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It's a convincing idea that submerging into oceans or lakes curries a certain danger. James Bond's underwater adventures helped clinch the notion; we always could count on someone trying to slash at an air hose. But according to statistics compiled by Duke University's Divers Alert Network, scuba diving is about as deadly as that other fancy-footwear sport: bowling. Still, while unwieldy scuba tanks, like bowling balls, can get dropped onto toes, taking a lightweight dive computer with you on your next vacation can help make your underwater excursions that much more relaxing and safe. There are some real risks to keep in mind besides running out of air if you want to go scuba diving. As you descend, your body absorbs nitrogen at increased rates. Going too deep, staying down too long, or ascending too quickly can make that nitrogen ir your body turn into tiny-and then not-so-tiny-bubbles. Decompression sickness, more ominously known as "the bends," is the end result of having a bloodstream with all the unwelcome effervescence of a shaken can of soda. In the mid 1950s, the U.S. Navy designed tables for calculating safe limits for remaining at depth, but using those charts can often be confusing. Today, in the mighty age of microprocessors, divers can descend with the help of computers that do all the arithmetic while you're left gazing lazily at groupers at 100 feet. The computer gauges everything from how deep you've been to how long you can stay underwater and how fast you can ascend. Because it can factor different times spent at various depths, it also permits you to stay submerged longer, and provides essential information if you accidentally exceed safe limits. While the early bulky computers from the 1980s weighed almost two pounds and gobbled up batteries like whales after minnows, today's models, like Scubapro's DC-12, can weigh as little as 2.1 ounces and a single battery can last as long as eight years. There are more than 3 million active scuba divers in the United States, and 300,000 join their ranks every year. According to Karl Shreeves, vice president of technical development at the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), dive computers are on their way to becoming standard dive equipment, perhaps as indispensable as a mask and pair of flippers. Some units are more conservative than others (meaning one may say to go up when another says it's okay to stay down). but all point the way to less distracted diving and more accurate computation. All computers track surface intervals between dives, help plan successive descents, and keep operating until all absorbed nitrogen is gone. Low battery warnings are also standard features, and many computers have batteries owners can replace. Since dramatic adjustments in altitude can be dangerous after diving, computers also indicate when it's unsafe to fly (a great ploy for stretching your holiday an extra day). Many models give audi ble warnings to back up visual ones. As added features, some calibrate water and air temperature, glow underwater, provide logs of a dozen past dives, download information to PCs, or automatically switch on in the water. For many, diving can be a calming, nearly transcendental experience, a cross between a nature hike in fanciful kingdoms and submersion in an isolation tank. If the notion of strapping on too much high-tech gadgetry underwater violates your sense of the serene, take refuge in knowing that dive computers with simulated voices (imagine: "The door to Davey Jones' locker is ajar") haven't caught on any better than submersible cars. To date, no scuba computers have word-processing capabilities, spreadsheets, or modems; so e.en with a computer as part of your equipment, your office remains on dry land. Suunto's Eon Lux is air-integrated but surprisingly compact, and it operates to 325 feet underwater (195 feet farther than safe for experienced recreational divers) and to 8,000 feet above sea level. No mailer if you forget to tum it on: the Eon switches itself on in water, and audible warnings augment visual ones as you dive. The "Lux" part of the name means that the computer glows like an lndigto watch when you tap it. An automated log records up to 25 hours of dive history with time and date, all of which can be downloaded to a PC. The unit also measures tempe'rature in and out of the water. A buill-in dive simulator helps learning to run it. Suullto's Eon Lux, $900/So1ulion Alpha (stand"alone version), $600/distributed in the U.S. by Sea Quest: 61 9-438.1 101 attaches to your regulator and Orca' 5 air-integrated Phoenix switches on once you open the valve. The rugged unit functions to 300 feet underwater, up to 10,000 feet above sea level and boasts "aviation quality electronics" (unfortunately, there's no way to tum on the Phoenix if a scuba tank isn't handy). An LED light flashes warnings in addition to the on-screen alarms, and a bar graph depicts nitrogen absorption. The Phoenix logs your last three dives and tracks 35 hours of dive his tory that can be downloaded on to a PC. The large numbers make for easy reading for both you and a buddy. balleries.