Features To Look For While Buying A Scuba Dive Computer

For someone who takes their scuba diving seriously, the question of buying a scuba dive computer or a wrist dive computer is of massive significance. You start off as a novice, happily fiddling with your dive mask, struggling to put on your wetsuit and wondering whether you'd ever learn how to achieve neutral buoyancy. But the dark depths fascinate you, and you do not miss a single scuba diving opportunity. Over time, you turn into a true-blue scuba diver who wants to dive deeper than the last time.

At this stage, you realize that you need a dive computer with a compass. A dive computer keeps track of the depth of your dive and the amount of time you spend at different depths. As you well know, the nitrogen that you breathe at depths dissolves rather quickly. It is imperative for you to keep the amount of nitrogen in your bloodstream within accepted limits if you want to avoid decompression sickness.

A good scuba diving computer calculates theoretical nitrogen and displays the figures. In short, you always know you max dive time if you have this instrument strapped to your wrist. If you are planning to buy a wrist dive computer, you must check whether it has the following important features:

Display Size and Visibility: More likely than not, your dive computer will double as a digital watch, stop watch, underwater temperature gauge and much else besides. Consequently, you will need to consult it several times during your dive. Make sure that the display is big and clear enough for you to easily read the different figures.

Compatible with Enriched Air: If you ever plan to use enriched air on your dives, it is best to go for a dive computer that allows you to set the computer accordingly. Enriched air increases your exposure to oxygen and gives you an increased dive time. Unless you are a hundred percent sure that you'll not be using enriched air, go for a dive computer that can make calculations for enriched air.

Attitude: How would you describe yourself? Are you an aggressive diver or would you describe yourself as a careful, conservative diver? Pick a wrist dive computer that matches your attitude. There are conservatively set diving computers that start telling you to get back to the surface while there is enough time left. On the other hand a relatively aggressive dive computer that let you stay down longer.

Downloading and PC Integration: Most scuba diving enthusiasts like to keep a record of the time and depth of their dives. Most modern scuba dive computers allow you to transfer the diving logs to your PC or laptops. You can analyze the data on your PC and get a clear, broad picture of your diving history. If you wish to save and analyze the information present in your doing logs, ensure that the dive computer has USB connectors that allow you to connect it to the computer.

As long as you keep these things in mind while choosing your scuba diving computer, you will be able to make the right decision. In addition to the above mentioned points, you might also want to take into consideration the battery type, find out how you can replace the batteries, and check out what kind of warranty the manufacturer provides.