Bought a Peregrine

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

I should add an update about the display:

This is an active, color display. Not gray scale. The brightness is configurable (and the display is what uses the most power, impacting charge life), including an auto setting which works based on ambient light. So there's no need for a backlight, unlike my old Oceanic. meaning that you don't need to do anything to be able to read it in dark conditions, such as in a cave or on a night dive.

To me this is a big plus, as sometimes it can be hard to free up a hand just to light up the gizmo.
Yes, this is a huge improvement. Especially, when you find out that the backlight stopped working. I found that out on a Night/Limited Vis certification dive. Had to use my light to see my computer. The full color display on my Perdix was a huge improvement next time in the same situation.

Also, one of the things I thought was really well thought out was the warning and critical display. For most of us, the yellow/red is easy to understand, but it is also different for colorblind users. Critical warnings (red) flash, but (yellow) warnings do not.
 
I bought a used Peregrine here and dove it for the first time a few days ago in Aruba. It’s my first computer, as I was originally certified in the pre-computer days. Loved it. Easy on my 50-something eyes, easy to use. Really happy with it.
 
Nice writeup, @Wayward Son .

First thing I did was install the screen protector...
I believe that the provided screen protector is a spare one and that the Peregrine comes with one already installed. I looked pretty closely at mine and I think I can see it, but you have to look hard. In any event you now have redundancy 😊
...& then update the firmware.
Do you know whether your firmware actually changed? I also purchased mine very recently and received an "Update Failed" error when updating via the mobile app. However, mine came with version 84, which is the latest version...so I don't know if that's why I got the error? I sent an email to Sheaarwater two days ago, but haven't heard back yet. If I end up calling them I will ask about the screen protector.

Thanks also for the soaking/rinsing tip to get rid of the salt. I also replaced the wrist strap with bungees, but I didn't make them adjustable, mainly because I really only dive topically, so no need to fit over a 7mm or dry suit for example.

Looking forward to dive mine in August!
 
So I just bought a new Peregrine. Have not dove It yet (came in yesterday), these are my initial thoughts on it:

I’m a rec diver, not a tech diver & I only dive one gas at a time. Usually 32% nitrox. I bought mine from Dive Gear Express.

It comes packaged in a small storage case. Inside the case is the computer, wireless charger & USB cable for that, wrist strap with mounting screws and screwdrivers, about 1 meter of bungee for bungee mounting, a card with inspection/model#/serial # info & a microfiber cloth. Also a screen protector.

I found out after installing the screen protector that it also has one already installed…

Also, all of this isn’t going back in the case if the wrist strap is installed. Should fit if you remove the foam padding & maybe the charger. Using bungees, it all fits:

View attachment 726339


View attachment 726340


Mine was fully charged out of the box, so I had no need to charge it so far. The charger is a small rectangle to just set the comp on. The cable is a USB to micro USB, use your own wall adapter or other USB port for charging.

Before it came in I went to the Shearwater site & downloaded the manual. It’s 52 pages long & I read it. I think it’s pretty good, clear & concise. I skipped most of the multi gas and deco parts as I don’t need them. Just enough of the deco so I know how to understand what it tells me if I screw up & end up with a deco obligation. I’ve never done that but figure I should at least be able to understand what I’m seeing if it ever comes up.

It impresses me as being well constructed. I feel that I can expect a long service life from it.

First thing I did was install the screen protector & then update the firmware. I assumed that I would need to go into the control panel on my PC or settings on my phone and establish that connection first. This is incorrect. It’s done through the Shearwater Cloud app on either device. Open the app & go to connect the dive computer. Then on the Peregrine navigate to start Bluetooth & start it. Go back to the app & tell it to connect. The Peregrine gives you 3 minutes to establish the connection or it auto cancels.

After it installed the firmware it dropped the connection. This seemed to be common, change something & when done, it would no longer be connected. Just reconnect it, minor annoyance.

I uploaded an image to give my Peregrine a custom splash screen on bootup & added my name & phone number. I found that this displays for a very brief time when turning it on, blink & you’ll miss it.

When finished with these things I went ahead & made sure the settings were what I wanted. As I had already decided on what I wanted for various alerts, nitrox at 32% and such, it was a simple matter to navigate through & either set them or confirm that they were already the correct value.

It’s a 2” color display, I found it crisp, clear & easy to read (note that I’m an old guy & have strong astigmatism, this is more important to me than for many other people). What it displays is partially configurable, though for now I decided to not change any of that. Want to dive it some first & then see if there are any changes I’d really want to make. It seems to already show me what I need to know during as dive & nothing I don’t. I really like this display.

Press both buttons to turn it on. To turn it off, use the left button to navigate to Turn Off, then press the right button.

Note that it never really turns all the way off, it’s more like a sleep mode where it monitors its surroundings. It will turn on automatically in the water, but not just by getting wet. It works on pressure & will turn on at about 3’ deep.

The left button is for navigating through the tree, the right menu is for selecting & changing values. I find it easy to use. It’s simple enough that I don’t think you really have to remember much in order to pick it up & find what you’re looking for.

Last, I made the bungee straps. The wrist strap is not depth compensating & I figure I’ll probably like using bungees better. Can always swap out for the strap if not. I opted to save the black bungee included & use a bit that I had on hand. It’s a bit thicker than theirs is & happens to be the thickest that would fit through the holes. I also decided to tie them to be adjustable rather than a fixed length. Bungee is cheap, readily available & easy to replace if I find that I don’t like how I did it.

Items of concern:

These are things I learned before buying, while researching this computer. The first are the buttons:

If you dive salt water, you need to soak it in warm water after the dives. Every time. These buttons are the same used on another Shearwater model & they have a history of salt crystals building up & interfering with their operation. I’ll go a step further & add something that an old friend who was a scuba tech used to teach: don’t just soak it, follow the soak with a good rinse under running water. You want to make sure to flush any dissolved salts away, so they don’t stay in place & form crystals when the water evaporates. The manual does state to NOT wash it under pressure, so I’m not talking about any real force. Just flowing water like from a faucet.

Next is application for tech divers. Note again that I am NOT a tech diver but what I heard makes sense. While this computer will do up to 3 gasses & you can switch them during a dive, it doesn’t have helium abilities. The thinking is that if you’re going into tech diving, skip this one & buy a Perdix & just be done with it, rather than having to buy the Perdix later anyway. Thought it worth noting for any who might be leaning that way.

It does NOT have a digital compass. This may or may not matter to any individual. I have a compass built into my old console with my SPG, so I don’t care.

It does NOT support air integration. If you must have AI, this would be a deal breaker. I’ve never had it & while I do think it’s a great feature, I’m not going to miss what I never had & again don’t care.

These things just aren’t deal breakers for me, YMMV.

I think I’m going to really like this computer. Now I just have to figure out when I can get a dive in to use it in the wild.
Good review. I’ve had a Peregrine for about 1.5 years and put about 160 dives on mine. I think it’s great. I opted to go for using bungees instead of the included straps - much better for using with a drysuit. The computer is incredibly solid for the price. I have nothing but love for it, and must say it may be some of my most beloved kit.
 
The Peregrine is my first dive computer ever. Until now, I've only used tables. Wow, the capabilities on my wrist now are remarkable. Great little device.
Well, now you’ve messed up. Your first computer is supposed to be some monochrome one button device with a horrible UI. You can’t truly appreciate the Shearwater UI unless you’ve suffered through one of those. Just kidding, and good choice.

I learned on tables as well. Used tables only for 80 some dives until I finally got a dive computer. My SW is easily the best dive computer I’ve owned.
 
Dang that's a lot of diving! Mainly local, or travel-based?

I normally rack up 200 dives a year, just a recreational vacation diver. Most of it international travel. I bought the Perdix AI in 2018.
Best device I have every owned when it comes to my dive gear.
 
1st dice comp I used was a loaner Aqualung that they had on the boat. It was the ultimate warm puppy LOL

I bought an Oceanic & that lasted until last year. Friend mentioned the peregrine & after watching some reviews I decided I liked it enough to spend that cash

Really like the UI on it. I've had to cancel diving last weekend due to weather & tomorrow due to family health issues (not mine), so have to wait & try again. Maybe next weekend will work out
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

Back
Top Bottom