Dive tables taught generations to plan with depth and time. Computers made the calculations follow the actual shape of a dive.
Decompression models use theoretical tissue compartments to estimate inert-gas uptake and release. They are models—not direct measurements of a diver’s body—and susceptibility varies. [1] [3]
A table turns one model into a precomputed set of limits and procedures, making complex mathematics portable and auditable without electronics.
Analog devices attempt to represent decompression status continuously.
Microprocessors make practical depth sampling and algorithmic tracking available.
Gas integration, compasses, logging, alerts, and configurable algorithms share one display.
Teach planning logic and team agreement. Conservative square-profile assumptions are easy to review but do not adapt to the actual profile.
Continuously sample depth and elapsed time, but can fail, be misconfigured, or be misunderstood.