Fins, masks, weights, and wetsuits. These items are essential for every serious diver, however the same piece of equipment can rarely be used for both freediving as well as scuba diving. Long fins for scuba diving? High volume masks for freediving? Get out of here!
A dive computer is one of the only pieces of equipment that we believe provides equal value to both freedivers and scuba divers alike. That’s why we decided to review the two heavy-hitters on the market today: the Shearwater Teric and the Garmin MK2 range.
Bottom line: both dive computers are jam-packed full of amazing features, expensive, and totally worth it.
What we feel is important to share with our freediving community
If you like to geek out on post-dive metrics then you will love the Garmin MK2 range. The heart rate monitor adds a new layer of sophistication that is unmatched when compared to the Shearwater Teric. Freediving is all about relaxation, so having a built-in heart rate monitor that measures your heart’s beats per minute (BPM) provides a very interesting post-dive picture.
During a line dive training session, we observed our heart rate slow to between 50-60 BPM when breathing up. On our final breath, however, our heart rate would shoot up to 70 – 90 BPM and then come down again as we descended down the line. This was a consistent pattern throughout our training session. So what does this mean? Perhaps a full inhalation places more pressure on our heart which, in turn, makes it work harder? Or perhaps the way we take our final breath and execute our duck dive needs improving? Whatever the case may be, this is why we find the Garmin MK2 range fascinating as it provokes us to think deeper about ways to improve our performance – science for the win!
As for the Shearwater Teric, we really liked how noticeable the haptic alerts felt. The big advantage of the Teric is the ability to easily feel alerts once you hit a predetermined depth, which for us was our ‘sink phase’. When you dive with a nose clip then you rely heavily on these depth alerts. The Shearwater Teric haptic alerts could also be felt when wearing the watch on top of our wetsuit. Comparatively, the Garmin alerts felt far more subtle, and we sometimes missed them altogether. With that said, we found the audio alerts on both the Garmin and Shearwater to be effective.
What we feel is important to share with our scuba diving community
Air integration! As a scuba diver, air integration is what sets the Shearwater and Garmin (only available with the MK2i model) dive computers apart. Both dive computers offer an impressive air integration capability, however the way in which they connect to the air integration node on your first stage is quite different. The Garmin boasts the use of sonar technology whereas the Shearwater uses Bluetooth. Why does this matter, you ask?
Garmin’s sonar technology has been proven to maintain a stronger connection with multiple air integration nodes simultaneously at a much greater distance than what the Shearwater can achieve. As a Dive Instructor or Dive Master, this means you can keep track of your student’s air usage even when they get separated from you by as much as 10 meters. Comparably, the Shearwater Teric can quickly lose connection within approximately five meters.
While Garmin’s superior air integration is impressive on paper, we question its relevance. Firstly, as a Dive Instructor or Dive Master you are responsible for your students. This means staying within close proximity to them in order to quickly respond to underwater emergencies. Ten meters is, in our opinion, too far of a distance to react in a timely manner. Secondly, sonar technology needs to emit an acoustic signal in order to work. This means you hear an audible beep every five seconds for the duration of your dive. We found this to be rather annoying and would take away from the peace and quiet we have come to expect with recreational scuba diving. Ultimately, if you are considering a dive computer with air integration capability then we suggest going with the Shearwater Teric.
What else should I know?
The other significant difference between the two dive computers is that the Garmin doubles as a fully functional fitness tracker. While the Shearwater Teric is a ‘purist’ dive computer, the Garmin offers a comprehensive suite of apps, and is highly customisable. The fact that the Garmin is designed as a fitness tracker first and dive computer second does not, in our opinion, compromise its overall diving capability. One of our favourite features is the Garmin’s Apnea Hunt mode. In Apnea Hunt mode, all audio alerts are silenced while spearfishing to avoid alarming your prey. We also enjoyed using the Static Tables app that helps you train your CO2 tolerance and breathe hold time. If you consider yourself an active person as well as an avid diver then the Garmin MK2 range will not disappoint.
Both dive computers have an excellent battery life, lasting approximately eight days depending how often you use the diving or fitness features. The main difference between the two is the charger. The Garmin MK2 range uses a clamp charger, whereas the Shearwater Teric uses a seated charger. Both do the job, although the Garmin’s clamp charger is less bulky.
What we found disappointing
Despite having a built-in PulseOx monitor, the Garmin MK2 range does not keep track of your blood oxygen levels during a dive. This took us by surprise because as a freediver this information would be of extremely high value. We got in touch directly with Garmin to find out more. They advised that the PulseOx is not an option during dives because it would require the user to remain motionless while the device reads the blood oxygen saturation. Understandable but still disappointing. As an alternative, we would like to see the PulseOx feature made available on the Static Tables app. If we cannot monitor our blood oxygen levels during a dive then monitoring it during breath hold training would offer some value.
In summary, both dive computers are jam-packed full of amazing features and totally worth it. The Shearwater may be the older of the two but still packs a punch and will hold its value for years to come. That said, our personal choice is the Garmin MK2 range because it doubles as our diving computer, fitness tracker, and everyday watch. The overall value Garmin provides simply outweighs the Shearwater Teric.
We hope this review was of use, and happy diving everyone!