Scuba Diving Computer Philippines

Suunto D9 Titanium Dive Computer

We are in the information age where relevant information in what we do is very vital above or under sea level. Under sea level, a scuba diving computer is a very useful diving device that provides a diver important information that aids in his decision-making while underwater. These information which can be accessed through the dive computer's display include 1) amount of time underwater, 2) maximum depth, 3) current depth, 4) safe time remaining at that depth, 5) no decompression time limits by depth for your next dive, and 6) alarm or signal (most computers have this) either audibly or visually if your ascent is too fast or if you need to stop for decompression.

A lot of basic scuba diving computers also display surface interval time, time to fly (or how long you need to wait before flying, and water temperature. While other scuba diving computers may tell additional information other than those mentioned, these information vary from one scuba diving computer to another. The diver, thus, has to decide on which details of information are more important to him, and which he can disregard, depending on the type of dive he does, before buying a scuba diving computer.

In choosing which scuba diving computer to buy, scuba-diving-smiles.com listed the following for a scuba diver to consider:

* How much money do you want to spend?

* What information does the computer display (basic display information is listed above)?

* Does the computer automatically turn itself on and off? If you are the forgetful type, this is a nice feature. My computer doesn't and once I had to come back to the surface after starting my descent to turn it on. Luckily, I was only a few feet down. This is now one of our (my husband and I) standard pre-dive check questions.

* What type/style of computer do you want? Wristwatch style, console, hose mount or clip-on?

* Can you easily read the information? And understand the display? Are the buttons easy to use, especially if you typically wear gloves while diving?

* How many dives does the computer log? The last 10 dives seems to be typical. Ours is an older model and only keeps track of our last dive so we have to write the information down if we do more than 2 dives a day. It's fine for us but it would drive some people crazy.

* Does the computer keep track of your dives if you have to change the battery in a middle of a dive trip? Or will you have to stay out of the water for 24 hours if the battery fails? More important if you take a number of dive trips per year or frequently do multi dives per day.

* Is the computer backlit? Especially important if you do night diving, cave diving, wreck diving, etc.

* Do you want an air integrated computer? If so, do you want it on a hose or would you prefer a wireless setup?

* Do you want Nitrox capabilities (or think you may want it sometime in the future?) Even if you don't dive with nitrox now, if you think you might want to in the future, you probably should buy a dive computer with this capability. It doesn't add a whole lot to the cost and it could save you money in the future.

* What type of battery does it use? Can you change the battery or does it have to be sent back to the manufacturer? How long does the battery typically last? See our page on dive computer batteries for more information.

* What type of algorithm does the computer use to calculate decompression? Is this conservative or liberal?

* Do you want to be able to upload your dive information to a PC? Do you have to purchase a separate item to utilize this feature? While this is becoming a more commonplace feature, not all scuba dive computers have this capability so be sure to check.

* Is it good for altitude diving (if you plan on this type of diving)?

* What type of warranty does the dive computer have? Is there someone local that can service it?

These are some of the things to consider before choosing scuba dive computers. It can be a sizable investment so you want to make sure the dive computer you buy is the best one for you. After all, if you are not going to use all the capabilities (such as uploading to a PC) there is no sense in paying for them. A little time spent now can pay off big in the future.

To learn more about types and styles of dive computers please click here.