Do You Need to Buy a Dive Computer?

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Tables used to be the standard. At this point, nearly all recreational divers dive with a personal dive computer and for good reason.

A dive computer calculates depth, bottom time, ascent rate, and no-deco limits in the moment. Dive tables are a fixed calculation. If you change depth partway through, the computer recalculates. Tables don't.

Watch-style computers are the most common use at this point. These are small enough, readable underwater, and you'll wear them as a watch too. Console-mount models are an option but fewer buyers pick them anymore.

Basic computers run about a few hundred dollars and handle everything the average diver needs. You get depth, dive time, no-deco limits, a logbook, and sometimes a basic freediving mode. The $500-800 range adds transmitter compatibility, nicer screens, and more gas compatibility.

The one thing people overlook is conservatism settings. Certain models are tighter than others. A cautious algorithm results in reduced NDL. Liberal ones give more time but with less buffer. Neither is wrong. It comes down to what you're comfortable with and experience level.

Talk to the staff at a dive shop who's used various models first. Staff will offer honest opinions on which ones hold up versus what's just marketing. The better Cairns dive website stores have product guides and rundowns online as well

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