diving on day boats, have not been on a proper liveaboard for 10 years now because my lady is a non-diver and living right next to the ocean, most extended travel goes to non-beach destinations.

I think I feel fine diving without a backup locally as I can handle sitting out a second dive, but will acquire a backup for the next significant dive trip if no wrist-mounted computers can be rented as a backup. I may have to resort to screwing a spare SPG, which should be found on any of the larger dive boats, into my reg for a subsequent dive so as not to invest in a second AI-capable computer and backup transmitter to cover all potential failure points.

I used to wear dive watches, the capable and expensive kind, ironically in a non-diving phase and thus they have never seen SCUBA action. Now that I own only one non-diver watch for the benefit of daily wear, I won't take it diving due not having a dive bezel and so as not to deteriorate the seals with a lot of salt water exposure, but I sure wish I did not sell the divers in hindsight. Fact is, unless they have a depth complication via bourdon tubes or membranes (IWC Aquatimer Deep Three comes to mind) to be worked with using max depth and assuming a square profile on tables for the next dive, they are of limited use as a backup. The problem with most of these watches is that you can stack a bunch of Terics on each limb and have a drawer full of transmitters for the price of otherwise fairly unattractive (to me) watches.

I think the biggest benefit of a dive watch these days, beyond the 'quick glance' appreciation of time, is using the bezel not to look at total dive time but to estimate distance travelled for nav purposes.



I would leave the snorkel at home if I could (required to have one on you by law here, although it never saw a mask strap) but I am a believer in carrying a spare mask on every dive. Short of the octopus, this is the only redundancy I currently have on me underwater.

You own only one no-divable watch? Oh yeah, I'm old school. My first dive watch had a bezel, but I don't need that because I can remember when I descend. I only use watches that are "good" to like 300'/100 meters. So they say. The ones I have owned have been so far.

 

[shoredivr]

I’ve had two separate brands of computers fail on me, one on a recreational dive, the other on a tech dive. Fortunately I had back up computers.

I’ve had dive buddies with AI computers that failed to synchronize.

Just because you’ve never had gear fail doesn’t mean it won’t fail.

 

[Divectionist]

You own only one no-divable watch? Oh yeah, I'm old school. My first dive watch had a bezel, but I don't need that because I can remember when I descend. I only use watches that are "good" to like 300'/100 meters. So they say. The ones I have owned have been so far.

I used to have a thing for dive watches, sold a Submariner and a Planet Ocean (and an Aquaracer that I am ashamed of) a couple of years ago to downsize to one non-diver as a daily wearer, all during a many year long gap in my diving endeavours. I came to like only have one thing of each as I don't like to choose between multiple items. I could dive the watch as I have no worries about its water resistance, but I see little point in terms of redundancy and rather do without frequent pressure testing. I just leave it at home when I go diving.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I just have a Perdix backing up my Perdix AI, but that's because I do deco dives on occasion. If that isn't the case with you, then it is your call as to the benefits of having a backup. I generally recommend it. In the grand scheme of things, an extra dive computer is not a huge expense, even if it is a Shearwater (when compared to flights, etc.).

 

[broncobowsher]

For standard recreational NDL diving, not needed. Most people will end up with two after doing an upgrade and the old one still works but is now the spare. My old 1-button Oceanic still works. I can't download the dives anymore, but it still dives with me. Check a few times during the dive as a reference. It doesn't match the Shearwater, but it is close enough. If something is really off it would stand out.

Start getting into deco, backup timers, depth gauges, cut tables, or a good second computer (or all the above)

 

[RayfromTX]

I wear two computers. On my bicycle I ride with three.

 

[Capt. Bas]

No back-up time device for me at the moment. But still a full swung 3part console as Prefer that redundancy and cant get used to a “lose” compass.
The statistics my computer fails mid dive are that low I will not spend the money at a second comp.
If you go on holiday replace the batteries in your computer and transmitters to make sure it has enough juice for the trip