Italian manufacturer Mares has become the second major player to launch a dive computer app for a smartwatch. Following in the footsteps of Oceanic, Mares has released its own dedicated app that allows the Apple Watch Ultra to function as a dive computer.
The app is available via a subscription model, priced at £9 per month or £60 per year.
Features
The Mares app uses the reliable Bühlmann ZH-L16C algorithm, with two preset gradient factors to choose from. It is nitrox-compatible, supporting mixes between 21–50% O₂, covering standard recreational use.
Remember, the Apple Watch Ultra is depth-rated to 40m, so it remains firmly limited to recreational diving.
Mares has aimed to replicate the familiar user interface and display logic from its traditional dive computer lineup. The app also utilises the Apple Watch’s built-in compass and GPS to mark dive start and end points.
The Market
This launch is another sign of traditional scuba manufacturers adapting to the growth of wearable tech. Millions of Apple Watch Ultras have already been sold, and smartwatches capable of functioning as dive computers have made dedicated devices harder to justify. As such, the move toward software looks like a sensible direction for Mares.
Fundamentally, it’s easier for a big tech company to add a depth sensor to an existing product than for Mares to design a brand-new watch, especially one that would likely offer less functionality overall.
Chinese tech giant Huawei has gone a step further than Apple by releasing the Ultimate 2 smartwatch, which features native dive computer functionality (without requiring a subscription) and even includes underwater messaging, a feature previously limited to top-of-the-range Garmin products.
One challenge for dive manufacturers is that the core software of a dive computer—the decompression algorithm—is open source. The de facto standard Bühlmann ZH-L16C can be freely implemented, which leaves traditional diving brands vulnerable if, like Huawei, big tech companies decide to bring such capabilities in-house.
Final Thoughts
At first glance, a recurring cost of £9 per month or £60 per year doesn’t look particularly appealing. You can buy a dedicated dive computer for a few hundred pounds, with more functionality and no ongoing fees. For anyone diving regularly, this kind of subscription model simply won’t be worth it.
However, the real utility of an app like this lies with the occasional diver or as a backup computer. If you already own an Apple Watch Ultra and plan to do just a couple of dives on holiday, a one-month Mares subscription will work out cheaper than renting a dive computer. Likewise, if your primary computer fails on a dive trip, this app could easily cover you.
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