Top 5 Air Integrated Dive Computers Of 2018
Dive computers have gone from a luxury dive piece to a near essential piece of dive equipment for scuba divers in a relatively short period of time. There are so many reasons that make diving with a computer much preferred to diving off of tables. Many new divers likely learned off of a dive computer and may never have pulled out dive tables in between dives to plan their next dive.
Reasons which make diving off a computer preferable to diving off of tables include:
- Accuracy: Multi-level diving is near impossible to do off of tables because of course on any dive you are ascending and descending. On tables you are estimating your depth and the time you spend at the depth. On a dive computer it keeps track of your depth and the time you spend there to the second.
- Safety: A dive computer provides you with a ton of information to ensure you are diving safely. If used correctly you can set the O2 levels of your cylinder, it will automatically track your surface intervals and what pressure group you are on, it will tell you your max bottom time remaining, and on many computers which are air integrated it will give you a very good idea of your remaining oxygen time remaining based upon your breathing rate. Human error is decreased by a lot when you are using a reliable dive computer. They also help with your safety stop providing the correct amount of time required to stay on your stop.
- Ascent Rate: Sometimes if you aren’t looking at your depth gauge constantly you can easily lose track of your depth and ascent rate. Dive computers work to provide you with an audio warning if you are ascending too quickly. They will also warn you if are getting too shallow on your safety stop.
- Dive Logging: Most modern dive computers will keep track of your dives and remove the need to manually log your dives in a log book, because truth be told, most divers will not record their information immediately upon surfacing. It will automatically log your dives and can show with accuracy your dive profile when you upload your dives to your computer. When used in conjunction with notes that you take on the dive with regards to the site, how you felt, current, etc, you will have a complete and very accurate dive log.
With the immense benefits from diving with a computer, there has come a great demand for dive computers with many scuba manufacturers now producing their own models. We take a look below at 5 air integrated dive computers which we at Saguaro Scuba recommend and stock. Each has their own pros and cons which we will describe below.
Shearwater Perdix AI $1175
The Shearwater Perdix AI Bundle is an amazing air integrated dive computer at a reasonable price. Making their dive computers in Canada, Shearwater has earned a reputation for building top quality dive computers which are jam packed with features. This air integrated computer certainly doesn’t disappoint. The Perdix AI is capable of connecting to either one or two transmitters giving the diver the option to monitor two tanks or dive sidemount. It offers a large, easy to read screen and font, which makes monitoring your computer a breeze. The computer itself is powered by a standard AA battery while the transmitter is powered by a 3v CR2 Lithium battery.
Like many new dive computers coming out, the Perdix AI is bluetooth ready which allows for easy uploading of dive profiles and logs to your smart phone or device.
This is a great dive computer, with loads of features, from a reputable manufacturer at a competitive price.
ScubaPro G2 $1566
ScubaPro is one of the dive industries most sought after brands and the Galileo 2 (G2) Air Integrated dive computer will do nothing to change that reputation. This new dive computer offers divers from beginners to tec divers the ability to use as much or as little of its features as they wish. A fullscreen-color display gives offers easy reading underwater. The G2 allows for up to 8 different nitrox/trimix mixes which will easily handle any recreational or technical diving scenario.
With the option to add an integrated heart rate monitor and skin temperature reader which fully integrates into the workload calculations, you can understand why this dive computer is very popular with safety conscious divers. The heart rate monitor allows for real time tracking of your heart rate in hopes of staying in your target zone which will maximize your fun and safety at depth. The hoseless air integration provides a true remaining bottom time and allows air consumption to be factored into the decompression calculation. The G2 also features a digital compass, multiple diving modes including scuba. freediving, CCR, and sidemount. It also has a rechargeable batter which can last up to 50 hours of dive time per charge. If used correctly, this dive computer can give you a huge leg up in terms of safety.
Mares Quad Air $699
If you are a recreational diver who wants to take advantage of wireless dive computer technology and don’t want to spend over $1000 the Mares Quad Air has you covered.
This great little dive computer comes in at a very reasonable $699 which is great considering how much technology and features are jam packed into this dive computer. The Mares Quad Ai has a magnificently clear display with jumbo size font and information. The hoseless integration allows for tank data integration for up to 3 transmitters. There is three rows of information with 2 fields fully customizable for the extra information you deem important.
This computer may come in at a very reasonable price of $699 but is still multigas capable and comes with a really handy decompression dive planner with a user adjustable surface interval.
If you want to get rid of a hose from your set up and take advantage of the air integration while keeping your costs down, this is a fantastic option!
Suunto Eon Core $995 + $439 Tank Pod
The Suunto Eon Core is a great dive computer which comes in 3 different colors which makes it also quite stylish. Suunto is a brand which is best known for creating really dependable and long lasting dive computers. The Eon Core offers a large color display with large, easy to read font. To be integrated with your tank you will be required to add on a Suunto Tank Pod For Eon Steel and Core which will bring the cost of the unit up another $439.
Stay Up-to-date. One great feature of the Eon Core is that it has updatable software which will make the EON Core a dive computer you can count on for years to come. The EON Core Battery is fully rechargeable through USB.
With the Eon Core you can connect to up to 10 Suunto Tank Pods to display tank and gas information. You can transfer your dives and change your settings into Suunto’s Movescount App very easily over a Bluetooth connection to your mobile device. Movescout is a great App which Suunto offers which allows you to keep a detailed dive log/diary and share your underwater adventures and pictures.
The Suunto Eon Core also is compatible with Gauge/Air/Nitrox/Trimix/CCR (fixed point) diving. It uses Suunto Fused™ RGBM for maximizing dive time and a no decompression dive planner. It also offers a tilt compensated 3D Digital compass and is guaranteed to 80m depth.
Sherwood Amphos Air $899
Sherwood Scuba has added a new computer called the Amphos Air to their product line. This new air integrated dive computer comes in at a very competitive $899 and offers a variety of features on a very compact and comfortable dive computer. This dive computer is actually stylish and small enough that it can certainly pass as an every day watch.
The Amphos Air offers four operating modes depending upon what type of diving you are doing. It allows programming for 2 gases and offers and independant PO2 alarm settings for each gas. This computer stores up to 24 dives internally and can be uploaded to your computer or device via an optional USB cable. Once uploaded you can see bar graphs showing your nitrogen, oxygen, as well as your ascent. The Amphos Air goes off of the DSAT Decompression model. It offers safety stop as well as deep stop countdowns with minutes and seconds and also offers programmable audio alarms.
For the price of $899 this is a very handy dive computer which is sure to handle most all of your recreational diving needs.
In summary
You don’t have to necessarily blow your budget to get a nice and reliable air integrated dive computer. You can pick up the Mares Quad Air for a very reasonable $699 or the Amphos Air for $899. If you are looking for a dive computer manufactured by a trusted Canadian brand who specialize in building only dive computers, the Shearwater Perdix AI is a great option at $1175. If you are interested in Tec diving or really want to go with a brand name dive computer with tons of features, both the Suunto Eon Core and the ScubaPro G2 will provide you with plenty of features and a dive computer which should last you for many years to come!
If you have any questions regarding what computer is right for you, come by our store in Mesa, Arizona and one of our knowledgeable staff will show you the different computers and help you choose which dive computer is right for you and your diving needs!
Article Author: Jon Rowe.