Do You Need to Buy Your Own Dive Computer?

Tables used to be the only option. These days, most divers wear a wrist-mount computer and for good reason.

The computer calculates your depth, bottom time, ascent rate, and no-deco limits in the moment. Tables can't do that. When you change depth mid-dive, it updates. Tables are set before you get in.

Wrist-mount computers are what the majority of divers buy now. They're find out more small enough, easy to read, and you'll wear them as a daily watch too. Hose-mounted models are still around but less buyers go that way now.

Budget computers go for around $250-400 and handle everything a recreational diver requires. They give you depth tracking, time, no-deco limits, log function, and sometimes an entry-level freedive function. The $500-800 range includes air integration, improved screens, and more nitrox options.

What buyers don't think about is algorithm differences. Some models are tighter than others. A cautious algorithm results in shorter no-deco time. More aggressive ones extend bottom time but at a thinner margin. Neither is wrong. It comes down to your style and how experienced you are.

Ask the staff at a local dive store who dives with a few different models first. Staff will give you real-world feedback on what works versus what's just marketing. The better Cairns dive stores put out gear reviews and honest reviews on their sites too