So, I figured I would take a few minutes to write up my initial impressions of the Garmin Mk3i after my first dives with it since there don’t seem to be any in-water reviews on Scubaboard yet (In fact, I find it odd that there are still very few reviews anywhere on the Internet), My review will focus primarily on the differences between the experience diving with “old” Mk2i vs. the Mk3i. I hope it will be helpful to those who have used the Mk2i and are considering an upgrade or those who might be on the fence about the Mk3i versus other options on the market (including the currently discounted Mk2i). I will not focus on the overall features of the Mk3i because many videos on the web go pretty deep into this.
Background
I’ve been diving the Mk2i over the past year and have 90 dives on it. I’ve pretty much brought it through the wringer on open-circuit dives - shallow, deep, multi-gas deco, and gauge-only. I don’t dive CCR, so I can’t comment on that. I dive with the Garmin T1 Transmitter for air integration (for reference, the Mk3i was introduced alongside the new T2 Transmitter - more on that later). Most of my diving is warm water wreck diving in Florida, but it’s come with me to the Bahamas, Cozumel, Maldives, and French Polynesia.
So, full disclosure going into this: I have really liked the old Mk2i. I feel that the functionality and the software are robust, the unit is rugged as hell, it has amazing battery life, and it has a good online services ecosystem with Garmin. The bottom line is that the Mk2i + T1 transmitter did not let me down over 90 dives. I also like the wristwatch form factor, although I am highly aware that this is a very personal preference and a frequent topic of debate among the community - I won’t go down that rabbit hole. So, of course, I was excited to try the new Mk3i given my good experience with Garmin over the past year.
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[Older Garmin Mk2i on the left, new Mk3i on the right]
Initial Impressions
It’s probably no surprise that I’ll start with the screen. The AMOLED screen in the Mk3i is a MAJOR improvement over the Mk2i. It is bright, crisp, and clear and doesn’t leave anything to be desired. According to the specs, Garmin had finally cracked the code when it comes to offering this type of screen while simultaneously preserving the amazing battery life that the Mk2i offered (actually, improving on it in this new model - I’ll speak more to this in a bit). The Mk3i now also comes with a touchscreen that allows you to tap and swipe the screen. However, I have rarely used it. The button-based navigation scheme introduced in the Mk2i has carried over to the Mk3i, and it’s been burned into my brain at this point, regardless of how archaic it can be. The screen size has not changed, but it appears slightly larger due to the Mk3i’s slightly thinner bezel.
The unit itself feels rugged and well-built. It’s a tank, but it doesn’t feel heavy on the wrist for me. It looks and feels like a very premium product. The new strap looks and feels identical to that on the Mk2i, and I like how it’s both somewhat soft but still very strong. The tactical push of the buttons feels the same, but they have added some new type of safety guard to the Mk3i, presumably to protect the most important “Start” button, which can be used to stop the dive or switch gasses, among other things.
I think the last major physical attribute of note is the addition of the LED “flashlight” to the case edge just above the top strap. The light is surprisingly bright for what it is, but I’m not sure it’s a feature I’d see myself using a lot - perhaps while on the boat during the occasional night dive. To be clear, this is pretty useless underwater. It’s a cool addition, but not one that excites me too much.
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[New Mk3i on the left with "button guard". Mk2i on the right.]
Software and Setup…and lessons learned after Dive 1!
The setup was easy, as you would expect from Garmin. I would like Garmin to pull settings and preferences from the cloud every time you set up a new device, similar to what Apple does for most devices. Unfortunately, you must set the Mk3i up from scratch, even if you have a previous Garmin dive watch. Unlike the previous computers, the Mk3i will now default to the “Big Numbers Mode” screen layout. For about my first 70 dives on the Mk2i, I avoided this screen layout because I thought “more data was better”. But I often found myself squinting at the screen and searching for what I was looking for. In reality, I think the Big Numbers layout is more practical, easier to read, and covers everything you’d need: Depth, gas type, NDL, PO2, Run time, descent/ascent indicator, air-integrated PSI and a revolving upper “panel” that can be tapped to rotate in a few other data elements, such as water temperature. The screen contents will dynamically change depending on the circumstances. For example, NDL is replaced by a bright green box that contains your safety stop countdown once you hit 20 feet or your customized depth trigger.
I should note that I did not buy the new Garmin T2 transmitter and decided to use my “old” T1 transmitter instead. (See below, where I talk more about transmitter compatibility) However, I missed one big key setup item, which is not explicitly mentioned in the documentation: You must set up all cylinder attributes if you’re using air integration, even if the transmitter was previously set up correctly. This makes sense when you think about it, but in my head, I just assumed that the transmitter would know that I was using a 100 cu. ft. tank with a working pressure of 3442psi because that is how it was always set up. However, the transmitter itself is pretty dumb and just sends the current PSI data to the computer, which is the real brain of the operation. Garmin defaults the transmitter settings to 3000psi working pressure and a cylinder size of 0 - yes, zero. As a result, my numbers were screwed up after my first dive, most notably my computed SAC and recorded cylinder attributes in the computer’s Dive Log and Garmin Dive app. During my surface interval, I changed the AI settings to the correct cylinder attributes, and everything worked correctly on the second dive. (Suggestion to Garmin to set the default AI cylinder settings to something typical like 77 cu/ft. + 3000psi for an AL80)
Automatic syncing to the online Garmin Connect service and Garmin Dive app worked right after setup. When I grabbed my phone during my surface interval, I had already been notified that the first dive was uploaded and available. The Garmin Dive app is one of my favorite components of the Garmin offering. It's a data nerd's dream
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