Dive Computers: Honest Buyer's Guide for Reef Divers

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Tables used to be how everyone dived. These days, the majority of scuba divers wear a wrist-mount computer and for good reason.

Your computer calculates depth, time, ascent rate, and NDL in real-time. Dive tables are a fixed calculation. When cairns dive computer guide you go shallower during a dive, the computer recalculates. Tables don't.

Wrist-mount computers are the most common use these days. These are compact, readable underwater, and you can wear them as a regular watch as well. Console models are an option but not as many divers pick them these days.

Entry-level computers start around a few hundred dollars and handle everything a recreational diver would need. You get depth, bottom time, NDL, log function, and often a simple apnea mode. Mid-range includes wireless air monitoring, improved readability, and extra gas options.

What people forget is conservatism settings. Some models are more conservative than others. A cautious algorithm results in reduced no-deco time. More aggressive settings extend time but at reduced margin. Both work. It comes down to what you're comfortable with and your diving background.

Talk to people at a dive shop who's used a few different brands before you decide. They'll have real-world feedback on what works and what isn't hype. Decent dive shops publish product guides and rundowns on their websites as well

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