Shearwater Peregrine Reviewed in 2024 (2024)

Shearwater has quickly earned a reputation for producing reliable and user-friendly dive computers of the highest quality. The company’s initial focus was on gadgets for technical divers, such as trimix computers and electronic boards for rebreathers,

But Shearwater has definitely turned its attention to the recreational dive community. The Peregrine computer demonstrates this focus.

Shearwater’s aim was to utilize many of the excellent features of its industry-leading Teric and Perdix models, but make a product that was less complex, easier-to-use, and would be appreciated by beginners and experienced recreational divers.

Click to see more

See the complete list of the best Dive Computer here!

Which is Better, the Shearwater Peregrine or the Aqualung i300c?

We’ve chosen to consider the Peregine against the i300c because both are marketed as entry-level computers, however, both offer functionalities that you simply don’t get with a Suunto Zoop, for example.

Both the Peregrine and the i300c have decent depth ratings, the former can hit 390 ft/120 m while the latter is rated to 330 ft/100 m. Both depths are far outside recreational diving limits, but may be useful to technical divers looking for a backup computer. Additionally, both computers run a Bühlmann ZHL-16C algorithm. We think both computers are well-positioned to take a diver from beginner recreational diver to beginner technical diver. And both feature rugged and hardy designs that should last for years to come.

A pertinent difference though, if you’re looking for a computer that can help take you from rec to tech: Shearwater computers never lock divers out for deco violations, while the i300c will enter “Violation Mode.” For us, that’s enough to choose the Peregrine every time.

But for many people, it may come down to the price; expect to pay around $100 more for the Shearwater.

What You Need to Know About the Shearwater Peregrine

Below is a round-up of the Shearwater Peregrine’s best features.

Display

Although it’s an over-sized dive computer, the Peregrine actually feels pretty comfortable on the wrist thanks to its low-profile design. The large display is legible and uses bright colors to emphasize all the important info. Not only can you change the font, colors, and text sizes to match your preferences, you can also fully customize the layout of the information to make it as easy-to-read as possible.

Two Button Interface

Shearwater uses a two-button interface to navigate through menus. Unlike some of the Peregrine’s competitors (think the entry-level Suunto Zoop), the two stainless steel buttons are prominent and solid enough to be easily felt and pressed, even when wearing gloves.

Menu navigation is simple to understand with clear labels at the bottom of the display to tell you exactly where each button press will take you to. All-in-all the interface is logical and amazingly quick and easy to get the hang of.

Automatic Altitude Adjustment

Having reviewed a large number of dive computers, one noticeable feature of the Peregrine is the automatic altitude adjustment. Usually, this needs to be altered manually by divers using different altitude ranges. The Peregrine monitors the surface pressure and sets it to the lowest pressure seen in the 10 minutes prior to beginning a dive.

This simple feature means altitude is automatically taken into consideration on every dive and safety at altitude is not just reliant on the user remembering to change the setting themselves.

Four Modes

The Peregrine offers four dive modes. In addition to having air, gauge, and nitrox up to 40% modes, it also features a three-gas nitrox mode aimed at light technical diving where planned decompression is involved. Three different nitrox mixes can be used, up to 100% O2, allowing you to program in your bottom gas and deco gases.

Most entry-level dive computers tend to penalize recreational divers if they accidentally go into decompression. In contrast, the Peregrine re-calculates and provides accurate information on how to proceed and handle the situation safely. With full decompression support and the three-gas feature, the Peregrine is a great option for divers thinking about getting into tech diving or extended range in the future.

Visual and Vibration Alarms

One downside to the Peregrine is that it has no audible alarms. However, it does have very clear visual color notifications that flash brightly on the display to alert the diver to anything they need to turn their attention to, i.e. if they need to switch to a more appropriate gas, have missed a deco stop, or have exceeded the maximum operating depth.

Shearwater has also integrated the ability to set vibration alerts to instantly inform divers of any warnings or errors during a dive, a great idea for those of us who wear hoods and find it hard to hear audible alarms. Apart from safety stop notifications, other vibration alerts have to be manually acknowledged before stopping which is a great additional safety feature.

Rechargeable Battery

Shearwater has designed the Peregrine with a rechargeable battery that, when fully charged, is good for 30 hours on medium brightness. Simply place the computer on the USB wireless charging station (included in the box) and the battery starts charging, much like many modern smartphones. The charging station is smaller than the actual computer so portable enough to carry with you on dive trips. Useful to know is that the Peregrine is also compatible with most third-party Qi chargers.

Dive Log and Data Transfer

The Peregrine has the ability to store an impressive 200 hours of dive information, more than enough for most recreational divers. Uploading the dive log to a desktop, laptop, or smart device is easily done via Bluetooth to the Shearwater Cloud app, which is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and android.

The Shearwater Peregrine’s Decompression Model

Shearwater’s decompression model of choice is the Bühlmann ZHL-16C, which it uses in all its dive computers. The company has modified the model using the modern gradient factors approach devised by Erik Baker.

The model uses 16 compartments to represent the body’s tissues, each with different rates of on and off-gassing. The speed of the off-gassing determines how deep and how long each decompression stop needs to be.

By incorporating gradient factors, the Bühlmann model becomes adaptable, creating the ability to alter the algorithm and change the acceptable levels of tissue tension. This allows the diver to make deco stops at different depths and durations than the original Bühlmann model plans for.

What Does This Mean for the Diver?

The Bühlmann algorithm has been in use for more than three decades and is a proven and trusted model. Adding the adjustable gradient factors basically means the diver can set it to be as liberal or conservative as they wish. Shearwater provides a custom conservative option that allows the user to manually set the gradient factors, but it’s not recommended unless you really know what you’re doing.

As the Peregrine is aimed at recreational divers, it’s not really something that needs to be tampered with. Having the ability to change the conservatism setting using the three preset levels (low, medium, and high) provides enough flexibility and ensures divers continue diving safely.

Shearwater’s After Sales and Servicing Support

As with all Shearwater products, the Peregrine comes with a two-year warranty. One thing that sets them apart from other dive computer manufacturers we’ve reviewed is that the warranty is with the product, not the original purchaser. So, whether you invest in a brand new computer or buy one secondhand from your buddy, the warranty is still valid.

During the warranty period, if there’s a fault with the hardware or any defects in the workmanship, Shearwater will repair or replace your computer free of charge. This also applies to issues with the wireless charging pad. However, as the Peregrine is compatible with most Qi wireless chargers, this isn’t such an urgent problem.

Ongoing Maintenance?

As with all dive computers, your Peregrine should be rinsed with freshwater after diving to prevent corrosion. Avoid using any chemicals or solvents as they could cause damage to some of the components.

There are no parts inside the computer that are user-serviceable. Not even the battery should be changed by anyone other than an authorized dealer. However, Shearwater estimates the lifespan of its battery to be five years, depending on usage, so the temptation to change it yourself should be a rarity. Don’t try to open up your Peregrine to fix any problems yourself as your warranty will become invalid.

Shearwater recommends getting the Peregrine serviced every two years and all servicing and repairs should be carried out by an authorized Shearwater service center. It’s also important to keep your computer’s firmware up-to-date which is easy to do via the Shearwater Cloud app.

The Peregrine’s full manual and firmware updates can be found here.

As an entry-level offering, the Peregrine may be missing some of the bells and whistles that make other Shearwater offerings some of the best on the market. But, the company hasn’t dumped down on the technology — simply refined it to satisfy the majority of air and nitrox divers. The Shearwater Peregrine is packed with tons of great features and comes in at a price point that’s affordable for even the most casual diver.

If you’re a serious techie, the Peregrine’s not the computer for you, unless you want to use it as a spare gauge. Instead, you probably want to check out the Shearwater Perdix or Petrel 2. However, if you’re a recreational diver or someone considering dipping a toe into tech diving you won’t go wrong with investing in a Shearwater Peregrine. It’s a good-looking computer that’s reliable, durable, easy-to-use, excellent value for money, and outperforms other entry-level computers on the market.

If you’re looking for an entry-level computer with nitrox capabilities, the Peregrine is a great option. It’s sleek, easy-to-use and comes in at a great price point giving some of the leading manufacturers a run for their money.

Related Reviews

Click to see more

Comments

Continue reading