Scuba Diving Watches

Scuba Diving Watches - In the older days of scuba diving, there weren’t very many accessories. Sure, people had the standard suit, snorkel, tank, mask, flippers etc., but they did not have any extras. Things like watches were unheard of because electronic devices were not made waterproof back then. However, scuba accessories have greatly evolved since this point in time. Nowadays, it is almost unheard of to not have a watch on while scuba diving. Diving watches have become one of the standard accessories for many divers. Not sure which one to pick? You’ll learn some helpful tips to help you pick a good watch.

What Makes a Good Diving Watch?

All diving watches have one thing in common: they’re all water-resistant. But practically everything else about them can vary from one watch to another. In other words, you can’t expect all watches to have the same features of one. Even when it comes to water resistance, some can resist water for deeper dives than can others. Thus, the best answer to “what makes a good diving watch?” is simply that a good diving watch will meet most of, if not all of your needs.

What Features Do I Look For?

There are a lot of features one diving watch may have. Some of the more well known features are:

• Water resistance to a certain depth. Some watches are water resistant up to 800 feet in the water, while others may be only resistant up to 200 feet. It all depends on the watch and what it is made out of.
• Lighting. Some diving watches are easier to see in the water than are others. Obviously, since you will be using a diving watch to help you keep track of time, visibility is a huge deal. So don’t ignore this feature.
• Battery life. Unlike many other types of watches, most diving watches have batteries that need to be recharged every once in a while. If you are planning on scuba diving for extended periods of time, battery life can be a significant feature.
• Alarm. Another common feature on diving watches is that of the alarm. The alarm can be set to let you know when you’ve “been in” long enough to call it a day.

Other features may sometimes include:

• A built-in dive computer. As you may already know, a dive computer is something you can use to tell you what conditions are safest for a dive without you getting decompression sickness. Some diving watches now include this dive computer as a built-in function.
• Deployment buckle. Not all dive watches include a deployment buckle, but some do. What this serves to do is make things easier for the diver to operate the watch.

How Do I Pick a Diving Watch?

There are three easy steps to picking a good diving watch:

1. Look at the features. Consider all the features mentioned above and determine what you need from those.
2. Read all about it. Don’t pick a diving watch without first reading some reviews and getting some opinion on it. An educated buyer is a smart, savvy buyer.
3. Try it on. Make sure that the diving watch you consider buying actually fits your wrist. If it is too big or too small, find one that does fit you and your required features.

Posted in Underwater Photography Diving & Scuba Resource