That 'premium' dive computer I mocked saved my butt on a 90 foot job

I spent years running old school analog gauges and talking trash about guys with wrist computers. Called them overpriced toys. Then last month on a bridge inspection in Norfolk, my depth gauge started acting up and my air was going fast. I borrowed a buddy's backup Suunto and it caught a decompression flag I would have totally missed. Has anyone else eaten their words about a piece of gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

leohart13d ago

...and that's the thing, people don't realize how much mental math you skip with a computer until you're in a situation where your brain is already foggy from the dive. My old analog setup was fine for 95% of my dives, but that 5% where a quick deco stop or a fast ascent matters is exactly when a computer earns its keep. For me it's like having a second set of eyes that doesn't get distracted.

julia9213d ago

Right, but do you really trust it 100% though @leohart? I mean, I get the foggy brain thing, happened to me once on a wreck at 110 feet and I had to do a safety stop by feel almost... scared me straight. My old tables never lied, but they also didn't adapt when my air consumption went up or my bottom time got pushed. I guess the real question is, do you ever find yourself second-guessing the computer when it's telling you to do something that feels wrong? Because I've had a few buddies who had a computer glitch or give a weird reading and they just followed it anyway... that's the part that worries me more than the math part, honestly.