🏆 The 4 dive computers in detail
#1
🏆 Best value
Cressi Leonardo 2.0
The number one choice to start diving without overspending. One button, a large backlit display and the essentials: air, nitrox and gauge modes. A good fit for Open Water and Advanced Open Water divers who dive a single gas.
✅ Pros
- · Single button, nothing to learn
- · Large display with big digits
- · Air, nitrox (21 to 50% O₂) and gauge modes
- · Cressi RGBM algorithm
- · User-replaceable CR2430 battery
❌ Cons
- · One gas mix per dive
- · No built-in Bluetooth (interface sold separately)
One buttonAir / NitroxCressi RGBMCR2430 battery
Check price on Amazon →#2
🎯 Simple and connected
Mares Puck 4
A dive-center classic brought up to date: a single button, an easy-to-read screen, and now Bluetooth with the Mares app to download your dives. It can be worn on the wrist or mounted in a console.
✅ Pros
- · Bühlmann algorithm with gradient factors
- · Air and nitrox, up to 3 gases
- · Bluetooth and Mares app
- · User-replaceable CR2450 battery (about 100 dives)
❌ Cons
- · Single-button navigation
- · No color screen
Bühlmann3 gasesBluetoothOne button
Check price on Amazon →The most versatile watch-style computer in Suunto's range: a color screen you read at a glance, multi-gas nitrox, a rechargeable battery and a size discreet enough to wear every day. It has three dive modes (Air/Nitrox, Free and Gauge) and supports wireless air integration with Suunto's Tank POD.
✅ Pros
- · Very readable color screen, simple menus
- · Up to 3 gases, 21 to 99% O₂
- · USB-rechargeable battery
- · Bluetooth to the Suunto app for your logbook
- · Wireless air integration with the optional Tank POD
❌ Cons
- · Only 6 to 12 hours of dive time per charge
- · Tank POD pressure transmitter sold separately
- · No trimix
Color screen3 gasesRechargeableBluetooth
Check price on Amazon →#4
🖥️ Big screen
Cressi Raffaello
Cressi's step up from the Leonardo. Its strong point is a large, high-contrast backlit display, with air and nitrox up to three mixes, plus gauge and freediving modes. The battery can be replaced by the user, and the Amazon listing mentions a built-in digital compass.
✅ Pros
- · Large, high-contrast backlit display
- · Air and nitrox, up to 3 mixes
- · Gauge and freediving modes
- · User-replaceable battery
❌ Cons
- · The most expensive of the four
- · Several color versions: check the one you order
Big screen3 mixesFreedive modeReplaceable battery
Check price on Amazon →🧭 How to choose a first dive computer
1. Readability comes first
Digit size and contrast are what you actually look at in murky water, at the moment your attention drops. A large, clear display matters more than a long feature list.
2. Make sure it does nitrox
Even if you dive on air today, you will want nitrox as you progress. All four computers here handle it; the Leonardo 2.0 manages one mix per dive, the other three up to three.
3. Replaceable battery or rechargeable?
A coin cell you can change yourself lasts for many dives and never needs an outlet, which is handy on a liveaboard. A rechargeable battery like the Suunto D5's means no battery to buy, but you have to recharge it every two or three days on a dive trip.
4. Watch or wrist unit?
A watch-size computer such as the D5 can be worn all day and is hard to forget. A larger wrist unit like the Leonardo, the Puck 4 or the Raffaello gives you bigger digits for the same budget.
5. One computer per diver
A dive computer tracks the nitrogen loading of the person wearing it. Never share one between two divers or lend it between dives, and always follow your own computer rather than your buddy's.
❓ Frequently asked questions
What is the best budget dive computer for a beginner?
The Cressi Leonardo 2.0 is the simplest and cheapest of this selection: one button, a large display, air and nitrox. If you want Bluetooth and up to three gases for a little more, the Mares Puck 4 is the next step.
Is a cheap dive computer safe?
Price does not change the core job: every computer here tracks depth and time and calculates no-decompression limits with an established algorithm (Cressi RGBM, or Bühlmann with gradient factors on the Mares Puck 4). What a higher budget buys is screen quality, more gases, connectivity and comfort. Dive within your training and follow the computer.
Do I need nitrox on my first dive computer?
It is worth having. Nitrox certification is a common next step after Open Water, and a computer without it would have to be replaced. All four models in this guide support nitrox.
Is the Suunto D5 good for beginners?
Yes. The menus are clear, the color screen is very readable and there are only three dive modes (Air/Nitrox, Free and Gauge). With up to three gases from 21 to 99% oxygen, it also follows you into nitrox diving with a decompression gas.
How long does the battery of a dive computer last?
It depends on the type. Mares states about 100 dives for the Puck 4's CR2450 coin cell. The Suunto D5 is rechargeable and Suunto states about 6 to 12 hours of dive time per charge, depending on screen brightness.