[royplumber]

Originally Posted by Mark Davies

I had the Air Z Nitrox for quite some time and only changed it when I needed a gas switching computer. I now use a Vytec with a transmitter.

Although I found the water contacts a very fiddly way of using the functions when not diving, I otherwise think the Air Z was a better bit of kit, within its limitations. It connetcs with its transmitter much easier (you have to make an effort with the Vytec to hold things close on start-up, but not with the Air Z) and the contents readings were far more stable. On the Vytec I've seen they have a tendancy to dance about a bit but the Air Z readings were always very steady.

As for the available air time readings I found them spot on. It really proved its worth on liveaboard trips to the Red Sea. There we were doing reef dives that enabled us to do gradually ascending profiles and spend the latter parts of the dive in very shallow waters. I relied on the remaining air time to effectively control the dive profile 'on-the-fly' and so really maximised my time in the water.

I swear by air integration and will never be without it. It's helped me get people out of some real scrapes as it's wonderfully reassuring to know exactly how long you have to resolve an issue. It's oddly normally much longer than you'd think! Just imagine that your bottom time has been extended beyond your plan for some reason and you've racked up more deco than you'd planned. Without air integration you are always going to have the worry of whether you have enough gas to complete your stops. That anxiety is only going to effect your air consumption for the worse and exascerbate the problem. With air integration you can see exactly how long your air will last. If it's enough for your stops then there's no worries. If it isn't then it is a tool you can use to control your breathing better and stretch your air out that bit longer.

I had to do this with the Air Z and, to answer your specific question, it was absolutely spot on with its readings and time estimates.

thanks lads a freind of mine has one and i was looking at the vytec but think the z will be cheaper