Meet the Garmin Descent X10: The Essential Dive Computer Made From Ocean-Bound Plastic

The Garmin Descent X10 sits at the straightforward end of Garmin’s Descent family. Bigger Descent models tend to pile on smartwatch features, multisport tracking and technical diving modes. The X10 concentrates on the essentials of a good dive computer, and Garmin has put sustainability at the heart of the design too.

The case and bezel are fibre-reinforced polymer, and all of the plastic in the housing and bezel is recycled ocean-bound plastic. Add a chemically strengthened glass lens, a weight of 90 g without the band (130 g with it) and a 100 metre dive rating, and you have a computer that’s light enough to forget about on a dive trip and robust enough for the daily knocks of boat life.

The Garmin Descent X10 sits at the straightforward end of Garmin’s Descent family. Bigger Descent models tend to pile on smartwatch features, multisport tracking and technical diving modes. The X10 concentrates on the essentials of a good dive computer, and Garmin has put sustainability at the heart of the design too.

The case and bezel are fibre-reinforced polymer, and all of the plastic in the housing and bezel is recycled ocean-bound plastic. Add a chemically strengthened glass lens, a weight of 90 g without the band (130 g with it) and a 100 metre dive rating, and you have a computer that’s light enough to forget about on a dive trip and robust enough for the daily knocks of boat life.

Battery life is where the Garmin Descent X10 earns its keep on a dive holiday. You get up to 50 hours in dive mode and up to six months in standby, on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that charges with Garmin’s proprietary plug charger. That’s a full week of diving, and then some, without panicking about a charger.

The X10 covers the three profiles most recreational divers actually use:

• Single-gas scuba mode for everyday dives on air or nitrox.
• Gauge mode, which turns it into a bottom timer if you like to plan your own dives.
• Apnea mode, so freedivers get depth and timing from the same computer.

For nitrox, the X10 supports 21 to 40 percent oxygen with PO2 settings up to 1.6. Decompression is calculated with the Bühlmann ZHL-16C algorithm using gradient factors. You can pick low, medium or high conservatism, or dial in your own gradient factors if you like to fine-tune. The safety stop is customisable (off, three minutes or five minutes), and deep stops are available using custom gradient factors.

One feature we particularly like is NDL Aware depth metrics. It shows in real time how a small change in depth affects your no-decompression limit, which is a genuinely useful way to see how a slow ascent up the reef wall buys you extra bottom time.

Bluetooth connects the X10 to the Garmin Dive app on iPhone and Android. After your dive, your logs upload automatically, and you can tag locations, track your gear usage and share your trips. The computer itself stores up to 200 dives, so your logbook is safe even if you forget to sync for a while.

Garmin has added plenty of small touches that make the Garmin Descent X10 easy to live with:

• Audible and vibration alerts for ascent rate, PO2, OTU, NDL and decompression, with up to 40 customisable alerts per dive mode.
• Auto-start, which wakes the computer when you submerge past a set depth, so you never miss logging a dive.
• A surface diver status widget showing surface interval, nitrogen loading, CNS, OTU and tissue compartment status.
• A hinged silicone band in the box that fits comfortably over a wetsuit.
• Setup sharing to sync your settings across compatible Descent computers.

Garmin also highlights backup and rental support modes. For many divers that makes the X10 a natural second computer alongside a main unit, and for dive schools, rental mode makes it simple to reset configurations between divers.

If you like to personalise your kit, Garmin also offers replaceable bezel guards, sold separately, that add a splash of colour and protect the computer. Ask our team what we have available.

The X10 is built for the diver who wants clarity and reliability more than a long feature list. In our experience that describes a lot of recreational divers.

Ideal for:

• Newly qualified divers choosing a first dive computer.
• Recreational divers on air or nitrox up to 40 percent.
• Travelling divers who value long battery life and a lightweight unit.
• Freedivers who want an apnea mode alongside their scuba computer.
• Divers who want a second computer as a backup.
• Dive schools and centres looking for rental-ready computers.

Not ideal for:

• Technical divers who need trimix or closed circuit rebreather support.
• Divers who want tank pressure on their wrist, because the X10 isn’t an air integrated dive computer.
• Anyone after a full-colour screen or a full-featured smartwatch.

Divers weighing up the Garmin Descent X10 often look at other Garmin Descent models and at colour-screen alternatives such as the Shearwater Peregrine. The simple way to choose is to decide what you’ll genuinely use. If you want simple, readable and long-lasting, the X10 is hard to fault. If you want a colour display, take a look at our large screen dive computers. If seeing your gas supply on your wrist matters, browse our air integrated dive computers instead.

Whichever way you lean, remember that a dive computer supports your training rather than replacing it. Always dive within your qualifications, follow your computer’s guidance and plan every dive.