DIVE COMPUTERS

It has long been recognized that a multilevel dive profile (spending part of a dive at a deep depth and the rest at a s
shallower depth) is far safer than a dive to a single deep depth. By using a computer while following a multilevel dive profile you will increase your allowable bottom time at the same time that you are increasing your personal safety. For instance 
a dive to 100 feet is limited to 20 minutes of bottom time according to the PADI Recreational Dive Planner. If you take this same dive and convert it to a multilevel dive you can increase your bottom time to over an hour. When you take into consideration the cost of going out on a dive boat, it does not take a mathematician to see that today's dive computer pays for itself in a few dives.

No-Decompression Computers

While at one time the air only computer was the most popular, today with the surge in popularity of Enriched Air Diving (Nitrox), computers that can calculate both no-decompression times and oxygen exposure (necessary when diving with Nitrox) are becoming more prevalent. These computers offer all of the advantages of the air only computer but can also be set for various mixtures of Nitrox.

Air-Integrated Computers

Computers that encompass both a no-decompression computer and a computerized SPG are called air-integrated computers. These computers calculate not only no- decompression time but also remaining airtime based upon your current depth and air consumption. The extra information gives the diver an extra edge in both dive planning and dive safety. Air-integrated computers are available in models that either have a high pressure hose or are hoseless. 
The hoseless air-integrated computer uses a transmitter to send the information to a wrist or console receiver. The lack 
of a high-pressure hose adds to greater dexterity on the part of the diver.