The Apple Watch as a Diving Computer

Apple must think diving means big business because it has surprisingly entered the market. It's making its first step with its new $800-plus smartwatch that offers an app that will allow the watch to function as a full-fledged diving computer. To do so, it's teamed with Oceanic.

The Apple Ultra Watch, a version of its best-selling smartwatch, uses an app provided by Huish Outdoors, which owns the Oceanic brand and Pelagic+ algorithm. It is intended for diving within the PADI recreational limits (with nitrox or straight air); it uses the Buhlmann ZHL-16 algorithm with gradient factors and mandated deco stops when required, like most other diving computers. Apple boosted battery life to 36 hours, and a new 86dB siren might be helpful for divers needing to attract attention at the surface. It's intended for use to a maximum depth of 131 feet.

Presumably, Apple cognoscenti will want the Apple watch with the diving app, but they will pay a price. While the app works in combination with your iPhone and the cloud, it costs $79 a year, $10 per month, or $5 per day.

In comparison, an entry-level Oceanic Veo 2.0 diving computer costs as little as $230. It can offer similar diving features with only the additional cost of a battery and O-ring replacement every two years.

If you're tempted to become an Apple diver, let us note that some of Apple's attempts at water-proofing earlier iPhones have been reported as less than successful.

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