The 10 Best First Dive computers (2023 reviews)

We consider a first dive computer to be a worthy investment in the long run. We are here to help you choose the right one for your needs from all the best available products in market today.

Our review process: Show/Hide

Our Top Picks:

Best Overall: Buy: Cressi First Dive Computer READ REVIEW

Best For Divemaster: Buy: Shearwater Great Dive Computer READ REVIEW

Best For Freediving: Buy: Seac First Dive Computer READ REVIEW

Best With Air integration: Buy: Shearwater First Dive Computer READ REVIEW

Best For downloading dives: Buy: Oceanic First Dive Computer READ REVIEW

Best With heart rate monitor: Buy: Scubapro First Dive Computer READ REVIEW

Best With Digital Compass: Buy: Suunto Great Dive Computer READ REVIEW

Best With tank pod: Buy: Suunto First Dive Computer READ REVIEW

Best With USB: Buy: Oceanic Dive Computer READ REVIEW

Best With Apple And Android devices: Buy: Scubapro Wrist Computer READ REVIEW

Best Overall: Cressi First Dive Computer

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Cressi line of computer come in a pretty wide variety of styles, so you can definitely find one that suits your individual preferences and needs. A single button dive computer makes it effortless to set air, nitrox and gauge modes. It displays your dive information during the dive and you can access your prior history of dives. The Leonardo is great and easy to use. The sound signals are loud. It will cover your whole wrist. It's easy to use, very big clear screen, and it’s accurate. It's a fairly conservative dive watch and is very easy to use.

• Easy set up and easy to read underwater
• Best entry level watch, simple and easy to use
• Easy to use, large button easy to read
• All you need for recreational diving

Best For Divemaster: Shearwater Great Dive Computer

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate computer. The shearwater great dive computer is exactly that - it's a simple computer that hits all the right notes. If you are familiar with the Perdix AI, the Teric adds some new customization, and the four-button interface definitely makes walking through the menus a lot more intuitive. The Swift indicator LED provides quick diagnostic information. It provides quick diagnostic information and also includes sensors for water temperature. The watch will automatically alert you for your safety stop with a 5 minute countdown at 15 feet.

The watch face is also customizable with different displays and colors. It comes in a molded soft case with plenty of padding inside. The charging is simple, the battery life is more than adequate for any normal diving, and it has pretty much all the features you could possibly want from a dive computer unless you need a Fischer connection for your rebreather, which it obviously doesn't have.

• Includes charging stand and wire charger with manual
• Excellent battery life, bright easily read display
• Super bright and easy to read underwater and in bright sunlight

Best For Freediving: Seac First Dive Computer

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Best part: seac first dive computer costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. If you need a bare bones dive watch it works good enough. It does the basics of depth and dive time. The Seac partner freediving wrist computer has an alarm if the safe diving depth is exceeded, recovery time is calculated with a stopwatch instead. It comes with an extender and fits very much like a watch.

This watch is meant for free diving. It will only hold 99 dives and will erase 1st drive for the 100th drive to be saved.

• Recreational wrist-mount dive computer with easy to use, backlit display
• Great if your kids wanna see how deep they can swim
• Integrated dive computer that has a bright, large digital readout

Best With Air integration: Shearwater First Dive Computer

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The shearwater first dive computer is the best desirable computer on the market today. The Shearwater Teric is fantastic for diving computers. It offers an information screen utilizing a 1.39 in | 35 mm full color amoled display with a diameter x height | 55mm x 18mm body and 4.25 oz | 120.4 g weight. It has recreational, gauge, freediving, open-circuit tech and closed-circuit/bail-out modes. It has a great compass with the ability to "mark" waypoints/directions and have arrow indications when you drift off course.

This does not come with a transmitter, there is a version that comes with it included in the box. There is a case for the watch and the transmitter from Shearwater comes in its own nifty little case too. It is used for several brand dive computers.

• Works great really impressed with quality
• Easy four button intuitive menu operations and more options than you’ll ever need
• Looks good, easy to read underwater and highly customizable
• Great display and easy to use

Best For downloading dives: Oceanic First Dive Computer

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The oceanic first dive computer is suitable and reliable and fits well with your daily purpose. It comes with Bluetooth compatibility, and the Proplus 4.0 adds to Oceanic's commitment to growing the largest family of bluetooth compatible computers available to divers. It features on the go pre-and post-dive. It is a console computer so it is attached to your regulator with a hose. There is a plastic shield that you can put over the face of the dive screen. It will display the air pressure because of this. It’s a simple process to change to a new battery. It is great for downloading dives.

• Bluetooth is great for downloading dives
• Dive monitoring and safety stop metering clear and easy to follow
• New and hot release

Best With heart rate monitor: Scubapro First Dive Computer

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Scubapro is known for creating pragmatic and minimalist computer for people on the go, and its line of scubapro first dive computer definitely falls in line with that reputation. The Scubapro G2 wrist diving computer has a integrated digital compass. It features a 485 mb internal memory that can store up to 1, 000 hours of dive profiles. It has an awesome digital compass mode. It is perfect for divers of all skill levels and designed to go anywhere—open water to freediving to ccr to sidemount—the g2 is ready to go wherever your passion for diving takes you.

The ergonomically curved, low-profile shape of the g2 sits comfortably on the arm, and you can choose from four-screen display configurations to suit your individual diving style. It comes with an adapter that snaps on the bottom to charge it via micro usb. There is also a chest strap and heart monitor for this system that would be beneficial if you are doing deep water dives or thinking about it. It has a maximum operating depth of 394 feet (120 meter) for reliable dive computing regardless of diving situation, and the rechargeable battery provides up to 50 hours of dive time per charge.

• Featuring a 22-inch full-color tft display with 320 x
• Good investment for long term

Best With Digital Compass: Suunto Great Dive Computer

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The suunto great dive computer is capable of outshining several other computer featured in this list in overall features for the price point. The Eons use a special transmitter unique to them. It has big buttons that can be operated easily with gloves. It is perfectly readable during the day, both on the boat and underwater. The transmitter works fine and catches the signal fast. The customizable screen is just so cool.

The display is gorgeous, there is no interruption with the pod, and it is completely customizable. It is easy to use and read daytime or for night diving. There is a way to customize the display and also change the alignment of the buttons.

• Clear color display w/large, prominent digits & intuitive menu logic
• Great dive computer with crystal clear screen and customizable display
• Easy to set up and use

Best With tank pod: Suunto First Dive Computer

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The suunto first dive computer is satisfactory and appropriate and fits well with your regular usage. The new Suunto d5 is designed to be so clear and easy-to-use that you can just enjoy and focus on exploring the wonderful underwater world. Featuring compatibility with 3-gas mixtures, four dive modes, and 3D digital compass, the Suunto D5 can deliver all your crucial data in an easy-to-read interface with three-button menu design. It offers the ability to add notes, pictures, coordinates, etc. The D5 is not only a diver’s best friend underwater, it also adapts to every diver’s style with multiple strap options to match any outfit.

It features in a watch-sized dive computer and doubles as a digital watch with airplane mode available. Divers can read their most important dive details and see tank pressure effortlessly on the new super clear color screen, as well as log and share their experiences with the new Suunto app. The robust digital communications technology brings not only improved stability but also new features such as multiple tank pressure readings.

The Suunto D5 also keeps you aware of your location, air levels, and depth. It can be used as a day-to-day watch, the suunto d5 can last you up to five days on a single charge.

• Wireless connectivity via bluetooth to new suunto app
• User-updatable software & customizable dive screens
• Full color mip display with adjustable led backlight
• You can connect up to three tank pods

Best With USB: Oceanic Dive Computer

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Oceanic is known for creating pragmatic and minimalist computer for people on the go, and its line of oceanic dive computer definitely falls in line with that reputation. This dive computer is rechargeable via a USB cable, and the Oceanic Pro Plus comes with a quick disconnect hose. It's tough to read in bright light. The color display is good at helping you focus on the important data. The multiple profile selection is probably useful if you really care about matching someone else.

It is easy to read screen, intuitive menus and setup, dive logs easily transfer to dive log app on your iphone via blue tooth. The interface is completely intuitive. The connection is different, and the Oceanic Pro Plus comes with a quick disconnect hose. The level of service and the helpfulness and courtesy of their staff is impressive.

• You charge by usb and special attachment that comes with computer
• Include a push button oceanglow backlight, a smartglow backlight sensor and an audible alarm
• Super simple to use and set up

Best With Apple And Android devices: Scubapro Wrist Computer

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate computer. The scubapro wrist computer is exactly that - it's a simple computer that hits all the right notes. The Hud is a stand alone computer. It offers a superior user experience by delivering easily viewable, essential dive information constantly right in front of you. It features a virtual, floating heads-up display that uses precision near-eye optics to keep your essential dive information right in front of you. It includes a smart transmitter to add to that features a 2 GB internal memory that can store up to 10, 000 hours of dive profiles. It will go into deep sleep mode and only flash a logo.

The transmitter has to be a Scubapro transmitter. It comes with four diving modes and two dive algorithms, so you can personalize your dive in multiple ways. It will retro-fit to most dual-lens masks. It comes with hoseless air integration, the galileo hud monitors tank pressure plus provides true remaining bottom time (rbt) based on the workload of breathing.

• Provides up to 20 hours of dive time per charge
• Easily download dive data wirelessly to your phone or handheld device
• Produces vibrant colors for maximum readability in any ambient light conditions
• Compatible with apple and android devices using logtrak