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Freediving is a sport that is rapidly growing in popularity. Freediving may look like simply going under the water holding your breath. However, freediving is more than that. It is about staying down longer or going deeper with only the air in your lungs. It is considered by many as a competitive sport, even if you are only competing against yourself. Enter the freediving watch.
Time and depth are the measurements that are important to the freediver. Many freedivers will look to a match designed for freediving to gather this critical information. Freedivers more often turn to dive computers that have a free, freediver or “apnea” mode (sometimes written also as “apnoea”). These have more features than the freediving watches, and in many cases are in the same price range.
OUR TOP PICK
Suunto Zoop Novo Freediving Mode Computer
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Dedicated Freediving mode
- Integrated O2/CO2 tables
- Downloadable dive logs
- Fully functional scuba diving computer
EDITORS CHOICE
Oceanic Geo 2.0 Air/Nitrox Computer Watch
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Free/norm tracking
- User-replaceable, long life, inexpensive battery
- 99 freedive log capability, exportable.
- Accurate
BEST VALUE
Pyle Underwater Multi-Function Water Sport Wrist Watch
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Automatically water activation
- Inexpensive
- Provides basic information for 100 dives
- Water-resistant 100 meters
Genesis Centauri Dive computer
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Outstanding dive computer
- Rechargeable Battery
- Easy to customize
- Bluetooth transfers
Suunto D4i Novo Dive Computer Watch
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- 100 meter ISO 6425
- Dedicated Freediving mode
- Integrated O2/CO2 tables
- Downloadable dive logs
Sherwood Amphos Wrist Computer Watch
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Nitrogen loading tracking
- Logbook transfer by USB
- Repetitive dive tracking
- Watch style
Suunto D6i Novo Wrist Computer with USB Cable Watch
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- ISO 6425 and EN 13319 for 150 meters
- Air-integrated Scuba mode
- Multiple alarm settings
- Unlimited free dive logs
Oceanic F-10 Freediving Watch
- What Makes This Freediving Watch Stand Out
- Designed for Freediving
- Highly detail exportable logs
- Repetitive alarms for time and depth
- Alarms notification includes a flashing LED and backlight.
Mares Smart Wrist Dive Computer Watch
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- High-Quality Mares product
- Immersion and session log groupings
- Dedicated alarms
- Large memory
Omer Computer With Heart Rate Monitor and USB Watch
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Intuitive data
- Heart rate information
- Shows your recovery rates and energy usage
- Logs 250 dives
- The best watch for freediving is the watch that covers all of your bases, with a few added features such as compatibility with scuba diving. The two sports often go hand in hand, so avoid future costs and get a watch that can do both.
- Having a dive computer that gives decompression limits will allow a user to freedive and scuba dive on the same day without risking their health and safety.
- High memory watches are great to track your progress over time, especially for those just beginning in the sport. Make sure that your technique is optimized by looking back and comparing previous dives.
Scuba Diving Expert
How To Choose A Freediving Watch – Buying Guide
Freediving Computers To Help Track Your Depth
This sport is safe and fun when performed correctly. However, it is very easy to extend beyond your limits if you are not careful. If you are freediving in crystal clear water, it is almost impossible to judge how deep you are. Using a freedive computer will track your time and depth helping you to have an accurate measure. This ensures you don’t get carried away and dive too deep, that you maintain proper surface interval breaks, and overall helps to make you safer.
Freediving Computers To Help You Advance
Not only does it make you a safer driver, but free dive computers help you become a better diver as well. This is because it will help you to set goals and manage your time underwater allowing you to focus solely on your dive and crushing your goals.
Keep Track Of Your Freedives
The memory space in your computer helps you to track where you dived, how long and deep you dived as well as all your gear you used and much more. This helps you to keep a record of where you had your best dives so you can keep track.
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What Do You Look For In A Freediving Computer
There are many features to look for in a computer.
User-Friendly Dive Computer
When opting for your wrist free dive computer, pay close attention to the display. Get familiar with it and ensure it is something you will be able to read even in less ideal conditions. Be sure to choose your next computer based on quality and usefulness rather than style. You will want to make sure that your display is backlit and has large numbers. Opt for a user-friendly computer that you will easily be able to know and understand.
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Decompression Limits
While this is an obvious one, be sure to pay attention to the depth rating on your computer. Most people don’t know this but freediving allows you to reach greater depths than scuba diving does. According to PADI’s certification recreational divers should only be going 40 meters below the water’s surface. This is due to decompression limits and nitrogen narcosis. Freedivers, on the other, hand can go much deeper than this without these limitations. For this reason, you will want to ensure that the watch you choose is suitable to travel down to these extended depths.
Memory Availability
Paying attention to how much memory your computer has is important. The amount of memory available will vary quite a bit from computer to computer. Commonly, computers will be able to hold a record of at minimum 100 dives, some quite a bit more. You may be tempted to not pay as close attention to this feature if your computer can upload data to your PC. This is typically true but does keep in mind there may be times where you are traveling and do not have access to a PC for an extended period.
Scuba Vs. Freediving Computers
Many scuba divers mistakenly think that their scuba dive computer can double as a freediving computer. While sometimes it can, more often it cannot. This is for a couple of reasons. First is that much of the information displayed on a dive computer has no use for a free diver. The second is the time display. Divers are generally interested in minutes while freedivers are interested in seconds.
When scuba diving computers are appropriate for freediving as well, most often this will be marked clearly by manufacturers. Having a computer that can do both are often the best for water goers who enjoy freediving and tank diving.
Many computer manufacturers have developed free modes that adjust the reading and calculations for the freediver.
Alarm Triggers
A computer with an alarm is an ideal way to help you to focus on your dive. You can set your alarm to trigger at either a certain depth or time which will help you to keep tabs on where you are in your dive.
Watch Durability
The materials used to make your dive watch will affect everything from how it feels on your wrist to its durability and lifespan. The straps can come in different materials ranging from metal to rubber or even silicone.
FAQs
Q: Why do you need a freediving watch or computer?
Both a watch and a freediving computer can provide meaningful information about the dives they have done. This can help plan future dives as well as recognizing improved performance. Because of the computer’s power, it can provide more detailed information than a watch.
Globo Surf Overview
Freediving is growing more and more popular. Having the top-rated freediving computers will allow you to have quick access to all of the critical information you need. Most of these watches will also activate by themself so all you need to do is focus on beating your record.
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