Best Scuba Diving Computers

Today, you have a choice of console, or wrist-mount or wristwatch-style computers. Our 2019 scuba diving Gear Buyers Guide will help you find the best scuba diving computer that fits your diving style.

With all the features of the original air-integrated i550, Aqua Lung’s i500C also features Bluetooth for easy connectivity. It's available in three configurations: computer; computer with compass; and computer with compass and quick disconnect. With the free DiverLog+ app, you can update the firmware and settings on this dive computer right from your phone or handheld device.

Tech-savvy divers will appreciate the ultra-bright, full-color TFT screen — along with the Bluetooth connectivity — offered by the i770R dive computer. Features include a rechargeable lithium battery, three-axis full-tilt compass, multi-gas capability and four operating modes. Two navigation buttons plus a special “Select” button are easy to operate, even when wearing gloves.

Designed with simplicity and ease of use in mind, Cressi’s Cartesio computer has a user-friendly operation and a bold, highly legible screen in a compact, attractive watch-sized casing. The two-button interface allows intuitive navigation through the menus for quick, no-fuss setups. The nitrox-capable Cartesio can handle two nitrox mixes and also offers four operating modes.

The Michelangelo, with its high-contrast display and extra-large numbers, is a scuba diving/free diving computer from Cressi that’s easy to read and easy to use. The polyolefin display screen is set in a heavy-duty casing with a single steel push-button for accessing the system. A TPU rubber wrist band with stainless steel buckle is included.

This versatile watch-style dive computer is super-compact yet durable. The Neon's easy-read display is protected by mineral glass, and the heavy-duty casing is fitted with a pair of steel buttons for easily accessing and navigating the menu system. Depth-rated to 394 feet (120 meters), the Neon lets you pre-program two nitrox mixes (Gas1: 21 to 50 percent and Gas2: 21 to 99 percent).

The Descent MK1 features multi-gas and apnea dive modes, full-color smart watch display and surface GPS maps to track where you begin and end your dive. The three-axis compass can be accessed with a double-tap of the screen. Underwater alerts and alarms can be customized, and the computers operates for 40 hours in dive mode on a single charge.

With a sapphire crystal lens and titanium band, Garmin's flagship dive computer delivers smart watch functions and advanced dive capabilities. Along with multi-gas, trimix and freedive modes, it features a three-axis compass, surface GPS tracking of entry and exit points, 200-dive onboard log and fitness tracking including heart rate monitoring.

Mares' Genius is an update to the revered Icon model, now in a more compact package with impressive upgrades. Features include a new algorithm with gradient factors, hoseless air integration for up to five transmitters, full-tilt digital compass with stopwatch, and Bluetooth for smartphone data transfer using the MYSSI app. Plus, it’s rechargeable for up to 40 hours at a time.

Watch-style dive computers can be difficult to read, but the Smart Air marries a well-designed, three-row display with brightly colored graphic indicators to optimize the readout. The air-integrated model also features multi-gas capability, two customizable display fields, a user-replaceable battery and a tough mineral glass display. The Smart Air also includes a freedive mode.

Scubapro's solar-powered Z1 is a ruggedly-built time piece that is both durable and dependable. This dive computer has large, bold characters on the display that are easy to read and button prompts for user-friendly navigation. It is depth-rated to over 300 feet, compatible with up to four nitrox blends from 21- to 100-percent oxygen, Bluetooth enabled, and available in several colors.

Freedivers will appreciate the Driver wrist-mount freediving computer. Designed to constantly monitor dive performance, dive values and dive recovery times, the Driver offers an extensive internal memory with a logbook that’s divided into 100 sessions and 250 individual dives, all of which are downloadable to a PC or Mac. Included: a user-replaceable battery.

Capability and simplicity are the hallmarks of the Shearwater Perdix AI. The 2.2-inch display with customizable colors and data arrangement is easy to read in any conditions. Modes include OC rec, OC tec and CCR trimix, yet it's simple to navigate, with a two-button interface and clear screen prompts. It uses any AA battery, and gives you 40 hours of life when AI is enabled.

A stylish timepiece, the Teric transforms to an advanced dive computer underwater, with two-transmitter wireless air integration and multiple dive modes. The full-color, high-resolution 1.4-inch LED display can be customized with a selection of 15 colors and multiple screen configurations. On-screen prompts make the four-button operation a snap, and audible and vibrating alarms can be configured.

The Amphos 2.0 is Sherwood Scuba’s newest version of its wristwatch-style dive computer. Providing full time-keeping functions on the surface, at depth its computer display is based on Sherwood’s intuitive Wisdom3 format. In Scuba mode you can program two gas mixes (Gas1: 21- to 50-percent nitrox; Gas2: 21- to 100-percent oxygen). It also includes a freediving mode.

The latest edition of Sherwood's successful air-integrated Wisdom line of computers adds Bluetooth connectivity for seamless, cable-free syncing with your smartphone. Uploading settings or downloading your dives to a digital log is a snap. The Wisdom 4 offers the same legible, easy-reading screen and intuitive operation as its predecessors, as well as a user-replaceable battery.

The DC Solar Link represents the next generation of solar-powered wristwatch-style dive computers. Rechargeable by sunlight or indoor fluorescent light, you never again have to deal with battery replacements. The computer lets you pre-program up to four gas mixes (21- to 100-percent oxygen) for easy transitions, and also includes Freedive and Gauge modes.