Charles Hood on the feature-packed Uwatec Galileo Terra  |
Uwatec Galileo Terra computer • £469
I’m generally not a fan of big dive computers, and the new Galileo Terra from Uwatec is a bit of a beast. However, in this case I have to make an exception. I’ve been diving with the Terra for five months and I’ve grown to like it, despite its rather large size.
What’s great about it is its user-friendly display. You hardly require a manual at all unless you want to use some of the more complex features. The three large buttons make scrolling up and down the various options a simple affair – although a fourth button would have been the icing on the cake. The display is huge and easy to read in the dimmest of UK waters – which is just as well, as the backlight is not particularly bright.
Underwater, the default display gives you current depth, dive time, no-stop time, oxygen percentage, temperature, central nervous system toxicity percentage, and maximum depth. For those who are long-sighted, the display can be set into big digit mode where just current depth, dive time, no-stop time and temperature are displayed. There are warnings and alarms for just about every situation, and I had to disable most of them as it felt like the Terra was bleeping almost constantly throughout the dive. Back on the surface, the display gives you desaturation time and no-fly time, as well as basic stuff like time, date and temperature. The battery is said to be good for three years depending on how many dives you do, and is user-changeable.
The Terra comes well loaded with all the important features that the modern sports diver is likely to need. It uses the standard Buhlmann ZH-8L algorithm that all Uwatec’s Aladin computers are based on – as with most modern computers, this can be adjusted to make it more conservative if you wish. It also incorporates Uwatec’s Profile Dependent Intermediate Stops (PDIS), or deep stops as they are often known. They were pretty similar to those of the Suunto algorithm, although always at a slightly shallower depth. These are not mandatory stops but are advisory; if ignored, the computer simply adds more time at a shallower depth. The software also automatically gives a three-minute safety stop at the end of your dive that can be also adjusted if required.
Nitrox can be set at 21–100 per cent with the maximum pO2 at 1.6 bar, although bizarrely the setting for the latter is in a different menu. Interestingly, it has an altimeter that, once calibrated, is a great feature if you are diving inland. It will also use the altimeter to inform you after the dive if you have ascended too high on your way back from the dive site. The built-in compass is a delight to use and appears to function even when the computer is tilted at 45 degrees. PC users can link the Terra to a home computer, personalise it, upload diagrams of your favourite dive sites, analyse every minute of each dive and download a fairly comprehensive logbook.
If you venture into more technical diving, the Terra’s software can be upgraded for an additional cost to include some of the features found in the more expensive and feature-rich Sol model. These include the questionably accurate heart-rate monitor, the acclaimed predictive multi-gas (three nitrox mixes) algorithm – useful for any extended-range diving – and the ZH-L8 ADT MB adaptive algorithm. So in effect, this entry-level version of the Galileo family is pretty much future-proof, as well as having a great display and being is easy to use.
The big question is, however, its price. For a sport diver’s computer, it’s definitely on the high side compared to some spirited opposition from the likes of Suunto, Oceanic and Mares.
DIVE says…
Lots of features, upgradeable – but pricey
Value 7
Performance 9
Contact
Scubapro • www.scubapro-uwatec.com