Should You Buy Your Own Dive Computer?

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Years ago, dive tables were the standard. Now, nearly all scuba divers dive with a wrist-mount computer and it makes sense.

A dive computer calculates depth, time, ascent rate, and no-deco limits in real-time. Dive tables are a fixed calculation. If you go shallower during a dive, a computer adjusts. A table can't.

Watch-style computers are what most people buy at this point. These are small enough, readable underwater, and you'll use them as a daily watch too. Console-mount models are still around but less buyers choose them these days.

Entry-level computers start around resource $250-400 and cover everything the average diver needs. They give you depth tracking, time, NDL, log function, and sometimes a basic freediving mode. The $500-800 range adds air integration, better screens, and additional nitrox options.

Something buyers don't think about is conservatism settings. Some models are more cautious than others. A tighter setting gives you shorter NDL. Looser ones extend time but with less buffer. Neither is wrong. It comes down to your style and your diving background.

Worth talking to someone at a dive shop who's used multiple computers before you decide. Good dive stores will have a straight answer on what's good and what's just marketing. Decent dive shops publish buying guides and rundowns on their sites too

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