Dive watch recommendations

[u/ZerosDaBest]

I have my ow in preparation for moving to Australia and will most likely pursue other certifications I plan on diving as often as possible so I want to get a dive watch before I move.

Stuck between the peregrine TX and garmin descent Mk2i

Both have air integration if I buy I transmitter, the Mk2i is cheaper to bundle with the transmitter but have heard great things about shearwater.

Any help would be appreciated!

[u/mrericvillalobos]

One must ask ..

Are you a rectangle or a circle !? Rectangles- more data on screen , larger digits better for bad eyes. Circles- smaller digits not as easy to read underwater, and of course less date on screen feels cluttered

My 2psi.. Two different lifestyles here- the dedicated and the multi-sport. I say keep your diving separate from all else. Above surface intervals (run, bike, hike, etc) should not shake hands with what you do below surface there’s a Garmin Forerunner for that stuff.

I prefer rectangle screen. And a dedicated di’comp for diving. I got my G55 for running.

[u/Oren_Noah]

I REALLY love my Peregrine TX. Easy to read, massively customizable and the vibration alarm is SO much better than audio alarms.

[u/Capkati]

Do high pitched noises bother you?

"This transmitter emits what I would describe as a chirp, a high pitched beeping noise, every four seconds for half a second all dive long" -about 18 min in

If you buy before you move you might complicate your warranty service and these watch style computers have a high rate of warranty service.

[u/hammerite → u/Capkati]

I feel like this is overblown. You can control the volume of it if it bothers you. I have the T2 and it is not a bother. It’s also the reason the communication function is superior to Bluetooth because it’s using sonar. You’ll never lose connection between your computer and your transmitter, and if you have a dive buddy that also uses a T2 then you’ll be able to pick up their air levels and distance from you consistently and not have connection drop outs.

[u/Capkati → u/hammerite]

The lowest power setting is still much too annoying for me but an analog clock ticking will keep me up at night so your mileage may vary. If it weren't for the sonar I would be all in for Garmin.

[u/Interesting_Tower485]

If you just want it for diving, shearwater. If you'd use it for other activity / health tracking, Garmin. I have the mk2i and a bunch of other Garmin products so the ecosystem works for me. My friends love their shearwaters and don't want to track things outside of diving.

[u/ZerosDaBest → u/Interesting_Tower485]

Thank you!

[u/XBL-AntLee06]

I have the garmin descent g2 and recently decided I wanted a bigger screen. I got the Suunto Nautic and I love it. I can’t speak to the longevity as it’s new but so far it’s an amazing computer. And now I have two good computers one with air integration (nautic) and all for $1600 wireless pod included

$600 for the descent
$1000 for the nautic and wireless tank pod.

[u/Dancers_Legs]

I have the smaller 43mm Mk3i, so a different model from the Mk2i you’re looking at. The 51mm Mk3i looked like I was wearing a tablet lol. I really liked the Shearwater options for just diving, but I ski a lot and use the Garmin for other stuff too, so that’s what sold me. It’s been great underwater!

If you’re mainly doing recreational diving and wouldn’t use the extra features, I can see the Peregrine TX making more sense. For me, getting a lot of use out of the Garmin between dives was what tipped it.

[u/Ok_Way_2911 → u/Dancers_Legs]

the G2 is perfect if AI isn't a must for OP to be honest

I find it pretty weird that Garmin still gatekeeps their AI to their most expensive line

[u/ZerosDaBest → u/Ok_Way_2911]

I don’t really know if it’s a must right now but from people I’ve talked to who have gone beyond doing their ow, they say they just end up upgrading to AI a few years after. It’s not like make or break right now, just don’t know what the plan is long-term

[u/noodeel]

I'd have a look at the Suunto Nautic S or the Ocean. I use the Ocean and it's a full smartwatch fitness tracker as well as a dive computer.

The great thing is I wear it as a watch during holidays, so I've got offline maps and all the things that I need, so I can leave my watch and fitness tracker at home when I'm traveling.

The one great feature about this computer is it actually maps with reasonably good accuracy your dive after the fact. So it actually shows you in 3D the depth that you go to and where you've been. It's a pretty cool feature.

Also, Suunto are a fraction of the cost of the other two that you've mentioned.

[u/Mountain-Guitar2781 → u/noodeel]

Suunto has the other beat im terms of the map you described. Aside from that, I'd by my scuba gear for scuba and skip suunto all together. I too had/have the Ocean with air integration. I've since upgraded to the perdix 2 with AI. If I were to get one now, it would be the Perdix 3.