I've heard goofier plans before, Tim.
I like it.
LOL @ using a Spare Air.
Campground - Ginnie Springs, perhaps?
Sorry about the thread, TTU... Divers. Ya just can't take them out in public.
When it comes to computers, I'm a fan of brass n' glass (okay, in the following case, stainless n' glass)... And whatever features you choose, I've found a great advantage in any computer that will log your dives automatically and show you a graphed profile of your dives. Using that, you can learn to "tune" your dive profile to look like a check mark or a Nike swoosh - steep in the beginning, then gradually acending, which is the healthy way to dive, regardless of your depth. This is nearly impossible to master without a graphing computer.
So whatever you pick, choose one that will enable you to download the profile so you can examine your dives. The Suunto D4 can do just that, in fact, right on the instrument itself, as it's got a built-in matrix display. Too cool, IMHO, and something that's genuinely useful in furthering your dive skills. My favorite computer that I've got is the D6, essentially a D4 with a built-in compass that allows me to ditch the Suunto SK7 compass that I wear otherwise. I am exceedingly happy with the D6, and yes, the compass is very legible and works very well and is simple and intuitive, if you're willing to pay the extra money to have the feature (D6 vs. D4).
I also own a Vyper and a Stinger. The Vyper has the advantage that the batteries are user-changable, which is to say that when you dive enough to run them down (takes a couple hundred dives or a year or two - whichever comes first) then you can change them yourself without having to send the computer in to the factory. However, after having done it a time or two, I don't know why anyone would. Pay the couple of bucks, have it done right, and probably have a new o-ring put in anyway.
The Vyper also has the advantage of being hockey-puck large - like all of the other dive computers out there. This gives the impression that it'll be easier to work with gloved fingers. When I first got it, I figured that this made sense and would be easier to see underwater, too. However, the truth is that it didn't really make any difference, and the D4/D6/D9's numbers are almost the same size - just less "dead space" on the face of the computer. Underwater, I rarely find myself using the buttons anyway, and I almost always choose to light my gauges when I check them (with whatever light I'm using) rather than find the button to activate the computer's backlighting (and run down it's batteries), assuming that I'm diving someplace dark enough to need a light in the first place (only about half my dives).
To the best of my knowledge, the Stinger has been discontinued and replaced by the D4. The D4 has a newer algorithm that includes deep stops (something you'll likely get into when you begin doing mandatory deco dives, although you'll probably be doing them on a PLAN and not according to your computer anyway) and the matrix display that gives the programmers all kinds of cool things that it can do, including the graphed profiles right on the face, no downloading required.
The D4/D6/D9 are also much smaller than a regular dive computer - about the size of a large wristwatch, and about the size of my old Stinger - which makes them genuine fashion watches. I like wearing mine all the time, although I must admit that it does tend to take more of a beating everyday than if I were just using it as a dive instrument.
...Which is why metal and glass is an advantage - much more durable than the plastic and plastic that most dive computers are made from. And don't believe people when they say that scratches disappear underwater... No, they're just as annoying during your decompression stop as they are topside.
Speaking of scratches - all of the above come with some sort of "anti-scratch guard" tool that clips onto the instrument, but they're notoriously bulky and awkward - if you're like every other diver I know, you'll ditch it (and any other add-on plastic doohickeys) within the first 10 or 20 dives. Besides, like putting a bra on the front of a nice car, the anti-scratch thingie actually scratches your instrument over time... So what's the point of using it?
...Again, which makes glass n' metal instruments much more durable and very attractive.
The D4 is a little more than $300, but if you look around closely on eBay and such and do Google searches, you can probably find one very close to that price.
Interestingly, all of Suunto's D-series are small enough to wear as a watch, too, which is uber-cool diver fashion, if you ask me.
Check this out:
http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m38.l1313&_nkw=suunto+d4&_sacat=See-All-Categories
Oh... And dive computers (or timers or guages or whatever you want to call them, in whatever flavor) belong on your RIGHT wrist... Even if you're right-handed. Yes, I wear mine on my LEFT wrist daily, like I do when I wear a plain watch - but while diving, it's on my RIGHT wrist. The reason is simple - so as I'm ascending, I can keep it in front of my eyes while I use my LEFT hand to manipulate my power inflator/dumps. If the instrument was on my LEFT wrist, then I couldn't watch my gauges the whole time while dumping.
What other questions do you have? I think I speak for everyone when I say that we love talking diving...
