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I guess I shouldn't have deleted it so fast, since I should remember the poster & snip the comment, but there was a letter yesterday about dive computers that included a negative recommendation on air integrated machines. I like them, but the information they present is dangerous and must be understood. Just the same, I think more information is always better. If you are a pilot, or enjoy driving, you probably like real analog gauges, with big clear needles that move fast, instead of digital displays, because you can not only see the reading, (altitude, revs, whatever) but also the trend in the reading (the first derivative) and maybe even the acceleration of the trend (the second derivative). You don't get this with scuba guages, analog or digital. You can't look at them and see how fast you are sucking air. You just see psi. With a time remaining calculation, the reading involves time and is sort of the first derivative. Not exactly, but if you knwo what I mean, then you know what I mean. I particularly like my Nemesis, since it will actually show my surface air comsumption rate in addition to time remaining. On days when I'm tired or excited, I KNOW I'm using air faster than planned and dial in more conservancy right away, while there is still a lot to be done about it. More information is better, but you have to think about it. Example: Two nights ago I was night diving on a breakwater in only about 20 feet of water. I had over an hour of air time left. I dropped down ten feet, and felt something large and sharp grab the meat on my right calf. It was only a lobster, scared up by my buddy. I had 30 minutes of air time left. Some breathing exercises, and it was back up. Now if it had stayed a point or two high, maybe I would have gone back up to 20 feet, or always stayed five feet above my buddy to make him consume air faster and make him limit the dive. I know it's not good etiquette, but I've been wasting enougth bandwidth lately, and I've got two quick comments. On regs: I use Dacor extremes, and I hate them. They are plastic, and breath very dry, and yes, I get CO2 headaches. Interesting observation, there about plastic regs doing that and being dry. Makes sense. Furthermore, I've gone through a couple of poppets in each reg in less than a year. I release pressure on them between dives, but it's not long before they begin leaking slowly. I've heard they've re-designed the poppet. Anyone know if that's true? I don't think I'll ever trust this reg fully in any case. Finally, on bc's, are the only ones with backplates the OMS and the Dive-Rite? I haven't had a close look at Dive-Rite's yet, but OMS's has a lot of external bungee on the bags to keep them tucked up when not fully inflated, and it looks like a lot of places for stuff to get hung up on. How are the Dive-Rites? ------------------------------------------------------- Roger Carlson w 310-812-0430 somewhere off Hermosa Beach, Cal f 310-812-1363 roger@ch*.sp*.tr*.co* h 310-frogger ------------------------------------------------------- spending my days under hundreds of feet of C....
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