Ladies and gentlemen, what is going on? My name is James. Welcome to Scuba Diver Magazine.
I'm a professional diving instructor and digital content creator and Scuba Diving Magazine's
man in Miami. And they've invited me over from my own channel, Divers Ready, with one
simple goal in mind, to help make you a better scuba diver. And I want to welcome you back
to this, the second video in our playlist, we're calling Basics, brought to you by Aqua
Lung, where we're breaking down each component of the basic scuba set up for you, our universal
scuba buddies. And today we're going to be looking at dive
computers, looking at the various styles that dive computers are available in and what functions
you should be looking for if you're going to invest in your own dive computer. And if
that wasn't enough, Scuba Diver Magazine are going to be giving away one Aqua Lung i770R,
the flagship computer from Aqua Lung to a lucky viewer. And later in this video, I will
be giving you details of how you can enter the contest to win.
Also, as Aqua Lung were kind enough to send me their i770R, and a transmitter and the
new i200C computer, I'm going to be taking them all diving, down in Key Largo later in
this video. And I'm going to come back with my thoughts and feelings on who these computers
are right for, and my general opinions on them.
But first, let's have a look at the different styles of computer that are available on the
market today, of which there are three basic kinds. The first is the console, computer,
and console computers are identified by being attached via a high pressure hose to the first
stage of your regulator's high pressure port. Some console computers are air integrated,
meaning that they have a pressure receptor in the base, and on the screen of your computer,
you'll be able to read your tank pressure. Or in the case of this one, this is non-air
integrated. And you can tell that by the fact that there is a separate analog SPG gauge.
In either case, when you look at a console computer, you have all the information you
want in one place, analog gauge for your tank pressure, and then all your dive profile information
on the computer screen. Some console computers come with a detachable head. This isn't one
of those. This is a very basic model. But the advantage of having a detachable head
is that you can recharge the computer, normally via USB connector. And you can even plug it
into your computer and download your dive logs.
The advantages of a console-style computer like this are that they are attached to the
regulator via your high-pressure hose. So one would hope that they are harder to forget
or leave behind somewhere. And basic models like this tend to be cheaper than either a
wrist mount or a watch-style computer as well. Let's get rid of that for now and move on
to watch-style computers. So there's no way around it, I'll just say it. Watch-style dive
computers are just plain cool, especially when you color coordinate them with the hat
you're wearing. Thanks a lot for that, Aqua Lung. I had no idea what color this computer
was until I opened the box. A watch-style dive computer has all the functionality
of a wrist mount or a console computer with the added advantage of being housed in a really
small package that can be worn as a daily wear watch. So that means if you're going
on a dive vacation, you can just take your regular wear wristwatch off, slap your dive
computer on. You're not going to forget it. It's going to be worn with you every day.
And it's one less thing to pack or forget. The other advantage is that whether you're
in the bar or the boardroom, people are going to be able to identify you as a scuba diver,
and that makes you instantly cool. Price wise, watch-style computers start in
the $200 range and go all the way up to the thousands, depending on what functionality
you want from them. One thing to consider if you want buy a watch-style computer is
what is the power source. So the nice thing about the i200C here is it has a user-changeable
battery. And you really want that in a risk computer. It's 2019, for heaven's sake, it
should be at least user-changeable battery or rechargeable. If you're buying a dive computer
that you have to send away to a service center, you're going to be without it for a period
of time, it's going to cost your shipping both ways. It's just generally inconvenient
and not the modern way of doing things. The general disadvantage of a watch-style
computer is because they're housed in a smaller body, they have a smaller screen. So if you're
myopic like I am, and you can't see far without contact lenses, then you might want to opt
for a wrist-mount computer with a larger colorful screen.
Which brings us to wrist-mount computers. In this case, the Aqua Lung i770R which are
very, very similar in form and function to watch-style computers. They're just a little
bit larger, which has the benefit of having a larger, more easy to read screen, but probably
too big to wear as an everyday watch to boardroom meetings. I don't know, maybe you could rock
it. So no matter which style of the computer you
choose, the basic functions are the same for all, they're monitoring your depth, your time,
your dive profile, and in some cases, your gas consumption, with the goal of running
all that data through their algorithm and producing a plan for you to keep you safe.
But there are some add-ons, some additional functionalities that you may want to consider
if you're choosing your next dive computer. And the first is gases. I think these days,
you'd be hard pressed to find a dive computer that can't cope with nitrox configurations,
particularly at the recreational level. You're going to want to ask yourself how many
different gasses do you dive on a regular basis? How many do you need your computer
to be able to store? If you're thinking about moving into technical diving, do you need
a computer that's capable of doing helium calculations and decompression planning? Those
are all considerations you should be factoring in when looking at how many gases your dive
computer can hold and store. Next up is the modes, how many modes your
computer runs. Most computers these days will have a gauge mode, which means the computer
dive planning aspect is turned off. And it will simply give you your time and your depth.
Nearly all computers, as I said, have a nitrox mode. And of course, an air-diving mode, but
if you're a free diver or a tech diver, you should make sure that those are included in
the ones you're looking at. So compass or GPS are functions that are available
in some dive computers these days. I personally love having a compass built into my dive computer
because it saves me from wearing an analog one if I need it for navigation, and that's
just more convenient. On a console style, you may have a digital compass built into
the computer, or you may have an analog compass on the back.
Other dive computers are capable of tracking your dive from space, using the global positioning
system. I don't really know if I need that function yet, but it is a thing. So nearly
all dive computers will log your dives for you. The number of dives they log vary from
about four up to the hundreds, depending on the memory that's included in your computer.
And some allow you to download or back up your logs to a computer or mobile device.
That can either be by providing a cable that you physically plug in, download some software
and transfer the files across, or as in the case with most modern solutions, you download
an app to your smartphone and sync over Bluetooth, and then you can save your dives that way.
You can even share your dive profiles on social media if that turns you on.
The next function I've got for you, which you may want to take into consideration when
reviewing computers you're considering to purchase is what is the user interface like?
By interface, I mean how user friendly is your computer? How easy is it to scroll through
the menus and set the settings that you want for the dive profile that you're planning
to do? I'm of the general opinion that the less buttons a dive computer has, the easier
it is to navigate, which scared me a little bit when I opened up these two new computers.
This one has four buttons, this one has three buttons. But then I found out the pelagic
systems that make the algorithms for Aqua Lung dive computers has an app or Diverlog
Plus. So you open the app up and put all the settings you want in your dive computer, then
connect via Bluetooth and sync your computer. And hey presto, your dive computer is set
for you the way you want, ready to go. So by now, you should be able to narrow down
the style and functions that you want in your next dive computer, and I hope that helps
you with your search. I'm going to take these two beautiful computers down to Key Largo
and test them out for myself, and I'll be right back here with my thoughts and feelings
as to what I think about these computers and who I think they're best suited for.
And we are back. I want to say thank you so much to the team down at Horizon Divers, great
dives as always. Always a fun time. And now it's time for me to share my thoughts and
feelings on these two beautiful computers and who I think they're best suited for. And
we're going to start with the i200C. I'm not going to quote you a retail price. I know
how much this computer goes for in the US, and you can look it up wherever you live.
But I will say for the money here in America, what a fun feature-packed little computer.
Besides a compass, I really don't know what other features a beginner diver could ask
for in such a bright, fun little computer. The screen is clear and very, very easy to
read. It gives you all the information you need and nothing you don't, so it's absolutely
ideal for the beginner diver. I think they sent me the i200C in what they
call dark charcoal, because it's probably the color closest to black, and the good people
at Aqua Lung know that I'm a techie diver at heart. But really, I would have gone for
one of the fun blue colors, the teal or the mid blue, I think look really funky. Make
diving colorful again. So the i200C isn't an air integrated computer.
It doesn't have the radio technology to be able to communicate with the transmitter,
but it does have Bluetooth connectivity and it's really fun to be able to go into the
app, connect this computer to it and go through all your settings and transfer your dive logs
back to your phone. And then if it's something that interests you, you can share your dive
profiles directly from there to any one of your social media outlets.
Definitely has that cool factor. You can definitely wear this as a watch down to your local yacht
club and let everybody know that you were a scuba diver. Very sporty design. I like
it. I like the way it looks. Really, my only complaint about the i200C is the strap. I
do love the rubber nature and that it's got this grippy texture to it, but the strap was
very short. I think I had it on a fourth notch when I was wearing it as a watch, and then
when I wanted to put it over my three mil wetsuit, I was on the second to last notch
right there, and that didn't give me the utmost in security, only just feeds through the first
little strap retainer there, with no way of getting through that one.
So that's my only complaint. And it's not a major one. I could always change the strap,
I suppose. It's just quirky because I've never had that happen for any dive computer I've
ever dived. Apart from that, I think it's an excellent entry-level computer. I think
if you are a recreational diver who is on a budget, definitely check out the i200C from
Aqua Lung. And then next up, we have the flagship computer,
the i770R from Aqua Lung. It does come in a case. I can't help but feel that you've
seen this case somewhere before, but nice job of rebranding at Aqua Lung. It's very
plush and I know that my investment will be well protected in that. It's a flagship computer,
it really should come with a case. And it also comes with this funky, what they call
a Nato strap. The problem with the strap, whilst it looks super cool is, as you'll remember
from your open-water class, when you were dealing with weight belts, webbing expands
when it gets wet. So when you put this watch on and you crank it tight on the boat, and
you do your giant stride entry in, about five, 10 minutes into the dive, it's rolling around
on your wrist. It doesn't expand so much that I would think
it could drop off of my hand and lose it, but it's just annoying that is rattles around
and you have to re-tighten it. But again, if that's the worst of your problems, hey
ho. It does also come with about 15 cents worth of bungee chord, so if you want to swap
the Nato strap out for a bungee setup, if you're diving dry suit or a thick wet suit,
you have that option built in. As for the computer itself, beautiful design.
It's got the feeling of ruggedness. It feels well built, but without being clunky or heavy,
which I like. As well as the computer, the two straps and the case, you also get a CD-ROM
of the manual, in case you happen to invent the time machine and go back to 1998 and find
something that plays a CD-ROM. Or alternatively, of course, you could just go to Aqua Lung's
website, like I did, and download the PDF like a normal person.
This is the first computer I've actually ever used where you could put all the settings
in your phone, sync it over Bluetooth and then, hey presto, off you go. When you start
it up there, you get this pretty picture. So on the personal information, in case there
was an accident, you've got your home address, your phone number, your emergency contact,
even your blood type and your insurance member number, which is pretty cool.
But it is of course, air integrated as well. So I slapped the transmitter onto my wife's
Aqua Lung Legend and used that for the dives. Had no connectivity issues at all, paired
first time. You actually plug it in via the serial number of the transmitter, and it's
called Paired for Life, like swans. And I had no issues whatsoever, above or below the
surface, they stayed perfectly connected. During the dive, the screen was clear and
easy to read. I really like that all the information was color coded because even though I just
did one and then a quick second dive with this computer, I intuitively knew where to
look for what information I wanted see on it. That was fantastic, took me no time at
all to learn it. I would say that you're going to notice on
the video that there's some kind of a flicker on the screen. That's just because the frame
rate I was using in the film doesn't cooperate with the refresh rate of the screen on the
computer. So it looks like it's flashing, but in real life that isn't actually the case.
It's perfectly stable. Although, one of my dive buddies who was on the boat with me did
say that he thought that the numbers and the data was vibrating slightly as he looked at
it. But then again, he's lived in the Florida Keys for quite a long time, so there's that.
I would say that the screen is smaller than the computer I'm used to diving. And it's
a weird size because it's smaller than my other wrist-mounted computers, but too big
to be worn as a watch. So it falls in that weird category of in between wrist mount and
watch style. Not really a criticism, just a quirky observation. Jeez, James, not everything
has to fit into nice little categories. If you decide to purchase an Aqua Lung i770R,
you'll be comforted to know that it recharges via a USB cable that comes supplied with the
computer. USB, not USB-C, which is sad because obviously, that's the way technology is going.
But I have every confidence that Aqua Lung will release a USB-C charge cable in one of
the later iterations. One thing I would say though, as a criticism,
is it charges very slowly. New out of the box, it showed 30% battery level. It says,
"Charge fully before first use." Yes, sir. So I plugged in and left it overnight, and
in the morning it was at 72%. I charge my GoPro batteries out at the same outlet and
they charge in an hour to full. Also, if I was going to add one criticism
of this, the tank pressure readout did a weird thing during the dives. When you breathe in,
the pressure displayed here, your tank pressure from the transmitter actually increases by
one bar. That's 14.7 PSI to my American friends. It's really weird to be on a dive and see
your pressure increasing at any time. And I understand that's because the transmitter's
screwed into the first stage and the first stage has to rebalance itself. When you breathe
in, you drop the IP into the secondary hose, but it's still weird to see your air increase
on a dive as you're breathing in, the pressure goes up. I've used many transmitters and computers
before, and that's a first for me. I've never seen that happen.
Who do I think this computer is for? Well, if you're looking for a recreational only
dive computer that has a bright multicolored display, that's easy to read and even easier
to program, you could do worse than looking at the Aqua Lung i770R. And if you would like
to claim your chances to win this flagship computer from Aqua Lung, the i770R, this beautiful
beast of a multicolored recreational dive computer, all you have to do is scroll down
in the description of this video below, click on the link and you will be presented with
multiple chances and ways that you can enter the draw to win.
Don't forget to subscribe, ladies and gentlemen, if you haven't already. And feel free to head
over to my channel Divers Ready. There's a link in the description of this video below
if you'd like to see more content from yours truly. Thank you again to Aqua Lung for sponsoring
this Basics series. I'm going to put a play list over here to all the Basics videos. We're
adding to those every month. And just below it, I'll let the YouTube algorithm pick which
video is next best for you. Again, ladies and gentlemen, my name is James.
This was your Scuba Diver Magazine video for this week. Dive safe, dive often.