What is the function of the dive computer?

The dive computer serves a crucial role in monitoring various important parameters during a dive, specifically depth, time, and no-decompression limits. It continuously calculates and displays the diver's current depth, allowing for real-time awareness of how deep they are in the water. This is vital for ensuring safety and compliance with dive tables or guidelines.

Furthermore, the dive computer keeps track of the time spent at various depths, which is essential in avoiding decompression sickness. As a diver ascends, the computer assesses the no-decompression limits based on the actual dive profile, providing vital information about how long a diver can remain at increasing depths without needing to perform safety stops during ascent.

In contrast, while buoyancy control is important for divers, a dive computer does not assist directly with this aspect; buoyancy is managed primarily through the use of equipment like a buoyancy control device (BCD). Determining water visibility and tracking underwater marine life are also functions that are typically beyond the capabilities of a dive computer, which focuses solely on dive-related metrics for safety and planning.