Look at me, I'm a diver !!
Top of the list for 'All the Gear, No Idea' has to be dive computers, if it wasn't for water activation, many divers would not be able to turn on the computer. Ask them for a dive profile and you may as well ask them the meaning of life, they have no idea!
Most of us have them, many of us know how to use them, but there are many who do not. As my favourite dive computer manufacturer says 'replacing luck' but you can't replace common sense, training and experience, nor can you fix stupid. Dive computers are a gift from the gods that make diving pleasurable and many dive related incidents a thing of the past, but they are dangerous on the wrist of the fool who thinks that not only do they replace luck, they replace thought. My pet hate or biggest laugh if you will, is the diver who thinks it cool to take his DC out for dinner. fine if you have Suunto Stinger (see above) or D9 but not so nice if you wear a Uwatec the size of a baby grand piano, that bleeps each time you lift your fork to your mouth because it thinks you are ascending too fast.
Dive Computers are like watches, they are a personal thing but the differences between watches and DCs are vast. If you are a normal pleasure dive as most are, why would you need a DC for Tri-mix? When looking for a DC you need to think about how you dive, do you really need the all singing, all dancing, bells and whistles version. Many DCs have ridicules alarms that the user can't shut off, I had one of these and became so cheesed off with it that I gave it away. I am an active diver most of the time and have spent many hours chasing students who think it fun to want to find the bottom of the Cayman trough, the last thing I need is a DC that keeps bleeping at me, telling me to slow down, speed up, stop breathing !! You must choose a DC that suits you, why buy a DC for €1,000 to use once a year then leave it in a drawer for the battery to go flat ? Ease of use is very important when buying a DC, think about what you need from it, do you need water temp, surface temp, air used? and so-on. Too many menus become confusing, do you need to plug it into your lap top or is writing the details in your log book enough?
There are three types of DCs
Air Integrated is normally a console DC that, like my Suunto Cobra, gives you all the information you need and replaces a separate DC, Depth Gauge and Cylinder Contents Gauge. Some have digital compasses but personally I have not had much luck with these so stick to an analogue compass.
Remote Air Integrated:
Same as the Air Integrated but without the HP hose. The hose is replaced by a transponder fitted to the 1st Stage HP port, the transponder transmits information about cylinder content and breathing rate to a wrist or console mounted DC
Wrist:
Wrist DCs come in two styles, one like a wrist watch that can vary in size and the other, much larger 'block' although these seem to be fading out now.
There is one very simple rule with DCs that can make a difference between a good diver with all the gear, and a poor diver with all the gear and no idea, the good diver reads the instructions !! Read them, then read them again, practice bringing up the information you need, write out a small cheat sheet for the menu if you have to do but for the love of poseidon .. Learn how to read, use and understand your DC
Dive Computers are like watches, they are a personal thing but the differences between watches and DCs are vast. If you are a normal pleasure dive as most are, why would you need a DC for Tri-mix? When looking for a DC you need to think about how you dive, do you really need the all singing, all dancing, bells and whistles version. Many DCs have ridicules alarms that the user can't shut off, I had one of these and became so cheesed off with it that I gave it away. I am an active diver most of the time and have spent many hours chasing students who think it fun to want to find the bottom of the Cayman trough, the last thing I need is a DC that keeps bleeping at me, telling me to slow down, speed up, stop breathing !! You must choose a DC that suits you, why buy a DC for €1,000 to use once a year then leave it in a drawer for the battery to go flat ? Ease of use is very important when buying a DC, think about what you need from it, do you need water temp, surface temp, air used? and so-on. Too many menus become confusing, do you need to plug it into your lap top or is writing the details in your log book enough?
There are three types of DCs
- Air Integrated/Console
- Remote Air Integrated
- Wrist
Air Integrated is normally a console DC that, like my Suunto Cobra, gives you all the information you need and replaces a separate DC, Depth Gauge and Cylinder Contents Gauge. Some have digital compasses but personally I have not had much luck with these so stick to an analogue compass.
Remote Air Integrated:
Same as the Air Integrated but without the HP hose. The hose is replaced by a transponder fitted to the 1st Stage HP port, the transponder transmits information about cylinder content and breathing rate to a wrist or console mounted DC
Wrist:
Wrist DCs come in two styles, one like a wrist watch that can vary in size and the other, much larger 'block' although these seem to be fading out now.
There is one very simple rule with DCs that can make a difference between a good diver with all the gear, and a poor diver with all the gear and no idea, the good diver reads the instructions !! Read them, then read them again, practice bringing up the information you need, write out a small cheat sheet for the menu if you have to do but for the love of poseidon .. Learn how to read, use and understand your DC