From dive tables and waterproof slates in the 1970s to sophisticated wrist-mounted computers today, few pieces of scuba equipment have transformed underwater safety as dramatically as the dive computer. In this episode, veteran diver Ray Hollister draws on four decades of experience and roughly 8,000 dives to explain exactly how these devices work, why they've become essential for recreational divers, and what all those numbers on your screen actually mean. Whether you're a newer diver trying to understand your first computer or a seasoned veteran curious about the technology tracking your nitrogen loading, this deep dive into decompression algorithms and pressure sensors will change how you think about your gear.

• Dive computers calculate no-decompression limits in real time by tracking your actual depth changes every few seconds, u ...