Hey SD fans, welcome back, and for those here  for the first time, my name s Mark, I am the   

editor-in-chief of the Scuba Diver media brand,  and welcome to the Scuba Diver YouTube Channel.   

Now, all divers love shiny new equipment, and  every year, there are one or two products heading  

to market that really get people excited and the  Garmin Descent MK2i dive computer is undoubtedly  

one of them. We did a short video on the day the  Descent MK2i was released, giving a brief overview  

of its features, and gauging how it matched up  against its main rivals of the Shearwater Teric,   

Scubapro A2 and the Suunto D10, but then we got  our hands on one and, after diving it hard during  

a week in the Maldives, I wanted to give you our  findings on what it was like to dive with.   

First off, I have to say, this is a good-looking  piece of kit. It is a fairly chunky size,  

but thanks to the titanium build, it is quite  lightweight. I never actually dived the MK1  

Descent, but after seeing them on the wrists of  other divers, and at various dive shows, I wasn  

t particularly taken with it, I have to say.  The screen seemed quite small within the body,  

and I just didn t like the look of it. That all  changes with the MK2i. Garmin have really nailed  

the aesthetics this time around, and the display  is much bigger and clearer it seems to fit the  

size of the watch. Since having the MK2i on my  wrist, it has garnered lots of positive comments  

from divers and non-divers alike, so that is a  big thumbs up for Garmin. Talking of the screen, I  

have left it on the default watch-face setting as  I find it nice and clean, but there are a whole  

host of different versions already in the MK2i  for those who want to personalise their computer,  

and more can be downloaded. A neat feature for  those who want to stand out from the crowd.   

the top right-hand button and it brings you on  to the screen where you can select the type of   

diving you are going to be doing so either single  gas, multi-gas, closed-circuit rebreather,   

gauge mode, apnea, or apnea hunt for the spearos  out there. There is also a dive planning   

option. I only used it in the single-gas mode for  my week in the Maldives, so let s focus on that.   

Another press of the top right-hand  button gets you on to a screen  

where you can see what your nitrox mix  is, what your maximum operating depth is,  

and what level of conservatism   you have it set on. You can also see  

your surface interval. If you need to edit your  gas mix or conservatism level, you just press  

the bottom left button and it takes you to a  screen where you can go in and change these.  

At any time, once you are done, pressing the  bottom right-hand button takes you back a screen.   

From that first dive screen, another press of the  right-hand button takes you to a screen where   

it shows whether it is set for salt or fresh  water, and what the safety stop timer is. Again,  

to edit you just press the bottom left-hand  button. A third press of the right-hand button  

takes you to the dive screen itself. I found this  nice and clear, and easy to understand during the  

dive. You can clearly see the nitrox mix, the   water temperature, your NDL, your current depth,  

and your dive time. The display up the left-hand  side of the screen goes from green, to orange, to  

red, and the hand rises as your NDL gets nearer  to zero, so as well as the actual digit display,  

you get this handy visual graphic as well. The  display on the right-hand side is rather neat.  

If you are hovering motionless in the water,  the hand remains at the 3 o clock position,  

and if you start to ascend, it goes up, and if  you start to go too quickly, it warns you with  

orange, and then if it goes into red, the entire  screen alerts you to the fact you are ascending  

too quickly. So, a rapid ascent warning, nothing  new there. But what I liked was the fact that the  

hand can go the other way, to show when you  are descending. This may seem pointless to some  

people, but I can imagine this being very useful  if you were out in the blue looking for sharks,  

for instance, with no point of reference. If you  are at this stage and need to change your gas mix,  

you can just press the top right-hand   button and it takes you to the gas select  

screen. As changing your gas mix is probably  the most regular thing you will ever do,  

this makes it quick and easy to do. When you enter  the water, the MK2i vibrates to let you know it  

has logged your position on GPS, and a big green  arrow pops up on screen just to confirm you are  

starting diving. When you surface, it vibrates  again to let you know it is finishing the dive  

and logging your position once again. One feature  I liked here was that when you initially surface,  

it states on the screen that the dive will  end in 20 seconds this is useful if you had got  

lost, or become separated from your buddy, and  were just popping your head up to confirm your  

location/find your buddy and then descending to  continue the dive. As long as you do it within  

that 20-second window, you remain on the one  dive. After diving, when you want to look at your  

logbook, you just press the bottom left-hand   button and the first thing on the screen is  

the dive log. Top right-hand button press and  you are into the log. On this first screen  

it gives you the time, depth and water temp of  your last dive (and a scroll down goes back dive  

by dive). A further right-hand press, and after  a quick loading screen, you get more details,  

including a graph of your profile alongside the  time, depth and water temp info. This screen  

also appears on the MK2i when you first get out  of the water and back on your boat/dry land.   

Scroll down with the bottom left-hand button  and you can get all the stats for your dive,   

including time in and out, average depth,  etc. You can also click on the map function,  

and this will show your entry and exit points.  You also get the opportunity to save the location,  

so if you have done an awesome dive, you can  log the position, which is pretty damn cool.  

At this point you can also get a more-detailed  graph of your depth profile, the temperature   

profile, and any gas switches. I was  diving on 32 percent nitrox all week,  

and had the Garmin set to low conservatism. I was  using it alongside my Shearwater Perdix and Teric,  

and the NDL was very close throughout the entire  week on all of the dives. All three use the  

tried-and-tested Buhlmann ZHL-16c algorithm,  so you would expect that to be the case.   

Ah, the Teric. As we said in our previous video,  and earlier in this one, the Descent MK2i goes  

up against various other wristwatch-style dive  computers, but it seems to be most often compared  

with the Teric, so how do we think it  stacks up against the competition?   

Well, let s talk diving first. Both the Teric  and the Descent MK2i are supremely capable dive   

computers, capable of multiple gas mixes, CCR,  freedive and more, so when it comes down to the  

diving side of things, there is not a massive  amount in it functionality-wise. Yes, the   

Garmin has the GPS ability, but actual diving,  it is a pretty even match, in my opinion. Both   

have audible and vibration notification, and in  both cases, the latter works very well I could   

feel it through a 3mm wetsuit with no problems.  I have yet to dive the Garmin in my drysuit,   

but I can feel the Teric through my suit, and  presume the Descent MK2i will be the same.   

While we are talking drysuits, the Garmin has a  neat feature where you can swap out the straps  

quickly and easily with a clip system. This lets  you change to different colours if you so wish,  

but it also means you can change out the standard  strap for this longer version designed to go  

over a drysuited arm. Much neater than adding  an extension strap to the existing strap.   

Both are air-integrated, and this is where the  Garmin might steal a march over the Teric, as  

its innovative SubWave technology supposedly has  a range more than triple that of the Shearwater,  

but as we didn t have a transmitter to test this  ourselves, I am not going to make any comment.  

We ll revisit that once we have a transmitter,  which are due out by the end of the year.   

One thing I have seen commented on  online is the screen of the Descent MK2i,  

and some people saying it is hard to read.  Frankly, that is a load of rubbish. Topside,  

I found I could read the display even when  the backlight was not on, but once it was on,  

it is very easy to see. While diving, I had the  backlight set for on all the time, and it made the  

screen nice and clear, even in bright sunlight  in the shallows during a safety stop. I didn t  

really notice a massive difference in brightness  once I took it over 60-70 percent, I have to say,  

but suffice to say you can easily see the  display either in watch mode or while on a dive.  

We did a fluo night dive while in the  Maldives, and the Descent MK2i was clearly  

legible even in the pitch black with the  backlight on full. One feature I did like  

was the ability to set the backlight to come on   with activity so if I am sat at the bar and turn  

my wrist to look at the screen, for example, the  light comes on for a few seconds automatically.   

However, there is no escaping the fact that the  OLED display of the Teric is vastly brighter   

both in watch and dive mode. The downside to this  technology is that it eats battery power, so   

while the Garmin did a full week without needing  to see its charging cable, I was putting the   

Teric on charge every other night. So, there are  pros and cons the Teric is undoubtedly brighter,  

but requires more-regular charging; the Garmin is  nowhere near as bright, but still easy to read,  

and it can go a good week or so before needing  a charge. On the subject of charging, the Teric  

sits in a cradle and recently it has become a bit  of a chore getting it to sit in just the right  

position that it will charge. It could be that my  cradle is on its way out it used to just begin  

charging as soon as I sat the watch in it, so  that could be the issue but the Garmin method of  

charge, with a clamp system on to charging points  on the back of the watch, is solid and secure.   

Where the Descent MK2i wins hand s down is with  all of the other features it contains within   

its svelte body. I am not going to go into all  the ins and outs of each, but suffice to say,  

if you are an active person,  the Garmin has you covered!  

Being based on the tried-and-tested Fenix 6, it  has functions for running, biking, hiking, golf,  

swimming (both pool and open water), kayaking,  stand-up paddleboarding, boating, triathlon,  

yoga, cross-county skiing, even jumpmaster  for those who liking leaping out of planes!   

It monitors your heart rate and your blood oxygen  level (when it is directly on your wrist),   

calories burnt, the list goes on. And as a smart  watch, you also get your phone messages on the  

screen, and it can even handle your music choices,  either from your phone or even stored in the unit  

itself. I have been playing with it since it  arrived, and I still haven t got to grips with  

all of the functionality yet! Wherever you are in  the world, the price point of the Descent MK2i is  

high, there is no getting away from that. But  when you consider that it is only a few hundred  

pounds or dollars more than the Teric, but adds  all of the functions of a smart/fitness watch into  

the mix, that price tag suddenly doesn t look so  bad. If you bought a top-of-the-line wristwatch  

dive computer and a smartwatch, you d spend more  combined than you would on the Descent MK2i.  

And I think this is going to be the clincher  for many people. If you are an active person  

who does other sports, and you want a wristwatch  that can handle a plethora of your activities  

including diving, then the Descent MK2i is  the logical choice. The Shearwater Teric is  

an excellent dive computer, and people will still  buy it for that famed Shearwater build quality,  

usability and that mega-bright screen, and not  be bothered by the regular charging needed,  

but I think that Garmin have delivered, in the  Descent MK2i, a top-flight all-rounder that  

satisfies many requirements all in one unit. And  if it comes up in the bar on an evening whose  

dive computer has the most features, then you  will win hand s down! If you enjoyed this video,  

be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and  ring that bell so you get notification for all  

our new videos. As always, if you are going diving  in the coming days, enjoy - and stay safe.