Dive-Computers.net

OK, so you’ve got two different technologies together here: dive watches and dive computers.

You’ve listed the Citizen Aqualand 20th anniversary watch twice. This appears to be a fairly high function dive watch/bottom timer which includes a digital depth display, a logbook function, a thermometer, and water activation. However, it still remains only a dive watch, so basically all it does is help you accurately record time & depth. It does nothing to help you with dive planning or calculate remaining bottom time during the dive. Given its price and that you are considering full function dive computers as well, this seems far outclassed by the other choices. I’m not sure why you are even considering it with the others.

Both Aeris and Oceanic brands are produced by the same company, Pelagic Pressure Systems, and some of their computers are simply the same product in a different package. For example, the Oceanic Atom 2.0 and the Aeris Epic computers are essentially the same computer, as are the Oceanic VT3 and Aeris elite T3.. Our shop carries Aeris computers and I own a couple of them myself so I have experience with Aeris, but not with Oceanic. However, I would expect other elements such as ease-of-use, quality, and service to be very similar between the two brands.

I had expected the Geo 2.0 and the Manta to be the same computer but they are not; the specs on each brand’s website show that the base Geo is the analog of the Manta while the Geo 2.0 offers additional features that would be attractive to someone who intends to move from recreational diving into tech diving. For example, the Geo 2.0 supports switching between two different gas mixtures and allows the user to choose between two different decompression models (DSAT or Buhlmann ZHL-16). Especially given that you show them listed for the same price, the Geo 2.0 seems a better choice – even if you don’t care about the additional features right now, you might find them useful in the future.

The only concern I have with Aeris, and so by extension probably with Oceanic, is that they don’t have the best quality track record in my experience. I know of several instances personally where a computer has malfunctioned (including my own) and had to be sent in for repair/replacement. On the other side of the coin, I find Aeris computers generally easy to use and have the right features for the diving that I do so as a whole I still recommend them.

I don’t have any personal experience with Cressi or Tusa computers so I can only go by the manufacturer’s spec sheets and the prices on your links. From that comparison, it looks like the Tusa IQ-900 Zen offers function that compares to the Oceanic Geo 2.0 while the Cressie EDY is more closely related to the Aeris Manta. The main difference that I see between the Geo 2.0 and the IQ-900 Zen is that the Geo allows the user a choice of two decompression models while the Tusa uses ZHL-16 only. With no other experience with Tusa and so only using price as a comparison, the Tusa seems to offer similar function at a cheaper price and so MAYBE is a slightly better choice. Much depends on unknowns in areas like ease of use, quality, and service.

Have you tried looking for any similar products available through local dive shops? Much can be said for having someone "in your corner" if you have issues with the whichever product you choose. The only site that you listed here that includes a manufacturer’s warranty is scuba.com because they are an authorized dealer for what they sell, but even so you’re kind of on your own to get it sent in. Having someone local you can turn to for assistance can be valuable.

That’s all I can offer for advice, hope it is useful. Good luck on your choice.