Off Topic -- slightly. Dive Computers

[Steve Butler]

Linux and Dirk:

On 03/06/2015 09:49 AM, Linus Torvalds wrote:
> On Fri, Mar 6, 2015 at 9:25 AM, Steve Butler <kg7je at comcast.net> wrote:
>> I read it in detail last night on the train home.  I've heard that in the
>> water the EON doesn't feel that heavy.  Wanita may not want something that
>> big on her arm (she's around 5' tall) but it would fit me fine (I'm 6'3" and
>> a lot overweight).
> So for me, it's not the "heavy" as in "heavy to lift", it's "heavy as
> in 'mass'".
>
> With a 2mm wetsuit (or no suit at all), the mass of the thing means
> that in order to not move around, you need to tighten the strap a lot.
>
> In a 5mm or a drysuit, there are absolutely no issues.
>
> But yes, it's probably very personal. Try it out.
>
>> Your thoughts on carrying a 2nd on each dive?  I've been tempted to sell the
>> Cobra and buy both the EON and COBAL2 (not in same year).
> I definitely think that having two computers is a good idea. It's
> extra backup for when something stupid goes wrong (low battery, press
> the wrong button, whatever).
>
> And even then, a backup often doesn't matter. If the dive computer
> fails, just cut the dive short. It's unlikely to happen, so big deal.
>
> But it depends on what kind of diving you do. If you do purely the
> "two dives a day, follow the dive master, never even close to deco"
> kind of diving, lots of people obviously do it without a dive computer
> at all, and that's the kind of situation where you just go "who cares
> if it fails, I'll just continue diving anyway".
>
> It's different if you are doing deco diving, or if you're doing
> something like "a week of five dives a day, more nitrogen-limited than
> air-limited by the second dive".
>
> Because then having a computer fail doesn't necessarily mean just "cut
> that dive short, or even continue diving", it can mean "oops, what do
> I do about the rest of the week now?"
>
> So it entirely depends on just how bad it is to have problems with a
> dive computer. The problems are fairly rare with a single dive
> computer. If that unlikely failure isn't a big deal, why bother with a
> backup?
>
> (Having multiple computers actually makes the likelihood of at least
> *one* of them having problems go up a lot. That's not just because
> there are more computers that can go wrong, but it's more likely that
> you forgot to set the nitrox mix on one, or not look at one and it
> goes into deco and then locks you out etc etc. So because of
> subsurface I tend to dive with 4+ dive computers, I've had *many*
> dives now where one of them have gone on the fritz. Partly because
> I've also been diving new computers for testing).
>
>                    Linus
>
Your two experiences make Wanita and my 3 years with the Cobra (one 
each) seem like a miracle.
But, we haven't pushed the limits and in worst case would have to fall 
back on the dive tables (er, dive master).
But, as we start exploring 100-130 I'm thinking I haven't been that 
smart -- just lucky.

Thanks for sharing.

Bonus is paid out next week.  I'm off to the Philippines the week after 
(taking high school students on a 12 day mission trip -- no diving :-(   ).
Decisions, decisions.

--Steve
(stay dry while you're wet)