Garmin Descent MK2

[vjb.knife1]

I use the Descent Mk1 on 2 K Ocean swims twice a week and find that everything works quite well from GPS to heartrate, etc. My wife usually dives with it and when we compare the data on connect to the Suunto computer that I usually wear and the the shearwater computer of our Divemaster it is all pretty close. I believe it is a fine computer and the apps have no issues in our experience. And most certainly it is adequate for recreational diving whether it is pretty basic or even mixed gas. I wish that something of this caliber had existed when I was a commercial diver in the 1970's and 80's and we had to uses charts and tables from the Navy and Duke University. Saturation diving, and diving in general, at that time was far more risky than it is today.

I do not think the critiques of the Garmin are significant. Besides tracking diving it is one of, if not the most versatile fitness / sports watches made today, considering the variety of activities that it can track and evaluate. If some of you guys are having such problems with it, I don't understand why you still have one; rather than getting something else that suits your needs better. Any product that I buy which presents problems to the level you seem to be experiencing does not stay around very long at all before being replaced.

 

[ATJ]

I notice from the product shots that the Mk2(i) lets you put Surface Interval on the default watch faces. This was something I have been asking for on the Mk1 since I first got mine.

All we get on the Mk1 is the dumb no fly countdown timer. Surface Interval is far more useful.

 

[ATJ]

That, all by itself, would be enough to take it off my potential shopping list. I don't want any computer that will lock me out, ever.

Definitely a setting you can turn off.

The main button on my Mk1 died after 9 months I continued to dive with it while working with Garmin Australia to have it replaced (which only took around a week). The button not working meant I couldn't set my Nitrox mix. One dive I did I was on EAN32 but the Mk1 thought I was on air. I have some 30 minutes of deco on the Mk1 by the end of the dive (I was nowhere near NDL on the other two dive computers I had on the dive). The Mk1 let me dive again 90 minutes later.

 

[waterone]

I notice from the product shots that the Mk2(i) lets you put Surface Interval on the default watch faces. This was something I have been asking for on the Mk1 since I first got mine.

All we get on the Mk1 is the dumb no fly countdown timer. Surface Interval is far more useful.

While it is cool that there are more face options and customizable fields on the mk2, the mk1 is still a full featured sports watch and the surface interval can be a single press away and it'll stay up for a while.

I think in some ways we are all spoiled with tech and all the features out there that we need to find things we don't like.
Which is imo can be a good thing as we keep asking for more and often it trickles down into this product or the next. But at the same time we have some damn cool dive watches available now

 

[ATJ]

While it is cool that there are more face options and customizable fields on the mk2, the mk1 is still a full featured sports watch and the surface interval can be a single press away and it'll stay up for a while.

It stays up for around a minute. It is really annoying having to press the button again to see it. Every other dive computer (and dive watch) I have ever owned shows SI right there on the screen (at least for 24 hours).

Plus, it doesn't show on the dive mode screen. You need to start the dive mode before your (second) dive but once you do that, you can't see the SI.

 

[ATJ]

Hey guys,

I have my hands on a MK2i, and I just wrote a review about it, and how it compares to the MK1, and the Teric.

https://www.divetech.com/post/review-of-the-garmin-descent-mk2i

Let me know if you have any questions on it, and I'll do my best to answer them.

Tony

I see that Garmin has added a few things that were missing from the Mk1 to the Mk2(i). For example, you can now at least add Surface Interval to the default watch faces, and Max Depth is viewable while diving. There's no reason they couldn't add these to the Mk1 and many people have asked for both.

Have they changed the way the Exit Location is saved? I find with the Mk1 the Entry Location to be very accurate, especially if you go into dive mode a few minutes before descending to give the GPS plenty of time to lock in on as many satellites as possible (something Garmin themselves recommend). The Exit Location on the Mk1 is not accurate at all and that's mainly because it doesn't turn the GPS on until a few seconds before it saves the location. It would be much smarter if they turned the GPS on as soon as the computer thinks the dive is ending (and it starts the End Dive Delay countdown). Even if the End Dive Delay is only 20 seconds, that's still a lot more time to get a better lock on the satellites. Note that I have requested this from Garmin in multiple ways but still nothing has been improved on the Mk1.

 

[waterone]

It stays up for around a minute. It is really annoying having to press the button again to see it. Every other dive computer (and dive watch) I have ever owned shows SI right there on the screen (at least for 24 hours).

I enjoy your perspective on things like these. For me I'm been just thrilled with all the options that are currently there and honestly it has a ton more options than any dive computer I have ever had and I do wear it daily as well.

Though refinement and additon of new things is always something wanted. I would like a few of the shearwater options as discussed previously like SurfGF and personally would find them more useful than SI on the face since it was an already available and accessible and yet mindless calculation anyhow.

Plus, it doesn't show on the dive mode screen. You need to start the dive mode before your (second) dive but once you do that, you can't see the SI.

 

[SavDiver]

That, all by itself, would be enough to take it off my potential shopping list. I don't want any computer that will lock me out, ever.

So I have had mine lock my out because it went into gauge mode and at the time I was diving 15+ days straight with a 1-day break and another 15 days straight. so I had to use my back up. I got into contact with a guy at Garmin on how to get out of the lockout and he said there is a way but it can possibly screw up the computer. I keep my Garmin as my primary recreational computer but, when I transition to tech diving this summer it will be my backup and my peredix ai will take the lead.

 

[waterone]

So I have had mine lock my out because it went into gauge mode and at the time I was diving 15+ days straight with a 1-day break and another 15 days straight. so I had to use my back up. I got into contact with a guy at Garmin on how to get out of the lockout and he said there is a way but it can possibly screw up the computer. I keep my Garmin as my primary recreational computer but, when I transition to tech diving this summer it will be my backup and my peredix ai will take the lead.

This would not be the first time I have heard of or been on the phone with tech support myself and they didn't know what they were talking about.

You go into dive settings and select the option to turn the lockout off. It then promptly asks you if you are sure and that you that you are going to die, then you go dive.

 

[Divetech Cayman]

And what about the battery and battery change out? Is it like the Garmin exclusive power pac deal they do with their hand held GPS units?

I've not heard anything about battery swaps, however I'd be shocked if anyone but Garmin could change them out.

I wonder how the updated altimeter will function then

Not very well. I've noticed mine is not terribly accurate, no matter how I calibrate it. However I was told by a pilot that this is not a function of Garmin's altimeter, but barometric altimeters in general. According to him, even the best barometric altimeters are not as accurate as one might think.

I am completely unqualified to comment either way, except it's not as accurate as I'd like.

So, I'm only playing devil's advocate here for no other reason than to explore the discussion from an academic standpoint, but ...

From a systemic (and perhaps diagnostic) position, one could feasibly also track heart rate while diving and how depth or various breathing gasses affect it.

I do wear it on my skin, all the time. I find the heart rate monitor is not accurate underwater. I posted a screen shot of the heart rate graph post-dive on my review.

I will gladly ask one of my 2 friends who had the failure. He is a TDI Trimix Instructor, with that being said I will get the full story from him. All I can remember when he last talked about it was that the deco stop was way too long and the peredix was correct. I know this person and I know their skills so I can certainly say that he switched gases on his computer. I can only remember one other thing and that was the peredix didn't do a deco lockout on him but the Garmin did and locked him out for a couple of days.

Yeah shoot me a PM, I'd love to know the story.

That, all by itself, would be enough to take it off my potential shopping list. I don't want any computer that will lock me out, ever.

So I have had mine lock my out because it went into gauge mode and at the time I was diving 15+ days straight with a 1-day break and another 15 days straight. so I had to use my back up. I got into contact with a guy at Garmin on how to get out of the lockout and he said there is a way but it can possibly screw up the computer. I keep my Garmin as my primary recreational computer but, when I transition to tech diving this summer it will be my backup and my peredix ai will take the lead.

The deco lockout can be disabled, even after it locks you out. It's the last option in the dive settings menu. It won't hurt the computer at all.

Tony