Garmin Descent MK2

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"a cheap dive computer (with AI)"

You're looking for a unicorn there...

I noted that Costco has the MARQ Adventurer (they call it the Expedition) for $1400...

Ahh yes the unicorn hunt, well dreaming is good, but realistically something used or entry level, I know I sound silly but honestly the more my dive computer can do the less I want it to do (what I really want is a dive computer where the first screen has only gas time remaining, time to surface, ND/O2 clock, alarms and everything else is on a secondary screen (I know I may be alone in the min approach (but that info is really all that I need to know on an ongoing basis, now that I solely do recreational warm water diving) dive time sure if I am getting cold otherwise it's typically capped at 60-80min, tank pressure (inverse of DTR in an oversimplified world), bottom time and depth (are part of the O2/ND clocks (again oversimplified), depth would be an alarm setting (based on mix).

Now back to the topic, I played more with the Garmin app and I am tilting towards the either remove many aspects and make it into a pure dive logging app (leave the what if, and all other more advanced settings out of it) but I know that wont fly as many divers want a basic dive planner and equipment tracking or they need to add presets (default to last used) and fix fundamental things such as SAC, including alerts in the graphs, etc. That being said for a garmin user (like me) it's still going to be the goto app to get a quick view.

And I have admit I am a hypocrite, I have always told my son dont buy a super expensive smart watch they are like phones constantly evolving and by design they will be obsolete in 2-3 years, but I am seriously eyeing the MARQ Captain: American Magic Edition, however I will wait for the Descent MK2 or Sep/Oct (my deadline if travel is allowed in Dec).
 
Your Unicorn has arrived! LeisurePro has the Aqualung i450T for $319.99 and the new Aqualung i470T for $499.99 without transmitters of course! Any Pelagic Pressure Systems transmitter should work with both.
 
Even amateurs just getting into the sport should be, and often are, interested in their SAC. Actually, it seems MORE likely among newer divers.

The issues with metric are not a reflection of Garmin knowing the market and coding for it. They are issues of the developers not knowing how divers do things in metric. Their work and your attitude here are extremely American-centric.

Maybe if a Garmin had put in proper support for metric divers, the Descent would have sold more in Europe and they would have had a business case to make a Mk 2 by now...
Exactly! (well, almost :wink: ). The support for metric in the device itself is pretty good and I've not had any really issues with the way it handles metric. The support in Garmin Connect (and the Garmin Dive app) is woeful. I think you have hit the mark with the Garmin Connect developers being extremely American-centric.

I would argue the Mk1 is not targeted to new divers ("amateurs"?). The price tag is too high and it supports, up to 6 gases, Nitrox, Helium, even even CCR.

I would think SAC would be pretty important for divers who need to use more than one gas or are using Helium.
 
Now back to the topic, I played more with the Garmin app and I am tilting towards the either remove many aspects and make it into a pure dive logging app (leave the what if, and all other more advanced settings out of it) but I know that wont fly as many divers want a basic dive planner and equipment tracking or they need to add presets (default to last used) and fix fundamental things such as SAC, including alerts in the graphs, etc. That being said for a garmin user (like me) it's still going to be the goto app to get a quick view.
Or just use something like Subsurface.

Subsurface will:
  • work with almost any dive computer so all your previous dives can be there in the one app.
  • work when you don't have an internet connection (at least for browsing your dive log).
  • do most of the other things on your list
 
Exactly! (well, almost :wink: ). The support for metric in the device itself is pretty good and I've not had any really issues with the way it handles metric. The support in Garmin Connect (and the Garmin Dive app) is woeful. I think you have hit the mark with the Garmin Connect developers being extremely American-centric.

I would argue the Mk1 is not targeted to new divers ("amateurs"?). The price tag is too high and it supports, up to 6 gases, Nitrox, Helium, even even CCR.

I would think SAC would be pretty important for divers who need to use more than one gas or are using Helium.

The Descent is targeted at experienced and tech divers just the way the MARQ Captain is targeted at experienced professional boat captains....

SAC is important for multi-gas and trimix diving. But, the divers who are doing those kinds of dives already know their SAC and many of them are not bothering to review their gas consumption all that often. I dive tech, with trimix, and CCR. I am about as pro-AI and "gas consumption data" as anyone I know. I use AI on every dive (including CCR). But, I have never bothered to collect detailed consumption data on my deco gases. I review my consumption on every dive - for my back gas.

Like I said earlier, I think monitoring SAC for every dive and especially using AI, is probably a lot more of interest to newer divers than to technical trimix divers.
 
Exactly! (well, almost :wink: ). The support for metric in the device itself is pretty good and I've not had any really issues with the way it handles metric. The support in Garmin Connect (and the Garmin Dive app) is woeful. I think you have hit the mark with the Garmin Connect developers being extremely American-centric.

I would argue the Mk1 is not targeted to new divers ("amateurs"?). The price tag is too high and it supports, up to 6 gases, Nitrox, Helium, even even CCR.

I would think SAC would be pretty important for divers who need to use more than one gas or are using Helium.

ps. Oh, and it is almost shocking what many newer divers spend on gear. I don't think the Descent price tag makes it "not for newer divers" at all. In fact, there are many that will buy it BECAUSE of the price tag. They don't know what they don't know. They just got into scuba diving. They have heard of Garmin. And they think that "more expensive" equates to "better". Oh, and they can use it as a sports watch, too!

These are the same new divers that buy Atomic BCDs and ScubaPro Mk 25 EVO + A700 Carbon Tech or Atomic T3 reg sets. I can assure you that it's not the experienced tech divers that are buying any of those.
 
Or just use something like Subsurface.

Subsurface will:
  • work with almost any dive computer so all your previous dives can be there in the one app.
  • work when you don't have an internet connection (at least for browsing your dive log).
  • do most of the other things on your list
If you have a Garmin and a laptop, it will be fully functional without internet. The only time you would need internet is if you wanted to access your dives on Subsurface-mobile (because the only "official" way to do that is via the Subsurface cloud).

Usual "warning" when looking at Subsurface SAC rates. We actually try to approximate compressibility of gases, so our SAC rates may be different (usually slightly lower) from those calculated using naive math assuming perfect compressibility of gases. Because no, your cylinder doesn't contain twice as much gas when you go from 150bar to 300bar.
 
If you have a Garmin and a laptop, it will be fully functional without internet. The only time you would need internet is if you wanted to access your dives on Subsurface-mobile (because the only "official" way to do that is via the Subsurface cloud).
I thought you only needed Internet access for Subsurface-mobile was for syncing with cloud.

I just put my iPhone into Airplane mode and opened Subsurface-mobile and all my dives were there.

And yeah, Subsurface on a laptop will be fully functional without Internet. I was comparing Subsurface to the Garmin Dive app which is only available on iOS and Android so was effectively comparing the Garmin Dive app to Subsurface-mobile. The Garmin Dive app has no local storage at all so with no Internet connection you can even browse your dives. With Subsurface-mobile you can, can't you?
 
I thought you only needed Internet access for Subsurface-mobile was for syncing with cloud.

I just put my iPhone into Airplane mode and opened Subsurface-mobile and all my dives were there.

And yeah, Subsurface on a laptop will be fully functional without Internet. I was comparing Subsurface to the Garmin Dive app which is only available on iOS and Android so was effectively comparing the Garmin Dive app to Subsurface-mobile. The Garmin Dive app has no local storage at all so with no Internet connection you can even browse your dives. With Subsurface-mobile you can, can't you?
Maybe I didn't express myself well. The conversation here was about the Garmin. Since you cannot directly download from that to Subsurface-mobile, my point was that if you downloaded dives and wanted to look at them on your phone, then you need internet to do the cloud sync. But no, that's the only thing that you need internet for. Everything else happens locally. There is a local cache of your complete dive log, etc.
 
Maybe I didn't express myself well. The conversation here was about the Garmin. Since you cannot directly download from that to Subsurface-mobile, my point was that if you downloaded dives and wanted to look at them on your phone, then you need internet to do the cloud sync. But no, that's the only thing that you need internet for. Everything else happens locally. There is a local cache of your complete dive log, etc.
Maybe I should express myself better, too.

Or just use something like Subsurface. Use a combination of Subsurface on a laptop or desktop computer with cloud storage, and Subsurface-mobile on your phone. During normal usage (when you have Internet connection), load your dives from the Garmin to Subsurface on your laptop/desktop and save to cloud. Keep a local copy as well, so it will still work when you have no Internet connection (say on a dive trip to a remote location).

Subsurface will:
  • work with almost any dive computer so all your previous dives can be there in the one app.
  • work when you don't have an internet connection (full function on your laptop/desktop, and browse existing stored dives on your phone).
  • do most of the other things on your list
 

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