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The Suunto Ocean is an Apple Watch Ultra 2 rival in the scuba stakes – and it’s more eco-friendly too
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Suunto Ocean: Two-minute review
Suunto has been working hard in recent years to innovate when it comes to smartwatches, and its latest dive watch carries on that trend with colossal improvements over its predecessor, the Suunto D5 (a watch that I personally own and dive with, so one that I’m pretty au fait with).
Like the outgoing model, the Suunto Ocean has a relatively small 1.43-inch AMOLED display, which works out to be 36mm. That sounds small, but the high-definition, circular display with automatic brightness adjustment makes it feel more similar to my 49mm Apple Watch Ultra 2 in terms of readability, so don’t be put off by this.
All models benefit from strong sapphire crystal glass, but the stainless steel case doesn’t offer as much protection from accidental dings as something like a Garmin Fenix 8, which is available for a similar price with titanium. We’d like to see titanium used in future Suunto models for better longevity, which is clearly an important consideration for the Finnish company Suunto quotes 11.63 CO2e emissions for the Ocean’s production, which are offset via a reforestation project. For reference, Apple claims 12kg of CO2e for the Ultra 2 with the Alpine or Trail Loop bands (not the bands built for scuba diving), so Suunto’s work to reduce emissions here is commendable if we take it at face value.
Among the 95+ activities you can track, in addition to sleep and recovery tracking, the main reason you’ll be considering a Suunto Ocean is for its dive-specific capabilities, including support for air and nitrox all the way up to 100% oxygen. You can configure five different gasses, but if you’re into pushing the limits, you’ll notice a lack of support for more advanced systems like rebreathers or trimix (a blend of oxygen, helium and nitrogen).
Handily, if you’re upgrading from a Suunto D5, then you’ll be pleased to know that the Ocean works with that same transmitter. If you’re buying new, then the Suunto Tank Pod is sold separately for around half the price of the watch (prices below).
Away from all the technical stuff, the Suunto Ocean is also a great option for freedivers and holidaymakers who just want to track their snorkeling expeditions with one of the best swimming watches. It’ll track you all the way down to 60 meters, which is above recreational limits. That said, the watch itself is physically rated all the way down to 100 meters, so it would be nice just to have that same amount of support for diving activities. After all, why cap it?
Our favorite Suunto Ocean feature is a new one to the industry – sure, if you’re an experienced diver, those familiar dive profiles are extremely helpful to help you identify trends, patterns and potential causes for concern throughout your dive, but the watch will also use data from its sensors, like the gyroscope, to map out your dive in 3D.
In our experience, it wasn’t always completely accurate, but you’d expect this from a first-generation product. Even having an idea of where you’ve been on a map throughout your 40-minute dive is nothing short of a game-changer because it helps you to visualize an environment that offers very limited visibility when you’re in it (sometimes centimeters rather than meters).
Even though it handles land-based activity and sleep tracking, the Ocean’s battery life far exceeds the D5’s 6-12 hours of dive tracking. Suunto now claims 40-60 hours of dive tracking, or up to 16 days of regular smartwatch mode. That’s considerably more than the 30 hours’ dive tracking offered by the ultra-high-end Garmin Descent Mk3i.
On that note, the Suunto Ocean ships with an old-school USB-A charger, which doesn’t quite live up to modern standards. We’d like to see it upgraded with a USB-C connection, given that the world is moving that way. Remember that Suunto is all about reducing its carbon footprint, and that should extend to e-waste.
Our test watch also arrived with a short strap, which wasn’t long enough to go around a drysuit sleeve and might not be so good for wetsuits either. Given that it’s designed for diving, it would be good to have a longer strap included in the box. Still, you’ll want that shorter strap for when you’re not diving.
Just like any other piece of diving equipment I test, the Suunto Ocean had several outings at the dive club where it was inspected (in great detail) by many members. In this case, it led to a sale, with one member choosing to upgrade after witnessing the crisp, color display underwater and hearing about the impressive land activity tracking and battery life.
I think that just about summarizes my experience living with the Suunto Ocean, too – it’s the perfect blend of (relative) affordability, function and design, so it’s a really easy one to recommend to any recreational diver.
Suunto Ocean: Specifications
Component | Suunto Ocean |
Price | $899 / £725 / AU$1,399 |
Dimensions | 49.9 x 49.9 x 13.2 mm |
Weight | 99g |
Case/bezel | Polyamide/stainless steel |
Gas mixes | Up to 5 gases (Oxygen 21 – 100%) |
GPS | GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, Beidou, QZSS |
Battery life | Up to 16 days (40-60 hours diving mode) |
Connection | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
Water resistant | Yes, 60m depth |
Suunto Ocean: Price and availability
- $899 / £725 / AU$1,399
- Suunto Tank Pod: $439.95 / £320 / AU$549
Suunto’s flagship dive watch, the Ocean, costs $899, which puts it on the more affordable end of fully fledged smartwatches. It’s more than the Suunto D5 ($649), but it does the work of two separate watches and still manages days of battery life, so you could save some cash versus buying two separate systems.
Suunto Ocean: Scorecard
Category | Comment | Score |
Value | There aren’t many watches that can do this much at this price point. | 5/5 |
Design | It looks very smart and clean, but it might not be as durable as titanium-clad rivals. | 4/5 |
Features | You’ll be able to do everything you need, unless your next stage is tech diving with advanced gas mixes. | 4/5 |
Performance | An extremely user-friendly interface with huge battery life improvements. | 5/5 |
Suunto Ocean: Should I buy?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider…
First reviewed: June 2025
