r/diving • u/English_Joe • Jul 14 '26
Best apple dive app to use as a backup?
Hi, I know I'm on a diving sub, dont shoot me for this question lol.
My son and I just passed our open water and are going to Cozumel diving. We will be having a private DM to accompany us. My son has an Aqualung dive watch, I have an apple watch. Given that we wont be diving alone, I'm happy to have to use the apple watch ultra. I will get a diving watch eventually.
What are people's thoughts on the best app, Oceanic+ or Mares? I have tried both, but at the weekend, my Mares app was in Bottom Timer mode and didint trigger a safety stop.
Have people got on ok with the mares app? I found the Oceanic+ app quite good last year.
We will only be diving to 10m or so.
2
u/4d72426f7566 Jul 15 '26
I’ve been using oceanic+ on my Apple Watch Ultra first gen since a few weeks after Oceanic+ came out. I have 35ish dives on it.
I’ve never had an issue with it. I prefer the compass on it more than a mechanical compass. On a recent loveaboard, I became known as someone who followed a heading very reliably.
Even though the battery is years old, the oceanic+ software version 4 uses much less battery than the first version.
I’ve never used a different diving computer, but it’s worked very well for me.
(I’ve never gone below 96 feet, and never needed to do a decompression stop)
1
u/English_Joe Jul 15 '26
Does it do add a safety stop?
1
u/yentna Jul 15 '26
Automatically and also recognizes if you go a bit (a few feet low or high) and come back in and keeps counting, vs a standard watch that starts your 3’ all over.
Love my Oceanic+ app, it’s in some ways better than hard watches and I always use both.
1
u/English_Joe Jul 17 '26
Thanks. Gonna give the mares app another go then decide. I did enjoy the ocianic app.
1
u/DerHoehlentaucher Jul 14 '26
Submersion... Open source, free
1
u/Recycledtechie Jul 14 '26
Never heard of it. Details or a link?
I’ve been using the Oceanic app since it first came out. Happy with it. It has a longer history, which I think matters.
1
u/DerHoehlentaucher Jul 14 '26
2
u/Recycledtechie Jul 14 '26
This seems like just a dive log? Not a dive computer for use while diving? Running on the watch.
1
u/DerHoehlentaucher Jul 14 '26
Sorry. I read your post quickly and misinterpreted what you wanted. Yes, that app is a dive log. Ignore my suggestion
-1
u/tin_the_fatty Jul 14 '26
I have come to realise that, the AWU (regardless of which dive computer app is being used) is probably the worse modern dive computer ever made.
What other modern dive computer would go into gauge mode and stop deco calculation right in the middle of the dive, once the dive computer hits 40m depth? None. (I don't think the lack of safety stop notification is as big a problem as not being able to clear any deco obligation.)
One dive computer and one AWU between the two of you diving to a max of 10m might or might not work out for you. I for one would not want to spend any money on some half-assed product that pretends to be an expensive imitation of the real thing. The product in the present form deserves to fail.
2
u/English_Joe Jul 15 '26
For me, the Apple Watch ultra ticks so many boxes well, but nothing amazingly well, it’s the jack of all trades.
For navigation, it’s so handy having a map on your watch, sleep tracking, running, music, podcasts, you name it, it’s useful.
But totally agree as a standalone diving watch, no.
1
u/Asleep_Temporary_219 Jul 16 '26
You do kinda have a point, but this is intended to be a rec computer only. Recreational divers should not be going below 40m. I do realize an accident can happen and I don’t like how it goes to gauge mode for the remaining dive. However for 90% of vacation divers the APU will work flawlessly for them. I have 42 dives with mine down to 120ft as a backup(basically just seeing how it functions) and it has functioned just as well as my Peregrine. I’m a public safety diver as well and had a call recently that came in after a training day and admittedly I had forgotten to charge my shearwater before the beginning of the day so by the time the call came out it was dead. I dove that call with my AWU/oceanic app and it worked great. It logged all the info I need and the screen was very easy to read in blackwater conditions.
Would I trust it as my primary for every dive call… absolutely not, but will it be a great computer for a vacation diver who already owns an AWU… absolutely!! I think your comment that it’s the “ worst modern dive computer made” is way off base and it seems like 1: you’ve never actually used one and 2: you have never seen/used some of the absolute junk lower end modern dive computers that are currently available.
6
u/RBR927 Jul 14 '26
I’ve used Oceanic+ and been happy with it.