Shearwater Perdix 2 AI Review
Summary
One-liner: Rugged, customizable, and trusted—my top choice for serious recreational diving with air integration.
Dive Types: Cold Water + Local, Warm Water + Travel
Price Tier: $$$$
Ownership: Personally owned and dived for ~1 year (40 dives)
Overall Score: 9.6 / 10
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Crisp, customizable display | Not a watch-style form factor |
| Air integration is flawless—even at long wrist-to-tank distances | AA battery may be a con for some |
| Excellent battery life and reliability | Premium price point |
| Proven algorithm and two-button UI | — |
| Shearwater has unmatched brand trust and support | — |
Why I Chose the Perdix 2 AI
I wanted a dive computer I could trust in all environments—whether local drysuit dives or warm water travel trips. After using other computers that felt cluttered or locked into preset views, I was drawn to Shearwater’s clean interface and deep customization. The Perdix 2 AI let me build my own screen layouts with the exact data I care about, and it supports air integration with no fuss. For a recreational diver who values precision and simplicity, it’s been flawless.
Performance in the Water
- Screen & Visibility: The display is crisp and easy to read in all lighting conditions. I customized it to show MOD, gas time remaining, and RMV front and center.
- Air Integration: I use one transmitter with both AL80s and HP100s. Despite being 6'2" and wearing the computer on my right wrist, the signal has never dropped—even with the transmitter behind my left shoulder. Reliability has been flawless.
- Battery: Uses a user-replaceable AA battery. I consider this neutral—it’s simple and reliable, but not rechargeable.
- Usability: The two-button navigation is intuitive once learned. Not beginner-focused, but extremely efficient once you're familiar.
- Build Quality: Solid casing, sapphire screen, and rugged design built for cold water and dryglove use. Travels well despite the rugged build.
Comparisons
Mares Genius
- Also supports air integration
- Heavier and less intuitive interface
- Cluttered display and locked-down layout
- Unmaintained software—promised updates never delivered
Apple Watch Ultra 2 (Oceanic+)
- Sleek design but lacks air integration
- Touchscreen not ideal with gloves or depth
- Better for casual vacation dives
- Not a full replacement for a true dive computer
Verdict
The Shearwater Perdix 2 AI is the most capable and reliable dive computer I’ve ever used. I trust it on every dive, whether I’m wearing a drysuit in 45°F water or floating through reefs on vacation. It’s not cheap, but you’re paying for a platform you can grow into—not one you’ll grow out of.
Would I buy it again? Absolutely. It’s staying in my kit long-term.
Deep Dive into the Score
Scoring System: Each category is scored out of 10 and weighted by importance. This model is used consistently across all gear reviews for transparency.
| Category | Score (0–10) | Weight | Weighted Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Function & Performance | 10.0 | 30% | 3.00 |
| Ease of Use | 9.0 | 20% | 1.80 |
| Versatility | 10.0 | 15% | 1.50 |
| Durability & Build Quality | 10.0 | 15% | 1.50 |
| Value | 8.0 | 10% | 0.80 |
| Brand Trust & Transparency | 10.0 | 10% | 1.00 |
| Total | 9.60 / 10 | ||
Rounded Display Score: 9.6 / 10
Deep Dive Score Explanations
- Function & Performance – 10.0: Reliable, accurate, customizable, and flawless AI connection.
- Ease of Use – 9.0: Two-button UI becomes very efficient once learned. Excellent with gloves.
- Versatility – 10.0: Cold/warm, wet/dry, travel/local, air integration, mobile sync, compass—all covered.
- Durability & Build – 10.0: Military-grade construction, sapphire screen, field serviceable battery.
- Value – 8.0: Pricey, but a long-term platform you won’t outgrow.
- Brand Trust – 10.0: Shearwater has the best reputation in the industry—supported by divers, not marketers.