Air intergrated or not?

[Jan-Patrick Périssé]

I am new to diving and I want to buy a computer. My Doubt is:
Should I buy standard gauges and an air integrated computer or just an air integrated computer (I mean, for security sake).
Or even a non air integrated computer, as there seems to be a trend to wrist computers and air integrated wrist computers cost a lot...

[KGNickl]

I would say get either a Wireless AI and retractor or wrist mount compass, AI w/ compass (built in or attached), or Wrist watch + SPG + compass (Compass could be attached to SPG, a retractor type, or wrist mount).

Personally I had an Oceanic SWIV 3 guage console and Mares M2 computer (Nothing wrong with them, just got an itch for new and high tech toys!). I upgraded to an Aeris Epic (Wireless AI), Oceanic Wrist mount compass boot (put the console compass into it), and a cap to cover where the compass used to be in the console. I dive w/ the Oceanic compass in the wrist boot (left hand), Aeric Epic (right hand), and I leave the console and my old computer in my bag as a backup if I ever need it.

[thor]

You are going to get a lot of different opinions about this, most which revolves around safety and having a redundant system in case the transmitter fails or the computer fails. There are no batteries needed for standard gauges, so they are safer.

However, safety aside, I invested in an AI wrist computer when I first started and I love it and highly recommend it. I never have to worry about finding my gauges, and all of the info is right on my wrist. Plus one less hose is alsways a plus. The other nice feature, is that when I first started diving, I didn't know anything about SAC rates or how fast I was using my air. With an AI computer, it calculates air time remaining in minutes as well as in terms of pressure. It was nice to know that I had approximately x minutes of air remaining just by a glance at the wrist, or to know that I was using air much quicker than usual on a particular dive.

Now of course the computer is just another tool to use, and one should not totally rely on just computer calculations (which are just estimates), or forego planning a dive, however an AI computer is a nice way to get instant feedback, especially for a new diver.

[Jan-Patrick Périssé]

I couldn't agree more, Thor. My only concern about AI Wrist is the cost. But It might be a good investment. I didn't know they warn about consuming a lot more than before. Which AI Wrist do you use?

[MSilvia]

I'd say if you're concerned about the cost, it isn't worth it. I've been diving for over 20 years now, and still prefer not having AI. The only time I see it adding a real advantage is if you have one you can use to monitor your buddy. Even then, I'd be more comfortable having a standard analog pressure guage for myself.

[thor]

Originally Posted by Jan-Patrick Périssé

I couldn't agree more, Thor. My only concern about AI Wrist is the cost. But It might be a good investment. I didn't know they warn about consuming a lot more than before. Which AI Wrist do you use?

I have the Aeris Atmos Elite. At the time they were just coming out with the new line of Aeris computers and the Elite T3, so I got it after they discontinued the model, and got it for about 50% off.

[Sounder]

I would always go with a high quality analog spg before I depended on a computer. Lots of folks run wireless computers with transmitters and then and a standard spg as back-up.

[ChrisA]

Originally Posted by Jan-Patrick Périssé

I am new to diving and I want to buy a computer. My Doubt is:
Should I buy standard gauges and an air integrated computer or just an air integrated computer (I mean, for security sake).
Or even a non air integrated computer, as there seems to be a trend to wrist computers and air integrated wrist computers cost a lot...

If you are buying equipment buy this LAST. Most beginning divers use air so fast that NDL is simply a non-isue they use the air long before. If you dive deeper NDL is short but as a beginner yuo've likely been told not to go below (say) 60 feet. If you folow that advice then you will run out of air first.

Once you have some dives behind you you will have a good feel for time remaining by just looking at the SPG and knowing your depth. THis "feel" can be a lot more acurate than an AI computer because the computer has to assue you will stay at the same depth untill the end of the dive and you know better, that you will be heaed upward slowly. A year and 100 dives from now you will be loking at that "time remaining" display and know it is not right and see it says "15" but know you have 25 minutes because he comuter asumes a square profile. My preferene is a mechhanical SPG and a simple wrist mount computer.

[cummings66]

I like my VT3, and I like my Highland SPG. I use both, but to be honest I refer to the computer for my pressure readings as it's right there. I will glance at my analog SPG once in a while, but it's not common. The computer tells me more often because every time I wonder how deep I am I also find out how much air I have. And since it's digital I can monitor the usage more accurately for calculating RMV rates. The analog I think is useful to 50 psi since it's marked every 100, but the digital is a number. Who knows for sure how accurate it is, but I tend to think if it says you've used 50 psi in 5 minutes that it's more accurate than the analog.

I would say if you can afford both, the do it. Just don't rely on the computer to the exclusion of your brain and manual thought processes.

[tc_rain]

I have an AI wrist computer (Aeris Elite) and was thinking along the same lines as you before I purchased it. I also thought about an analog spg as backup to the computer. I ended up going with just the Elite thinking if there was ever a problem that is the end of the dive. Since it is on my wrist, I look at it enough throughout the dive that I generally have an idea of what it is going to read. If for some reason it appears faulty, the dive is over and I know about where I am at from the last reading. I know this is not the safest practice but it works for me.