Best Dive Computer under $500 – Editor’s Picks for 2023
Finding the best dive computer under $500 should not be a challenge. That is if you are looking for a dive computer for recreational diving. Don’t expect to get a device that has features that you’ll need for technical diving.
We cover what you can expect from a device at that price point and what you won’t get. Lastly, we showcase five dive computers that stay under the $500 mark.
List of the Best Dive Computers under $500
In a rush? Check out our list here:
- Mares Smart Wrist Dive Computer
- Oceanic Geo 4.0 Air/Nitrox Scuba Computer Watch
- Suunto Zoop Novo Scuba Computer
- Aqua Lung i200C Scuba Diving Computer
- Cressi Giotto Watch Scuba Computer
Buying Guide to the Best Dive Computer for less than $500
What features can you expect?
At this price point, you’ll get the basics. You can expect a reliable device that will keep you safe during a dive.
Regarding specific features you can expect the following:
RGBM with Adjustments
A safe RGBM algorithm that continuously calculates your dive data to keep your dive within healthy limits. Pretty much each dive computer manufacturer has its own variation of an RGBM algorithm.
Some are more conservative than others. If you dive with a buddy that has a dive computer from a different brand then you have to expect your dive limit calculations to be different!
Most algorithms also offer the ability to change the conservatism of the calculations. The settings allow changing the limits within the algorithm to be more conservative which ultimately means they end up providing you a larger safety margin.
Suunto D4i Novo Review – A good dive computer for more experienced divers?
One or Multiple Gas Mixes
Most dive computers in this price range will provide the ability to have one nitrox mix. Usually, they support oxygen levels up to 50%.
For most beginners and recreational divers being able to manage one gas mix is good enough. If you’re relatively new to the sport then diving with a single gas mix will cover you for usually the first few years if not even for a lifetime.
You find more and more dive computers that can handle up to two gas mixes. Most newer models are capable to do that. Depending on your dive needs this might or might not be an important feature for you. For recreational diving, it often is of less importance to have this feature.
Audible and Visual Alarms
All dive computers in this price range offer various audible and visual alarms. Typically, you can expect the following types of alarms to be set up for a dive:
- Dive Time
- High pO2
- Violation of decompression ceiling
- Maximum depth violation
- Ascent too fast
These are the alarms that are most important for a recreational diver and they are usually all covered by a DC at this price point.
Dive Log
You should expect the DC to have a solid dive log with enough memory to store dive data for at least 20 dives. Some models even provide enough capacity for over 100 hours of dive data to be collected.
Usually, the dive data will be collected at a fixed rate. Some models will allow adjusting the collection rate.
Connectivity to Computer (optional)
Dive computers offering a dive log will also offer the (optional) ability to connect the DC to your computer. All brands have their own software to install on your PC and in most cases, you can get the software for Windows or for the Mac.
What will you be missing?
Dive Planner
Usually, you will not find a built-in dive planner in this price category. However, you should be able to offload the data to your computer and perform dive plans on the PC.
Air integration
Air integration is nothing you will find in this price category. You might get lucky and find a dive computer on sale that is capable of air integration but you most certainly will not get a device that has an air transmitter included.
Digital Compass
Integrated digital compasses are something you will have to look at at the next price level. Usually, these devices will be more in the $800 to $1,000 range where you can see digital compasses being part of the feature set of the DC.
The 5 Best Dive Computers under $500
Let’s have a quick look at the 5 best dive computers under $500 below. These are not ranked in a specific order but do show our picks for the best wrist scuba computers in that price category.
Mares Smart Wrist Dive Computer
The Mares Smart is a wristwatch-sized dive computer that packs a lot of features. It’s one of the few dive computers in this category that actually can handle two air and nitrox gas mixes.
This dive watch checks off all the required features you’d expect in this class. The dive log on the Smart can hold around 36 hours of dive data that you can then transfer to your PC or Mac for further analysis or to plan future dives.
We reviewed the Mares Smart in detail. If you are interested to learn more about it then check out the in-depth evaluation here: https://www.deepbluediving.org/mares-smart-dive-computer-review/
Oceanic Geo 4.0 Air/Nitrox Scuba Computer Watch
The Oceanic Geo 4.0 is a feature-rich dive computer in this price category. It offers Oceanic’s unique dual algorithm. This allows you to switch between two different algorithms allowing you to pick the one you feel more comfortable with.
This feature also is great if you dive with a buddy that has a different dive computer. Chances are that one of your algorithms will match that of your buddies DC and as such, you won’t get conflicting data and alarms.
The Geo 4.0 is also capable of handling two gas mixes. It can even go up to 100% oxygen on the mixes which is quite unique at this price point. The dive log is capable of keeping the data of up to 24 dives.
If the Oceanic Geo 4.0 is the dive computer you want to read more about then check out our detailed evaluation. You can find it here: https://www.deepbluediving.org/oceanic-geo-4-review/
Suunto Zoop Novo Dive Computer
The Suunto Zoop Novo is the updated model of the very successful Suunto Zoop. It is a huge upgrade in capabilities and it definitely is one of the best entry-level dive computers you can find.
The Suunto Zoop Novo can handle one gas mix up to 50% oxygen. The dive log can keep an astonishing 140 hours of dive data. Connected to your PC you can also upload the data to Suunto’s Movescount portal where you can enrich the dive data with pictures and video and share it with friends and family.
The Suunto Zoop Novo is one of the best dive computers under $500. You can read more about it in our in-depth review: https://www.deepbluediving.org/suunto-zoop-novo-dive-computer-review/
Aqua Lung i200C Scuba Dive Computer
The i200C is the entry-level dive computer from Aqua Lung. It offers all the features you expect and quite a little more. Similar to the Mares Smart, it’s roughly the size of a wristwatch.
The Aqua Lung i200C handles up to two gas mixes with up to 100% oxygen. The dive log is capable of handling the data for up to 24 dives. The optional connection to your computer enables you to download the dive data from the device to your computer.
Aqua Lung has a whole lineup of great dive computers. You can find more information in our post here: https://www.deepbluediving.org/aqua-lung-dive-computers/ or check out the detailed review of the i200C at https://www.deepbluediving.org/aqua-lung-i200c-review/.
Cressi Giotto Watch Scuba Computer
The Cressi Giotto is one of the entry-level dive computers by Cressi. The level underneath it is the Cressi Leonardo diving computer which is probably the most complete beginner and entry-level dive computer available.
The Cressi Giotto wrist computer is capable of handling two gas mixes with oxygen levels up to 99%. That’s more than sufficient for recreational diving. The dive log is generously sized at up to 70 hours of data to be stored. Connecting the Giotto to your computer allows you to download the dive data for further analysis and to plan future dives.
Everyone knows about the Cressi Leonardo diving computer. In our opinion, the Giotto delivers additional useful features for a slightly higher price. Check out the detailed review of the Cressi Giotto here: https://www.deepbluediving.org/cressi-giotto-dive-computer-review/
Conclusion
There’s a good selection of highly capable dive computers in the category under $500. Looking at any of the five devices shown above as well as the many other scuba computers in this price range will provide you with a solid dive computer that’ll last you for years to come.
Which device you eventually pick depends somewhat on your personal preferences. Ask yourself whether you want an oversized device like the Suunto Zoop Novo or the Cressi Giotto.
Or do you prefer a watch-sized model like any of the other three? Larger displays often allow for better reading of the information on the screen underwater. It also often means that it’s easy for you to switch the battery as many of them come with a user-replaceable battery.
Watch-sized dive computers often have to be sent to a service center or to a dive shop to have the battery changed. There are some watch-sized dive computers that do have a user-replaceable battery.
If you are looking for dive computers with more capabilities like air integration or dive compass then you will have to be ready to pay more. Technology is rapidly improving and getting cheaper so we do expect that in a few years dive computers in the $500 price range will come with these advanced features. You might still have to separately purchase a sensor for the wireless air integration but the main unit to handle these features will become cheaper.
The same is true for the multi-gas handling of such a dive watch. It will get cheaper and easier to deal with multiple gasses and air-nitrox modes will become the norm even for a relatively cheap scuba diving computer and putting these capabilities in reach for recreational divers.
Let us know what dive computer you like best under $500 in the comments below. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.
Update for 2020
There have been quite a few introductions of new scuba computers in the range under $500 this last year. However, in our opinion, none provides significantly better features than the established models we list above.
Overall, the pricing trend for dive computers seems to be that the devices slowly come down in price. That means that we are looking at an update later in 2020 when we expect that higher-end devices will drop in price to end up making this list simply as they offer more features than the contenders we list above.
Update for 2019
We’re constantly checking the market for new models that might replace one of the five listed here. While there are new introductions to the market, none of them so far has had features that would have made us want to replace the currently listed dive computers.
Update for 2018
When we check this best-of list for dive computers under $500 for the year 2018 we didn’t change our picks. Why? They still are overall the best you can get. Now, having said that, we did discuss for a long time whether we should replace the Mares Smart with the new Mares Puck Pro Plus. They offer somewhat similar features yet the Puck Pro Plus is larger in size.
This has advantages when it comes to readability as the screen simply is larger. The downside is that you can only it for diving. The Smart can be worn as an everyday watch and as we did want to have a balance in our picks we decided to keep the Smart in the list due to its potential everyday use.
We had a similar discussion about whether to keep the Cressi Giotto in the list or replace it with the Cressi Leonardo. Why do you wonder? Well, the Leonardo is a little cheaper due to not having all the features and is probably the most bought scuba computer available.
Yet, again due to giving you a few more different choices we decided to stick with the Giotto. It offers more features for a slightly higher price and we feel that in the long run, you might get more out of it than of the Leonardo!