What is the purpose of a dive computer?

A dive computer is an essential tool for scuba divers, designed primarily to monitor vital dive parameters, ensuring safety and effective planning under water. Its key functions include tracking depth, elapsed dive time, and calculating no-decompression limits, which are specific limits that divers must adhere to in order to avoid decompression sickness. By continuously monitoring these factors during a dive, a dive computer helps divers manage their dive profiles in real-time, providing critical information that allows for safe ascent and minimizing the risk of injury.

Other options have their own functions but do not capture the primary purpose of a dive computer. Tracking the location of a dive site is typically achieved through navigation tools, oxygen consumption rate calculations rely on specialized equipment and training, and communication with a dive buddy usually involves hand signals or dive radios rather than a dive computer. Therefore, the correct answer highlights the fundamental role of a dive computer in overseeing critical dive variables to maintain diver safety.