So, I’m a newly certified open water scuba diver and honestly, I was quite overwhelmed when I started to buy my diving gears. There are so many things to buy. Although it was fine if I didn’t buy anything yet, but I decided against using rental equipments when I took my Open Water certification exams for 3 reasons: Hygiene, safety and familiarity. Hygiene being the number one reason because when I started to dive, Covid19 pandemic is already on rampage, and I did not want to share equipments and risk getting infected through it. Sure, the rental equipments are properly sanitised, but you can never be too careful, there’s still risk.
So yeah, I bought everything I needed to dive. All I didn’t buy was just the weight and tank. Anyway, as I mentioned, buying diving gears can be quite overwhelming as there are many brands out there in the market, but here’s sharing the review of my first dive computer; the Deepblu COSMIQ+.
Below are the information on the Deepblu COSMIQ+:
Modes: Scuba Mode, Free Diving/Gauge Mode, Watch, Logbook
Nitrox compatible: Yes
Maximum depth: 100 meters deep
Algorithm: Bühlmann ZHL-16C
You can switch between: conservative, progressive and normal
Altitude diving: Yes
Battery: Run 7 hours or 4-6 weeks in standby mode
Screen: Coloured LCD screen
What I like about the Deepblu COSMIQ+
Affordability
First of all, let’s talk about the price. For the specs, the Deepblu COSMIQ+ is quite reasonable. The dive computer retails at RM1199 on Shopee and I can assure you that you won’t be getting any other dive computers with Bluetooth or colour LCD screen at this price. Other brands with Bluetooth function costs more than RM1500. I was really lucky, I got my Deepblu COSMIQ+ for just RM937.37, including postage via Shopee during their sale back in 2020. In my opinion, I couldn’t get better deals than this. It was really a steal.
Design
The Deepblu COSMIQ+ came with in a beautiful protective case, containing a USB charger, two wrist bracelets, a screen protector and the dive computer itself. Mine is a gray coloured version and it comes with an additional camouflage gray nylon bracelet alongside with a wrist bungee strap. The design is pretty stylish, if you ask me.
Convenience
The COSMIQ + is absolutely idiot-proof and easy to use. Similar to smartphones, the dive computer can be easily charged via USB, thanks to it’s USB magnetic system. You will not have to worry if you have no spare battery if you’re on a diving trip as all you need to do is just plug it to a powerbank and you’re good to go. Great for diving trips where you have limited electricity access and once it’s fully charged, it can go up to 8-10 dives without any problems. I used it up to 10 dives before needing to charge it again. The standby time for this dive computer is about 6 weeks without the need to recharge.
Clarity, Readability and User Friendly
The biggest advantage of the Deepblu COSMIQ+ is it’s huge colour screen. Once it’s automatically activated when you start your descent, the Deepblu COSMIQ+ lights up like a beacon and can be easily be read. I haven’t night dive with this dive computer but I reckon it’s extremely advantageous for night dives or limited visibility diving too, considering that you wouldn’t have to shine your torch on your dive computer to read the info on it.
The dive computer is easy to set. Only two buttons and you can see the computer to progressive, normal, or conservative mode.The COSMIQ + dive computer uses the Buhlmann ZHL-16C algorithm, a common reference by major dive com manufacturers.
The Deepblu COSMIQ + is relatively conservative compared to many other dive computers and, you will find all the essential elements of the dive computer similar to others, the NDL, the water temperature, ascend and descend alarms if you do it too fast, safety stop countdown, surface intervals and so on.
The Deepblu COSMIQ + is also Eenriched Air Nitrox compatible where the oxygen level can be programmed from 21% to 40%.
Social Media Enabled
The thing that I liked most about this dive com is that it’s designed to be catered to the new generation of divers who loves all things smartphone and social media.
The Deepblu COSMIQ+ can be sync to the Deepblu apps that’s free to download on Google Play or Apps Store. The apps offers a social media network similar to Facebook or Instagram where your you can share pictures or stories of your trip and even share your logbook.
Synchronizing your dive settings with the app is quick and easy. All you need to do is just connect the Divecom with Bluetooth to your smartphones/ tablets and plan your dives via apps.
Logbook scynronization is also easy. All you need to do is just set the dive com to the logbook mode and sync it to your gadget of choice and the details of your dive transferred into your digital logbook. The apps gives the possibility to add pictures to logbook, so it’s really cool.
Dive chart is also available via apps and these functions save you the hassles of having to write into your logbook after every dives. Logbook verification can also be done through apps.
What I Don’t Like About Deepblu COSMIQ +
What I don’t like about Deepblu COSMIQ+ is that it can only hold up to 25 dives before it’s overwritten by newer divelogs (50 dives on the latest firmware update) but if you are not fussy, this can easily be amended by just syncing your logbook to your smart devices after every diving trips. Only basic dive log info is viewable through the dive com eg: your dive date, time, max depth, temperature, etc. The detailed dive charts are only viewable via your smartphones/tablet through the Deepblu apps, so should you require any decompression chamber treatments, this will be quite a problem during emergencies where immediate access to your logs and charts is required. But then again, other entry level dive com manufactured by other brands doesn’t even record your depth chart, so it’s still a plus point as Deepblu COSMIQ+ does record it and you can view it via apps.
The size is also too big and bulky for everyday use, but personally, I don’t mind as I prefer to use smartwatch and health tracker anyway for my daily use, so I’m not at all bothered with it’s size against my wrist. The casing is also too big for traveling, but this can be easily be amended by keeping it in a smaller casing of your choice that can easily be purchased online/offline.
Overall, this is an idiot proof dive com. Easy to use, easy to read, fashionable, and dive friendly. You wouldn’t miss any info you needed should you use this dive com, even if you’re just a beginner.
So do I recommend this Deepblu COSMIQ+ as your first dive com? Absolutely. I highly recommend this, especially to new divers. It’s great as a first dive com, and considering the price, it’s still worth your money as it generally comes with all the basic functions that you will need for recreational diving. If you are just a recreational diver, you will be able to use this dive com for a very long time before you upgrade your skills and requires a more advances dive com to cater to more complicated diving activities.