TESTCENTRE
Dive profile screen from the Oceanic + app
I was interested to see how the digital crown would perform while wearing gloves , and I found it a little fiddly attempting to switch between lower displays . Wearing relatively thin dry gloves it was just about possible to rotate it between finger and thumb . This was nigh-on impossible with thicker neoprene gloves . Best results were achieved by rolling the thumb forward or backward over the top edge of the wheel . Having matched the Ultra ’ s gradient factor with that of my backup computer , it was reassuring to see how close they actually stayed to one another throughout the dive . The compass appeared to be very accurate and its single-push heading lock was very easy to use . It would however , benefit from a reciprocal setting too .
At my chosen dive duration of 45mins , the Ultra simultaneously provided an onscreen notification and tactile vibration . As I monitored my ascent speed via the depth readout and the sliding-scale variometer , I increased the rate in order to activate the red ‘ Slow Down ’ warning . Once at safety stop depth , a less-threatening yellow notification appeared , along with the usual three-minute countdown .
So what have I missed ? There ’ s no air integration option available but otherwise , there ’ s just about everything else you ’ d expect in a recreational dive computer : CNS alarm , dive planner , auto-altitude adjustment , no-fly time , logbook , GPS location ( start and finish to your dive ) plus the ability to sync and upload data to your phone .
Need to know
The Ultra itself may be 100m depth-rated but the app is limited to 40m max . It can and will calculate decompression obligations , but , as it ’ s essentially a recreational dive computer , it will cease to support your dive below 40m .
I mentioned several caveats earlier . Firstly , unlike a standalone diving computer , the Ultra will not function without a compatible iPhone ( 8 onwards ). That ’ s great if you already have one . If not , then it ’ s adding a hefty premium to a notinexpensive watch .
Secondly , this isn ’ t a free or even one-off
app purchase - it ’ s a subscription . There are three plans : Monthly (£ 8.99 ), Annual (£ 76.99 ) or Family (£ 113.99 / year ). In the future perhaps more advanced features such as gas switching may be added , so if you own the phone and watch anyway it ’ s not such a dealbreaker .
The third is battery duration . In normal dry-land usage Apple estimate up to 36 hours between charges . For a device that is continually monitoring various activities or its owner checking emails and making calls there will always be a trade-off .
This is particularly true in dive mode , where the full-colour screen remains permanently illuminated . After a couple of dives , I found battery power reduced to between 75-50 %; regular charging is a must , or you run the risk of running out of
juice during consecutive diving days .
All the above factors will go a long way to deciding if Ultra / Oceanic + combo is for you ; here are a few of my thoughts to help you decide . If you ’ re primarily a no-deco ( or occasional deco ) diver and stick within the recreational limits , then this watch / app team-up will provide pretty much everything you ’ d need . If , on the other hand you ’ re looking to move steadily onwards and upwards , increasing your diving education and experience as you go , then a more feature-rich dive-specific computer would undoubtably serve you better . Neil Hope
SCUBA SAYS
Tech giant ’ s Apple Watch Ultra transforms into a fully-functioning diving computer thanks to their link-up with Huish ’ s user-friendly Oceanic + app . Any benefits from the highly visible , fullcolour display and easy touchscreen setup must be weighed against a relatively poor battery life and an industry first pay-for subscription plan .
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