People always ask us, “what is the one piece of dive gear I should buy first?”
Our answer is always the same: a dive computer!
Every diver should have their own dive computer and know how to use it.
You should really never rely on someone else to keep track of your dive limits and safety when scuba diving.
You can always get away with renting fins, mask, BCD, and almost everything else from your dive center (but would be good to get them). But you always want the monitoring of your depth and no-deco times, dive logs etc., to be your responsibility. A dive watch can but used for snorkeling or on your surface interval but not meant for scuba diving and is not safe by the way. They are very different.
So what’s the best dive computer for you?
There are a lot of dive computers out there, and this guide is designed to make it easy to find your best possible match, based on your budget, skill level, and the type of diving you plan to do.
If you can’t find something perfect for you here, we don’t know where else you will!
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Beginner Option
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Luxury Pick
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Best Budget Option
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Intermediate Pick
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Luxury Alternative
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Intermediate Budget
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$349.00
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$1,170.00
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N/A
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$943.86
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$1,149.99
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$499.95
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Beginner Dive Computers
Plus with adjustable safety settings, programmable alarms and 4 different dive modes this dive computer has everything for your recreational diving needs and more.
- Best beginner computer on the market
- Used by most dive centers when teaching
- 4 different dive modes
- Exceptionally long-lasting
- Simple navigation menu
- High contrast display
- Not very pretty to look at
- Buttons can feel hard to press
- Bulky
If you’re looking for your first dive computer this is the ultimate dive computer for beginners, you simply can’t go wrong with the Suunto Zoop Novo and its dot matrix display.
The Suunto Zoop features a large, high contrast display that is intuitive and easy to read even in the low light when scuba diving. And the exceptionally rugged design will undoubtedly last you several years, if not more.
What’s more, is that the 4 buttons actually make navigation much quicker.
You can easily go back and forth as needed without having to waste time scrolling all the way through as you would on a single button model.
- Modes: Air, Nitrox (up to 50%), Freediving mode & Gauge
- User-Changeable Battery: Yes
- Adjustable Safety Settings: Yes
- Size: Large
- Algorithm: Suunto RGBM
- Backlight: Yes
- Max depth: up to 150m
- Buttons: 4
- Style: Wrist
- Compact size & slim design
- Simple to use, affordable
- Top-class digital app with logbook
- Intuitive set up + easy to change settings
- Social media integration
- Rechargeable battery
- Very affordable smart dive watch
- Hard to read in direct sunlight
- Not suitable for tech/trimix
- No altitude option
If you’re a lover of new gadgets and staying connected then the Cosmiq+ from DeeperBlu might just be your perfect dive computer.
Not only does it offer great functionality underwater, but it also integrates seamlessly via Bluetooth with a top-quality app complete with a digital logbook (dive logs) and social media connections.
This dive computer is for beginner dives all the way up to advanced divers. The app offers more than just a logbook you can share on Facebook, it also allows you to easily adjust and check all your dive settings including nitrox, audible alarms, and other key data before you dive.
No more awkwardly holding down buttons and a goofy button interface and having to keep scrolling through settings over and over because you keep clicking past the one you wanted!
Underwater the Cosmiq+ is a dream to use. The LCD screen is super clear in all conditions, displaying all the essential information you need.
Plus the audible and visual alarms make it easy to stay within your limits. You can also set the computer to progressive, normal, or conservative mode.
While it’s not suitable for tech divers, this computer gives recreational/sport divers all the options they could ever need including accurate dive planning, freedive, gauge and nitrox modes.
Akin to your smartphone, this dive computer has a rechargeable lithium ion battery and magnetic USB charger.
Once fully charged, it’ll do around 7 hours worth of diving before you need to recharge.
We love the stylish and slim design, it’s significantly less bulky than most dive computers and you have the option to choose a strap design to suit your style.
For less than $400, we were very impressed with the design and functionality!
While there are cheaper dive computers that offer the same underwater functionality, the Cosmiq+ cannot be beaten when it comes to ease of use and out of water connectivity.
The only downsides are that you do need to remember to charge it, there’s no altitude diving option and the LCD screen can be a little tricky to view in bright sunlight. But the other functions, and low price point, more than make up for it!
- Modes/ Air Integration: Air, Nitrox (up to 50%), Freediving mode & Gauge
- User-replaceable Battery: Yes
- Adjustable Safety Settings: Yes
- Size: Large
- Algorithm: Bühlmann ZHL-16C
- Backlight: Yes
- Max depth: up to 150m
- Buttons: 4
- Style: Wrist
Intermediate Dive Computers
- Compact size & slim design
- Simple to use, affordable
- Top-class digital app with logbook
- Intuitive set up + easy to change settings
- Social media integration
- Rechargeable battery
- Very affordable smart dive watch
- Hard to read in direct sunlight
- Not suitable for tech/trimix
- No altitude option
The popularity of the Suunto D4i Novo cannot be understated. It is one of the best dive computers ever made. It is versatile and perfect for scuba diving and apnea alike.
It has an increased functionality of wireless air integration to measure tank pressure whilst remaining simple to operate and read.
The compact, rugged design makes it ideal for frequent travelers and is small enough and stylish enough to wear as a wristwatch over your wetsuit and has multiple colors.
The battery life is pretty good but it is not a rechargeable battery like the Suunto D5. When you do change the battery you do lose all of your dive logs and dive data. It also not have compatibility with tri-mix, CCR and is not and air integrated-dive computer.
We believe that the Suunto D4i Novo is the ideal dive computer for beginner divers and professionals alike.
If you want high quality and value for money, the Suunto D4i Novo is a worthy investment.
Plus it looks great!!
- Modes/ Air Integration : Air, Nitrox (up to 50%), Freedive & Gauge
- User-replaceable Battery: Yes
- Adjustable Safety Settings: Yes
- Size: Large
- Algorithm: Suunto RGBM
- Backlight: Yes
- Max depth: up to 150m
- Buttons: 4
- Style: Wrist
- One of the best dive computer brands
- Beautifully designed and aesthetically pleasing iF Design Award winner 2020
- Compact + stylish
- Full Color display
- High quality, reliable + long-lasting
- Super simple to use
- Highly customisable
- Wireless Mobile Connection
- Tad bit expensive
- Not the best battery life
Released in November 2020, the Garmin Descent Mk2i is the follow-up to the Garmin Descent MK1. The Garmin Descent Mk2i is the dive computer of the future and scuba divers are loving it.
Though Garmin is relatively new in the diving world, they have launched themselves onto the scene with a bang by creating some of the best computers on the market.
The Mk2i builds on the success of the Garmin Descent Mk2 and takes on board all the feedback from expert divers. The air integration offered by the Mk2i is cutting edge and you can customize it for multi-gas. You can also gas switch between those gases easily.
Expert Dive Computers
- Dive modes: nitrox, trimix, gauge, apnea, apnea hunt and CCR
- Features Garmin Pay™, music
- Reviewable dives using the Garmin dive app
- Premium materials & quality build
- Customizable dive modes
- Extremely comfortable
- Can be worn as an everyday watch
- Lightweight & sleek design
- Premium multi-activity smartwatch + dive computer
- No transmitter included
- Very pricey option
Released in November 2020, the Garmin Descent Mk2i is the follow-up to the Garmin Descent MK1. The Garmin Descent Mk2i is the dive computer of the future and scuba divers are loving it.
Though Garmin is relatively new in the diving world, they have launched themselves onto the scene with a bang by creating some of the best computers on the market.
The Mk2i builds on the success of the Garmin Descent Mk2 and takes on board all the feedback from expert divers. The air integration offered by the Mk2i is cutting edge and you can customize it for multi-gas. You can also gas switch between those gases easily.
Whilst most computers use a traditional VHF radio frequency to pair the computer and transmitter, Garmin has developed brand-new proprietary technology that uses sonar.
This allows the signal to travel much further – up to 10m – and connect to up to five transmitters.
With huge potential applications, this new technology could potentially revolutionize the way we dive, and learn to dive, in the future.
Oh, the Garmin Descent Mk2i also functions as a top-tier Garmin fitness tracker, heart rate monitor, and smartwatch – versatile is certainly the word.
The only downside? The cost. At $1,399 not including the transmitter, this a high-end computer and will be too expensive for many divers.
- Modes/ Air Integration: Air, Nitrox (up to 99%), Trimix, Closed-Circuit Rebreather Freedive & Gauge
- User-replaceable Battery: Rechargeable
- Adjustable Safety Settings: Yes
- Size: Small
- Algorithm: Bühlmann’s model
- Backlight: Yes
- Max depth: up to 100m
- Buttons: 5
- Style: Watch
- Full Color Display, High Resolution
- 15 color options available
- Intuitive settings + easy to read display
- Switchable audible and vibration alerts
- Supports open-circuit, fixed
- PO2, gauge, and freediving modes
- Can be worn as a regular watch
- Simple yet stylish design
- Lightweight
- 2 transmitter connectivity
- Rechargable battery
- High price
- No transmitter included
Though it’s made by a company renowned for its technical diving gear, the Shearwater Teric (not to be confused with the Shearwater Perdix or Shearwater Peregrine) combines all the functionality needed for technical divers and recreational divers alive. Scuba divers are loving the simple design that is sleek enough to be worn daily by a recreational diver.
This Shearwater dive computer has technical diving features like 2 transmitter connectivity, configurable audible and haptic alerts, pressure gauge, and nitrox, trimix, and rebreather capabilities. It can also be worn over your drysuit.
The display is clear, bright, and simple to navigate. It is fitted with Bluetooth Connectivity Smart technology, making connecting with your phone app easier than ever.
The battery is user rechargeable and it also features a 3D, tilt-compensated compass.
The internet is flooded with fantastic reviews of the Shearwater Teric and it’s easy to see why – everything about it is slick, clever, customizable and oh-so functional.
The only downside we can see is the price for this high end dive computer – over $1000 without the transmitters, it is definitely at the luxury end of the market and not an entry-level dive computer.
- Modes/ Air Integration: Air, Nitrox (up to 99%), Trimix, Closed-Circuit Rebreather Freedive & gauge
- User-replaceable Battery: Rechargeable
- Digital Compass
- Adjustable Safety Settings: Yes
- Size: Small
- Algorithm: Bühlmann’s GF
- Backlight: Yes
- Max depth: up to 100m
- Buttons: 4
- Style: Watch
Before Buying A Dive Computer
Still not sure what one to go with, with all these great options? There are a few factors to consider when choosing the perfect computer for you, so let’s go through those, and then we will give you recommendations and all-time favorites, that you can’t go wrong with.
Your Budget
Obviously, you should think about your budget, check the prices in the links above on Amazon, and that will be a big factor. But obviously, since there are a lot of options around the same prices, there will be more factors to think about.
Easy To Use And Set Up
This also goes with how much you dive and how much experience you have with computers, but if you are like us, and DO have a lot of dives and experience with computers, yet still prefer something simple and user-friendly.
We have tried a lot of computers, and always seem to revert back to a Suunto. We’d rather not have to spend time figuring out a complicated computer, so we tend to stay away from most Oceanic or Shearwater, unless for tec.
But that’s just our opinion, and a ton of divers love Oceanic computers, with more options and settings.
Why Get Your Own Dive Computer?
Not only does a dive computer make your life much easier, but it also makes your dives much safer. And having your own dive computer means that you are able to accurately keep track of your own limits in real-time throughout the dive.
A dive computer provides you with all the information you need to stay safe and dive within your limits in real-time. It does all of the calculations for you, whilst also providing you with alarms and reminders, for example, automatically tracking your safety stop, applying emergency decompression stops if you exceed your limits, or beeping at you if your ascent is too fast.
None of this can be guaranteed with manual planning and tracking when you use decompression tables and a timing device and depth gauge. Even if you are the most experienced diver with all the knowledge, there is still plenty of scope for human error from the tiniest error in the calculations to not watching your depth for a few minutes of the dive, which can make a lot of difference and put you at risk of decompression sickness.
Besides the safety factor, a dive computer often allows you to make the most of your time underwater as it helps you to monitor your depth and remaining no-stop time during the dive. For example, if you start to shallow up you gain additional no stop time and can spend longer underwater.
Having your own dive computer allows you to be in control of your own safety, maximize your time underwater and help keep track of your dives so you can update your log book (either manually or many newer models of Bluetooth or USB connections to upload your data to your smartphone or computer).
Can’t I Just Rent A Dive Computer From The Dive Center?
While many dive center’s do offer you the opportunity to rent a dive computer (usually the basic Mares or Aqua lung) it can be time-consuming and frustrating to figure out how the different models work. Having your own dive computer means that you know exactly how it works, and how to use it properly to monitor your dives and stay safely within your limits.
Plus, renting dive computers is usually charged per dive and that very quickly adds up across a few days or diving. While a dive computer feels like a big expense upfront it can actually save you a lot of money in the long run. Most dive computers will last you several years, if not decades when taken care of properly (you’ll probably have to replace a battery or two but this is very cheap).
And lastly, having your own computer means that you are using the same computer for all of your dives and it will keep an accurate reading of your no-decompression limits across multiple dives and multiple days of diving.
Frequently Asked Questions
A dive computer is a device, usually worn on the wrist, that provides the diver with all the important variables and information during a dive.
A dive computer records the time and depth of your dive in real time and applies it to a decompression model to track the amount of nitrogen that has dissolved in your body.
The dive computer uses this information to tell you your remaining bottom time or no-decompression limit – how much time you can safely remain at that depth.
A dive computer will also tell you other important information about your dive in real time including your ascent rate, total dive time and help track your safety stop.
Other information a dive computer will tell you includes the temperature of the water, the date and time, and if it is air-integrated it can also track the amount of air left in the tank.
Most modern dive computers are wrist mounted, appearing like a smart watch but you can also get dive computer consoles that can be mounted with your SPG (submersible pressure gauge). Although most divers prefer to have them on their wrists where it’s quicker and more convenient to monitor their dive info.
A dive computer tells you all the important information about your dive in real time so you can stay within your limits and follow safe diving protocols.
All dive computers will tell you the basics including:
– Current time and total dive time – Current depth and your maximum depth during the dive – No-decompression limit (no stop time / remaining bottom time) – Ascent Rate – Emergency decompression stops that are required – No fly time – Surface intervals
The majority of modern dive computers will also tell you additional information such as:
– Monitoring your safety stop – Temperature of the water – Date – Logs of your previous dives
Other information that your dive computer may tell you depending on the model and feature includes:
– Remaining air (if the computer is air-integrated and connected to the low-pressure port of the regulator) – Partial pressures of Oxygen in your body – Digital Compass
All of this information helps you to not only track your dives but also to plan your dives.
A dive computer is not mandatory. As long as you have planned your dives using the decompression tables and then accurately monitor your depth and time during the dive using a timing device and your depth gauges then you do not need a dive computer. However, the majority of divers argue that a dive computer is the most important piece of dive gear as it allows you to accurately monitor your dive in real time and helps reduce human error. A dive computer will help you to stay within your limits, complete your safety stop and maintain a safe ascent rate – all of which help keep you safe.
Dive computers create a much safer environment for divers and can allow for extended dive times due to the fact they are constantly monitoring and providing new data.
This data can be accessed at all times and give you accurate and safe information on adjusted bottom times, depths, safety stops, etc.
They can also normally be set more conservatively if the conditions are challenging or if you have a need due to a pre- existing medical condition.
Dive tables are way less effective as the dive plan has to be worked out pre-dive meaning that you would have to stick to a strict plan on the dive.
Whereas a dive computer can quickly adjust your bottom time assimilating the data of your actual dive profile.
To be honest, using a computer is the only truly safe way of doing multi-level diving as a computer is always adjusting the time you can remain underwater using the information gathered during that particular dive. Your computer will always warn you when you are staying at a depth too long.
These types of dives can be calculated manually but can be difficult to follow underwater due to their complexity.
In the end you are diving to immerse yourself in the underwater world, let the computer do all the hard work for you!
There are a lot of different algorithms used by dive computers and companies. Some companies like Suunto and Scubapro have their own algorithms while others like Mares and Aqua lung use more common ones. These are all fine, but different and some are more conservative than others. The algorithms used by dive computers are designed to prevent decompression sickness (DCS), which is a potentially serious condition that can occur when a diver ascends too quickly from a dive. The algorithms take into account the diver’s depth, bottom time, ascent rate, and other factors to determine how long the diver can safely stay at a particular depth and when they need to start ascending to avoid DCS.
And there you have it!
These are the top dive computers on the market and depending on your needs, you can pick the best one for you!
Do you have a favorite that’s not on our list? Let us know in the comments below!
Looking to review some more options?
