Garmin advances dive safety technology with revolutionary Descent S1 Smart Buoy
Garmin Malaysia has introduced the Descent S1 Buoy, a groundbreaking addition to its dive gear. This buoy significantly improves communication and safety for divers and surface crews using Garmin’s SubWave sonar networking.
Enhanced Diver Communication & Safety
The Descent S1 Buoy integrates seamlessly with compatible Garmin dive computers. It allows surface crews to track and monitor up to eight divers, exchanging preset messages with those using a compatible dive computer and Descent T2 transceiver. This means surface teams can:
- Remotely monitor divers: Track tank pressures, location, and depth. They also receive automatic alerts for low tank pressure.
- Send messages to divers: Exchange preset messages underwater, even sending a diver recall if needed.
- Track diver location: See the approximate range to each diver in the SubWave network, up to 100 meters from the buoy.
For divers, the S1 Buoy offers:
- Buoy navigation: See the distance and direction back to the buoy for easier surfacing.
- Diver-to-surface messaging: Send messages to the surface about their location, plans, early ascent needs, or decompression time.
- Extended diver-to-diver messaging: The buoy extends the range for divers to exchange preset messages underwater, up to 100 meters.
- Post-dive review: View underwater heatmaps on the Garmin Dive app to see where explorations occurred.
Garmin Asia’s Assistant General Manager, Mr. Scoppen Lin, emphasized that the Descent S1 buoy is “the next must-have piece of kit for dive teams, charter operations, instructors and more,” highlighting its role in keeping divers safe and connected.
Rugged Design & Availability
The Descent S1 Buoy is compact and weighs just 2 pounds (around 0.98 kg). It has an IPX8 water rating for depths up to 10 meters. Its rechargeable lithium battery offers up to 15 hours of life, sufficient for typical weekend dive trips. For surface connectivity, the buoy uses Wi-Fi to wirelessly link to the Garmin Dive app up to 60 meters away.
The Descent S1 Buoy will be available from August 2025 in Malaysia. It has a suggested retail price of RM10,879 and can be purchased from the Garmin e-store, Shopee, Lazada, AECO e-store, Garmin Brand Stores, and all authorized retailers.
Do these advanced communication features change how you think about dive safety?
