Dive Computer - Display Information

Display Information

Dive computers provide a variety of visual dive information to the diver.

Modern dive computers display the following information on a LCD:

• Current depth.
• Maximum depth reached on this dive.
• No stop time, the time remaining at the current depth without the need for decompression stops on ascent.
• Dive time, often measured from the end of the last longer surface interval.

Many dive computers also display additional information:

• Total ascent time
• Required decompression stop depth and time.
• Water temperature.
• Ascent rate.
• Dive profile (often not displayed during the dive, but transmitted to a personal computer).

Some computers are designed to display information from a diving cylinder pressure sensor, such as:

• Gas pressure.
• Estimated remaining air time (RAT) based on available gas, rate of gas consumption and ascent time.

Some information is only shown at the surface to avoid an information overload of the diver during the dive:

• "Time to Fly" display showing when the diver can safely board an airplane.
• Desaturation time
• A log of key information about previous dives.
• Maximum non-decompression bottom times for subsequent dives based on the partial pressure of the gases in the tissue.
• dive planning functions