Diving Computers

A dive computer replaces tables, tracks your gas loading in real time and quietly does the arithmetic while you dive. We stock Shearwater, Suunto, Mares and Divesoft, from first computers through to full trimix, along with transmitters for air integration. Which one suits you depends far more on the diving you are doing than on the feature list.

Diver at the surface checking a wrist dive computer

Expert advice
Talk to divers who use the kit we sell.
Servicing and repairs
Regulators, cylinders, drysuits, BCDs and computer batteries.
Rutland dive centre
A real shop in Oakham, with training and pool sessions.
UK delivery
Posted across the UK. Ask about lead times on special orders.

What a dive computer does

Dive computers replaced the time-consuming use of dive tables. They calculate decompression obligation, gas loading and ascent rate continuously through the dive, based on where you actually went rather than the plan you wrote beforehand.

Modern computers add multiple gas settings, colour screens, adjustable conservatism and algorithm choices. Air integration is increasingly common, using a transmitter on the first stage to display cylinder pressure and estimate remaining gas time.

The four general types

Wrist mounted, with large screens and the clearest in-water readability
Console, mounted with the gauges and often air integrated
Dive watches, sized to wear every day as well as underwater
Technical computers, with mixed gas and trimix support

Choosing for UK diving

Screen readability matters more in UK water than it does in the tropics. Inland and coastal visibility is often low and the light is poor, so a display you can read at a glance in gloom is worth more than a longer feature list.

Think about where your diving is going, too. A computer that supports nitrox and later mixed gas will follow you through the training pathway rather than needing replacing at the next course. If you are unsure which of these matters for you, ask before you buy.

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Frequently asked questions

A screen you can read easily in poor visibility, nitrox support, and a menu you can navigate without the manual. Those three cover most of what a new diver actually needs.

It is also worth buying one that will still suit you after your next two courses. Replacing a computer because it will not handle nitrox or a second gas is a common and avoidable expense.

It is a convenience, not a requirement. A transmitter puts cylinder pressure on the same screen as your depth and time, and can estimate remaining gas time from your actual breathing rate.

It does not replace a submersible pressure gauge as a backup, and it adds cost and another battery to look after. Plenty of divers run without it quite happily. Check that any transmitter is compatible with your specific computer before buying the two separately.

Yes. We change dive computer batteries in house and pressure test afterwards where the model requires it, which is the step most often skipped when a battery is changed elsewhere.

Some computers are user-serviceable and some are not. Check the manufacturer specification for yours, or bring it in and we will tell you.