Suunto’s The Ocean Dive Watch in Black

Suunto, a Finnish company, was founded in 1936 by Tuomas Vohlonen, who revolutionized navigation by inventing the liquid-filled compass, a breakthrough for those trying to navigate the planet back in the day. The company initially focused on producing high-quality compasses but expanded its expertise in the 1980s to include dive computers and watches. Over the decades, Suunto introduced groundbreaking innovations, such as the first dive computer with a graphical display, followed by advanced features like wireless tank pressure monitoring and multi-gas support. The company later ventured into wearable technology, creating smartwatches that blend fitness tracking with outdoor navigation capabilities. Today, Suunto is a trusted name in the outdoor and diving communities and a pretty popular watch to buy at the PX if our in the Military. This review will focus on Suunto’s new The Ocean Dive Watch.

Watch/Timepiece Coverage on AllOutdoor

The Suunto Ocean Black Dive watch was provided by Suunto for this review, and this watch will be going back to them after the conclusion of this review. This will not change my opinion on any of their current or future offerings, and Suunto has not been allowed to preview this article prior to publication. I had been wearing the Suunto Ocean for about 4 months straight at the beginning of this year and have used it for all my daily uses and on many outdoor activities. 

Specifications

Design and Build Quality

First and foremost, the Suunto The Ocean Dive Watch impressed me with its sleek, modern design. It’s clear that Suunto has embraced its Finnish roots, opting for a clean, functional aesthetic. The watch features a stainless steel bezel and sapphire glass, which not only looks premium but also feels durable. The 1.43-inch AMOLED display is awesome and looks amazing in all lighting conditions. It’s bright, colorful, and easy to read both on land and underwater. Despite its robust build, the watch is surprisingly lightweight and comfortable, and it weighs no more than a classic steel dive watch. The strap is also great and is very similar to the ones that come with Garmin Smartwatches. It’s large and robust and feels like it can stand up to a beating, but still comfortable.

Diving Features

The Suunto Ocean is designed primarily for recreational divers, and it delivers on that front. It supports single and multi-gas dive modes with air and nitrox (up to 100% oxygen), which covers most casual diving needs. One of the coolest features is the 3D dive profile, which maps out your underwater route using data from the watch’s sensors. While it’s not always 100% accurate from my research, its still a pretty cool feature!

The watch uses the Suunto Bühlmann 16 GF algorithm for decompression management, which is known for being conservative. This means you might get slightly less bottom time compared to other dive computers, but it also adds an extra layer of safety. This can come in very handy when diving in a new location.  You can adjust the gradient factors if you’re comfortable tweaking the settings.

Another feature is the ability to pair the watch with the Suunto Tank POD for wireless tank pressure monitoring. I did not do this, but still wanted to touch on it for maybe some more experienced divers who find this review. The feature that lets you keep an eye on your air consumption without fumbling with traditional gauges, according to Suunto.  The watch also offers customizable audio and vibration alarms for depth, dive time, and tank pressure, ensuring you stay informed without being overwhelmed.

Everyday and Sports Features

What sets the Suunto Ocean apart from traditional dive computers is its versatility. It doubles as a fully functional sports watch with over 95 activity modes, including running, cycling, swimming, and even fencing if you can believe it.  I found the on-wrist heart rate monitoring to be incredibly accurate during my workouts, and the watch’s step counting, calorie tracking, and sleep analysis are all super cool.

The high-precision GNSS system ensures accurate location tracking, and the offline maps (available globally at no extra cost) are a nice touch for outdoor adventures. I think this is the most accurate GPS-based smartwatch I have used yet. While on evening runs, I could see my mile time increase or decrease almost instantly, depending on my pace. This was a lot more accurate than some other sport watches I have used.  Whether I was hiking or cycling, the navigation features were spot-on. The watch also integrates with the Suunto app, which provides detailed insights into your training load, recovery, and sleep patterns. It even offers AI-based coaching for personalized training tips, though I didn’t dive too deep into that feature.

Battery Life and Charging

Battery life is where the Suunto Ocean truly shines. It boasts up to 60 hours in dive mode and 50 hours with continuous GPS tracking. These numbers easily outpace competitors like the Apple Watch Ultra 2. In regular smartwatch mode, it can last up to 16 days, which is impressive for a device with such a bright AMOLED display. During my testing, I only needed to charge it once over a two-week period, even with regular use.

However, the charging experience left something to be desired. The watch ships with an old-school USB-A charger, which feels outdated in a world moving toward USB-C. The charging cable also doesn’t hold the watch securely, so it can easily disconnect if bumped. It’s a minor inconvenience, but it’s something Suunto could improve in future models.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Versatile design that works for both diving and everyday activities.
• Bright, easy-to-read AMOLED display with sapphire glass for durability.
• Long battery life for diving, sports, and daily use.
• Supports multiple dive modes and gas mixtures,
• Over 95 sport modes, heart rate monitoring, and activity tracking for everyday use.
• Customizable watch faces and displays

Cons

• UI is new to the market, meaning there are not many alternative watch faces to download compared to Garmin.
• Ships with a USB-A charger, which feels outdated.
• The strap may be too short for some users, especially over thick dive suits.

Competitive Options

The Suunto Ocean isn’t the only player in the dive computer-meets-sports-watch market. Its main competitors are the Garmin Descent series and the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

• Garmin Descent Mk3i: This is a beast of a watch, offering advanced features like trimix and rebreather support, making it ideal for technical divers. However, it comes at a higher price point and lacks the Suunto Ocean’s sleek design and longer battery life. If you’re a recreational diver, the Ocean offers better value.

• Apple Watch Ultra 2: With its larger display and support for more advanced diving systems, the Ultra 2 is a strong contender. However, its battery life is significantly shorter, and it’s not as dive-focused as the Suunto Ocean. If you’re already in the Apple ecosystem, it might be tempting, but for dedicated divers, the Ocean is a better fit.

Wrap Up

After weighing the pros and cons, I believe the Suunto Ocean is a fantastic option for recreational divers and outdoor adventurers who want a single device for all their adventures. Its combination of dive-specific features, sports tracking, and everyday usability makes it a versatile companion. While it’s not perfect, especially for technical divers or those who need more technical features, it offers a great balance of functionality, design, and battery life at a very competitive price, in my opinion. If you’re starting from scratch or looking to upgrade from an older dive computer, the Suunto Ocean is definitely worth looking into and probably buying.

Patrik Orcutt

Patrik is a freelance photographer who has been lucky enough to see a lot of the world and document his travels with his camera. He has worked for the U.S. government as a Public Affairs Officer documenting Multi-National Special Forces Training around the World. He is currently working on becoming a Blackhawk Pilot for the Army while being an avid gear junky and outdoor enthusiast.