Cressi Giotto Dive Computer Review: A Must Try For Beginners


CRESSI GIOTTO dive computer

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When you’re first starting out in the amazing world of diving, navigating through the abundant diving computers on the market can seem more intimidating than navigating in the pitch dark water.  Every dive computer on the market sounds amazing, and some even come with awe-inspiring prices, though not in a good way. That’s why for beginners we recommend the Cressi Giotti Dive Computer.

What Is the Cressi Giotto Dive Computer?

The Cressi Giotto Dive Computer is the first mixed gas dive computer designed and built entirely by Cressi. The three buttons on the face of the dive computer display allow you to easily toggle through the dive computer control and make it effortless to program air, nitrox, and gauge modes.  

The display of the Cressi Giotti Dive Computer was designed to be easy to read with a high-definition screen and large digital display, while still being compact and travel-friendly with a clear battery life indicator that never leaves you guessing on how long the dive computer will last.

As a beginner diver, it’s easy not to pay attention to a digital display when you’re underwater and get easily distracted by the incredible visual stimulation, so the Cressi Giotto Dive Computer steps up and gives you distinct audible alarms that alert you of critical information during your dive. Rest easy, knowing that if something of concern is about to happen, the watch will alert you.  

Product Specs 

Starting with the 3-button interface that provides an intuitive and user-friendly design, the Cressi Giotto Dive Computer is packed with tons of features that may initially overwhelm the beginning diver, make recreational diving easier, and are still useful for certified divers that want an easy-to-use and read dive computer readily available on their wrist.

The 12 colorful options let you show off your personality while still keeping the watch stylish and sleek as it sits on your wrist.

The dive computer’s firmware handles two different hyper-oxygenated mixtures, which can be selected during the drive, and a new algorithm created from a collaboration between Cressi and Bruce Wienke integrates with RGBM factors for safe decompression calculations in repetitive multi-day dives and with mixtures.

Additional features include the ability to save your dive history, with a log book of 70 hours or 60 dives complete with a dive profile.  

Pricing

At around $294.98 the Cressi Giotto Dive Computer is not the cheapest dive computer on the market for beginners, but it provides tremendous value for the price.  

How It Compares

We picked a few similar products available on the market to see how they compare.

[amazon box=”B01CIL3CLW, B00S1U9S7M, B019YLOZRY, B005VTPYOC” template=”table”]

Cressi Giotto Wrist Computer, Black/Yellow

[amazon box=”B01CIL3CLW”]

Ease of Use

5/5 Stars

With the three easily accessible buttons and user-friendly intuitive design, the Cressi Giotto Dive Computer is one of the easiest dive computers to use.

Durability

5/5 Stars

While it’s not as expensive as the dive computers reserved for the more serious of divers, it lasts just as long, with many serious divers remaining loyal to the Cressi Giotto Dive Computer even after purchasing more expensive options.

Design Quality

5/5 Stars

With multiple colors to choose from and a user-friendly interface, the Cressi Giotto Dive Computer was built with the budding diver in mind.

Warranty

5/5 Stars

Like many others in the industry, the Cressi Giotto Dive Computer comes with a two-year limited warranty.

Pros

  • User-friendly, intuitive interface
  • Large display
  • Multiple colors available

Cons

  • The backlight can be dim
  • Replacement batteries are difficult to find
  • Huge wrist strap

Shearwater Research Petrel 2 SA Dive Computer (v37)

[amazon box=”B00S1U9S7M”]

Unlike the Cressi Giotti Dive Computer, the Shearwater Research Petrel 2 SA Dive Computer is significantly more advanced, built for serious dive enthusiasts. Incorporating the Buhlman ZHL-16C algorithm, the Petrel 2 is a full decompression dive computer. This gives it a slight advantage over the Cressi Giotto Dive Computer.

It features user-configurable Gradient Factors that offer the diver unique and individual control of their decompression calculations. As soon as you unbox the Shearwater Research Petral 2 SA Dive Computer, you can access open-circuit and closed-circuit Air, Nitrox, and Trimix mixed gas functionality. Also, the Petrel 2 can easily provide your time-to-surface based on looking ahead at planned gas switches.

The Petrel 2’s display uses less power, with a full-color LCD, adjusting intensity based on the available light to make the display easily readable, where it also has the advantage over the Cressi Giotto Dive Computer that suffers from a backlight that can be too dim.  With the ability to access any type of AA battery, including alkaline, lithium, and rechargeable, the batteries are easily replaced by the user.

Other impressive features include a screen protector that helps prevent scratches on the display face, a battery already installed, so it’s ready to go for a dive directly out of the box, and a USB Bluetooth adapter, along with software that includes a complete dive log manager, compatible with Windows PC and Mac OSX.

Price

Priced around $849 at reputable online retailers, the Petral 2 is more than double the price of the Cressi Giotto Dive Computer.  Even though it offers a tremendous value that cost is intimidating to recreational divers.

Ease of Use

4/5 Stars

The Petral 2 is ready to go right outside of the box, for those enthusiastic divers that can’t wait to get into the water. The intuitive interface accepts regular firmware updates via Bluetooth connection. The only way it is not competitive with the Cressi Giotto Dive Computer is that the straps and buckles are difficult to snap on and off.

Durability

5/5 Stars

The Petral 2 is an investment in a quality dive computer and with regular firmware updates, is designed to last for years to come.

Design Quality

3/5 Stars

While the Shearwater Research Petral 2 SA Dive Computer is no doubt an impressive dive computer, the bulky design and difficult to snap on buckles make it a difficult choice to consider when looking at it purely from the aesthetics, especially at over $800.

Warranty

5/5 Stars

Shearwater offers a limited 2-year warranty on all of its products.

Pros

  • Easily changeable AA batteries
  • Light adjusts in brightness   depending on surrounding darkness 

Cons

  • Buckles and straps are difficult to    get snapped in
  • Bulky case
  • High price

SUUNTO Zoop Novo Wrist Scuba Diving Computer, Black, Without USB

[amazon box=”B019YLOZRY”]

Like the Cressi Giotto Dive Computer, the Suunto Zoop Novo is a basic entry level dive computer that can see you through your career as a recreational diver and even use as you become more serious at the sport.  

With a four button user-friendly interface, large display, and dot matrix screen, the Zoom Nova is easy to understand with minimal training required on the device.

The Zoop Novo Dive Computer has five different modes you can easily set up for yourself.  The first is the Air Mode that sets your computer for recreational dives when you’re just breathing air.  The dive computer will display your depth and provide information to you like how long you can stay at that depth.

The Nitrox mode allows you to change your ppO2 where you prefer and alert you with an audio alarm if you go too deep. Free Mode lets you record your max depths and dive times without penalizing you for ascending too quickly or recording your decompression information.  

The Gauge Mode turns the computer into a simple depth gauge recording no decompression mode If you accidentally switch to this mode, you cannot change out of it for 48 hours because the computer is not recording your decompression information. Finally, Off Mode deactivates the water activation so the computer doesn’t activate every time it gets wet.

Price

At $329.85, the Suunto Zoop Novo Dive is comparable with the Cressi Giotto Dive Computer in price and value.  

Ease of Use

5/5 Stars

With a large display that lets you easily see your depth at the top and a central section with a dot matrix screen that shows more complex information easily, the Zoom Novo Dive Computer is easy to use.  More impressive, though is the glow-in-the-dark feature.

Durability

5/5 Stars

With a large display that lets you easily see your depth at the top and a central section with a dot matrix screen that shows more complex information easily, the Zoom Novo Dive Computer is easy to use.  More impressive, though is the glow-in-the-dark feature.

Design Quality

5/5 Stars

From the five modes to choose from to the glow in the dark function to rugged design, the Suunto Zoop Novo Dive Computer is designed with thrill seekers like dive enthusiasts in mind.

Warranty

5/5 Stars

Suunto provides an International Limited Warranty for two years from the date of purchase for all of its dive computers. Additionally, Suunto offers a 5-year warranty for failures attributed to the depth measurement (pressure) sensor on Suunto Dive Computers.

Pros

  • Simple to use
  • Easy to setup
  • Big display, easy to read

Cons

  • Problems logging dives
  • Quality control issues
  • USB transfer cable is expensive to replace

Cressi Leonardo Dive Computer Watch – Wrist (Black / Blue)

[amazon box=”B005VTPYOC”]

The Cressi Leonardo Dive Computer is as basic as they come for the absolute diving beginner, to get them through the first hundred dives. No overly complicated buttons, just one single button makes it easy to program air, nitrox, and gauge modes that are easily read on a large edge-to-edge high definition LCD screen with large display.  

Know the battery life of the Leonardo at a glance with the battery life icon indicator and the audible alarms give you peace of mind during your dive and also displays any information you may want at the touch of a button, such as depth, dive times, decompression status, ascent rate, and surface interval times between dives.

Like the Cressi Giotti Dive Computer, the Leonardo is programmed with the new RGBM algorithm that allows for safe decompression calculations for multiple dives over multiple days.  

Additional features of the Cressi Leonardo Dive Computer include a clock and calendar, a dive memory or log book, and a dive simulator, as well as the ability to be reset after each dive.

Price

At $179.85, the Cressi Leonardo Dive Computer is the cheapest dive watch on this list, but it is also the best watch for beginning divers.  

Ease of Use

5/5 Stars

Because it is designed for beginners, the one-button interface works well for those just getting their feet wet with recreational diving. It’s easy to use but can be complicated for those that are new to the diving world, as the interface isn’t incredibly intuitive.

Durability

3/5 Stars

While the Leonardo Dive Computer is made by Cressi and it will last new divers through their first hundred dives, the limited features may limit its life to divers that rapidly descend into the diving world.

Design Quality

3/5 Stars

The Cressi Leonardo Dive Computer is elegantly designed, but it is also a huge dive computer. While the company attempts to market it as a wrist watch, wearing it as such isn’t very practical.

Warranty

5/5 Stars

Cressi offers the industry standard two-year limited lifetime warranty on its dive computers.

Pros

  • User replaceable battery
  • Audio alert if ascending too quickly

Cons

  • Huge wrist strap
  • Not many features
  • Too big to be used as a    regular wrist watch

Conclusion

In all honesty, despite its clunkiness, the best dive computer on this list is the Shearwater Research Petrel 2 SA Dive Computer. But at $850, it’s not cost-efficient for a recreational or beginner diver and its features are also more advanced for the casual diver.  

Recreational divers aren’t looking for an overly complicated device that can cost close to a thousand dollars or more. They want a dive computer that will enhance their dives and help them become more proficient in the sport while they grow.  

While the Cressi Leonardo Dive Computer may be attractive to beginning divers, it doesn’t let you grow as a diver. For around just a hundred dollars more, the Cressi Giotto Dive Computer surpasses the Leonardo in features alone.  

It’s a close call between the Suunto Zoop Novo Dive Computer and the Cressi Giotto Dive Computer, but the Cressi Giotti Dive Computer wins out.  

5/5 Stars

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