Best computer for freediving and spearfishing ?

[martin366]

Hello everyone!

What computer should i choose, budget max 300€:

1) Aeris F10v2 (Pelagic) Price: 270€

2) Beuchat Mundial Depth Gauge (Pelagic) Price: 230€

3) Sporasub SP1 (Altitude) Price: 206€

I like Sporasub, its simple and good looking, but Aeris and Beuchat have better functions.
I have heard that even Aeris F10v2 have still some problems ? Is it true ?

All information is welcome!

Sorry for my bad english!

 

[azapa]

the aeris is great. as far as I know the F10V2 has no problems. Mine has not left my wrist since vertical blue last April.

 

[trux]

Have a look at this comparative review, there is more choice than just those three: APNEA.cz - Freediving Computers

Depending on your needs and budget, some of them may be more interesting. My personal favorits are computers from Eric Fattah (Liquivision X1 and Xen), and then the Sporasub/Uwatec Meridian that comes with a HR monitor, and has more functions than any other computer on the list.

 

[martin366]

Have a look at this comparative review, there is more choice than just those three: APNEA.cz - Freediving Computers

Depending on your needs and budget, some of them may be more interesting. My personal favorits are computers from Eric Fattah (Liquivision X1 and Xen), and then the Sporasub/Uwatec Meridian that comes with a HR monitor, and has more functions than any other computer on the list.

I have already looked your site
Budget 300€

If F10v2 is okay, then i stick with it, if somebody dont find reason why i shouldnt buy it

F10v2 fills exactly my needs:
Dive dime
Surface time
Low activation depth (i train also in 1,8m pool)
Real time clock
Depth
Surface time min alarm
Dive time alarm
Depth alarm
Water temperature
Screen light

 

[Shark2307]

Wanted to suggest the Suunto D4 but it seem that it isn't available anymore. Bought mine 8 months ago for 260€ and it is said to be one of the best dive computers.

correct me if i am not right but even AIDA uses it officially?

Except for pool diving great computer, but as it seems not available anymore...

 

[martin366]

Wanted to suggest the Suunto D4 but it seem that it isn't available anymore. Bought mine 8 months ago for 260€ and it is said to be one of the best dive computers.

correct me if i am not right but even AIDA uses it officially?

Except for pool diving great computer, but as it seems not available anymore...

Jeah, its nice computer, but sadly its not suitable for pool use

 

[trux]

It is Suunto D3 that was discontinued. D4 was recently replaced with D4i and is available without problems. D4i is more or less identical with the D4, it just has some minor improvements (most of them in the scuba mode though). I do not see why D4 should not be suitable for pool use. In contrary, it is more suitable for pool than most of other computers, since Suunto computers have a shallow activation depth.

 

[azapa]

Trux, I have several pool buddies that use D4's. None of them can ever time (for example) a DNF in a pool (90Cm shallow end), time the recovery, and then time another DNF. If I do this without too much care with my F10 I get about one badly recorded dive per month of training. I have 1306 dives logged on it now in 12 months use. A 1% fail rate, if you will.

Maybe my buddies don't have their watches set up properly. Somebody here could confirm though if the D4 does really work consistently for pool work.

 

[trux]

Well, I can't speak for D4, because I did not test it personally, but I used to have the Mosquito, which has the same activation depth in the specifications as D4 (and all other Suunto computers), and I never had any problems with it recording the dives properly in the pool. The only problem was in statics, where I had to tak care not to let my hand with the watch too deep, because the watch. I just rememebr I had to deactivate the scuba mode, to have it work properly, otherwise the scuba mode got activated often too.

 

[azapa]

My previous watch was a faithful yellow Suunto mosquito. I love it but it never worked in pools unless they were 1.5 to 2m deep constant depth, like Olympic swim pools. It would be good to hear from anyone who can use a D4 in a regular depth 25m "recreational" pool without problems.

 

[Shark2307]

Although i am honestly intimidated by your reputation power i have to contradict you trux

I own the D4 and it is not able to log the dives properly at the shallow end of the pool.

in all other features. great computer. but if you look at the price now for the D4i no reasonable solution anymore.

And i won't sell mine ...

actually ebay should by a possible solution...

 

[trux]

hm, strange, my Mosquito activated at the arm lenght, so that I had to be careful not to let the hand with the watch too deep down when resting on the surface to avoid premature or false activation. And it also corresponds to the specifications which tells 0.5m or 0.6m at all Suunto computers. And I used 2 or 3 Mosquitos of friends and some D3's too - they all activated similarly. As I told I did not test any D4 or D4i personally so cannot comment, but the specifications are the same, so I am bit surpised hearing it behaves differently.

Perhaps try disabling the scuba (Air) mode - I rememebr my Mosquito did not work well when it was active.

 

[Erki]

Most of the 4D-s activate at ~1.2m, it is not so bad for pool. Somebody said that 0.5 m is the deactivation depth.
F10 v1 has minimum 1 min surf time, otherwise it counts everything to a singel dive and that is not a nice fuction for pool training. How it is in the case of v2?

 

[azapa]

The F10v2 does two cool things to make it work in a pool:
1. activation depth is adjustable 0.6, 1.2 or 1.8m. Of course we take 0.6m
2. BDSI (this is the real key: Before Dive Surface Interval): this decides after what time ABOVE the trigger depth it takes the dive to be a NEW dive. I have mine set to 20 seconds.

The BDSI is the real key. To give an example: I leave the shallow end (0.9M) and dive down, activating watch. I swim to deep end, all fine. I head back to shallow end and maybe my wrist comes above 0.6m BUT the watch DOES NOT STOP counting that dive. My wrist must be above 0.6cm for more than the BDSI to do that. Instead, I arrive at the shallow end, turn and carry on.

It is very easy to use and understand in practice, but quite hard to explain here. But it really works!

 

[chrismar]

That BDSI caused a lot of trouble for a friend of mine during a spearfishing competition. It required lots of reasonably shallow diving with short surface intervals, so the watch kept counting 2/3/4 dives as one.

He now knows how to change that setting, but the default is quite long?

 

[azapa]

No idea what the default is, but i use 20 seconds for everything. I doubt any spearing would have less than 20 second recovery time. I use 1.2m activation depth, the only change I make from pool to ocean.

But yes, if you have (say) 20 seconds set, and you dive at 15 seconds to recover something you have dropped, that second dive will add to the first.

 

[chrismar]

When crayfish hunting in shallow water, I do three breath recovery (~8 seconds) and 30-40 seconds down. Polespearing catfish in Lake Taupo was 10-30 second recoveries and 40-60 second dives. It was during the latter that my friend had the problem.

 

[azapa]

you would need the BDSI set to 5 seconds and an activation depth of 1.2m to sort that out

 

[chalkeye]

When crayfish hunting in shallow water

Sorry, I have nothing to contribute here, I just wanted to save this for posterity.

 

[Mullins]

Pics or it didn't happen