Shearwater Research

Shearwater Tern

A compact, round-faced Shearwater with a bright AMOLED screen.

Open BLE sync (libdivecomputer)

Syncs wirelessly with third-party apps (Subsurface, Currents, etc.), not just the manufacturer app.

Shearwater Tern
$760
Released2023
Max depth rating120m
AlgorithmBühlmann ZHL-16C with gradient factors
Air integrationnone
Wirelessbluetooth
Display1.3" AMOLED, minimum 300 nits
Batteryrechargeable
Digital compassNo
Gas typesair, nitrox
Gas switches3
CCR capableNo

"Gas switches" is how many different mixes this computer can be programmed to switch between mid-dive, mostly relevant for technical/staged-decompression diving. It doesn't tell you which gas types (air, nitrox, trimix) are supported. See Gas types and the product description above for that.

Pros
  • Compact watch-style case, smaller than the Peregrine or Petrel
  • Bright AMOLED display, up to 20 hours of dive time per charge
  • Switches between up to 3 nitrox gases with ppO2 tracking
Cons
  • No digital compass or air integration, see the Tern TX for those
  • Recreational depth ceiling of 120m
  • Rechargeable-only battery

The Tern is Shearwater’s smallest, most affordable current computer, trading the compass and air integration of the Tern TX for a lower price in the same compact round case.