The Wonderful World of the Dive Computer

Why don’t they teach you about the dive computer?

Your open water diver class was a lot of fun!

You learned about navigation, equipment, the local diving conditions and dive tables. Dive tables.

Hmmm just looking at that word again makes your stomach turn. Start at this depth for that amount of time, don’t forget to round up and you’re an L diver now. You sit on the surface for this many minutes and now you’re a K diver so make sure you re-enter the table at the right spot so you don’t screw up your next dive time and give yourself the bends.

Sound familiar?

Lots of students come out of their open water dive classes swearing never to look at their dive tables again. But what can you do?

You need them to dive safely… or do you?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to know your dive tables, but the dive computer is so much cooler for so many reasons.
Even the most basic dive computer will take over the functions of your depth gauge and dive watch meaning it will keep accurate records of your depth as well as the amount of time you spend underwater.

One of the reasons that this tracking ability is so desirable is that it gives the dive computer the ability to track your theoretical nitrogen intake dynamically.

For example, if you’re using dive tables and your maximum depth is 60 feet, then you’re doing a 60-foot dive (18 meters).

In other words, the dive table is assuming that you’ll spend 100% of your dive at the 60-foot (18 meters) mark.

In practice, however, that’s never the case.

How does a Dive Computer help?

By contrast dive computers will say, “Sure the maximum depth was 60 feet (18 meters), but we were only there for 3 minutes.

The bulk of the dive was done at 48 feet (14.5 meters) with a couple of trips down to 55 feet (17 meters).

Then, of course, there were those three minutes we spent at 15 feet (5 meters) at the end of the dive; so according to my really cool algorithm, this is how long your surface interval should be before your next planned dive.”

In short, computers will give you more bottom time than your tables will and still keep you safe.
Nitrox Dive Computer

But that’s not the only cool thing computers can do.

You can also buy air-integrated computers. These computers will not only take the place of your dive tables and dive watch, they’ll also take the place of your submersible pressure gauge too!

When you have an air-integrated dive computer, your computer will not only tell you how many psi, pounds per square inch or bar, of air you have left, it will also estimate how long you have until your tank is empty based on your current rate of breathing.

Now that’s cool!

A dive computer can really increase your bottom time and your joy of diving.

If you’re certified to dive Nitrox (oxygen enriched air), make sure your dive computer has the ability to take your mix into consideration. It’s really amazing how much a Nitrox computer and a good Nitrox mix can increase your bottom time; and isn’t that what diving’s all about?

Anything that can drastically increase your bottom time while still keeping you safe is well worth the cost in my book.

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