Garmin Descent G1 Solar Dive Computer Watch

Garmin Descent G1 Solar: Full-Featured Dive Computer and Smartwatch for Technical and Advanced Recreational Divers

The Garmin Descent G1 Solar is a wrist-worn dive computer that runs the full range of dive modes, from recreational air dives to trimix decompression and closed-circuit rebreather dives, and doubles as a capable everyday smartwatch.

If you are an advanced recreational diver pushing into technical diving, or already there, this is a serious tool worth examining closely.

If you are a newly certified open-water diver looking for your first computer, the G1 Solar is more than you need right now, and you would be paying for capabilities you will not use for years.

Dive Modes and Gas Support

The G1 Solar covers every diving discipline you are likely to encounter as you progress:

• Single-gas and multi-gas scuba for standard recreational and decompression dives on air or nitrox.
• Trimix support with one bottom gas and up to 11 deco and/or backup gases, covering the gas management demands of deep technical dives.
• Closed-circuit rebreather (CCR) mode for divers already working with rebreather units.
• Gauge mode turns the computer into a depth gauge and bottom timer, useful when you want to run your own profile.
• Apnea and apnea hunt modes for freediving, logging depth, time, and surface intervals.

Gas mixes run from air through nitrox to trimix, and the computer accepts oxygen fractions up to 100%. PO2 ceiling is set at 2.0, with a customizable deco PO2 setting so you can dial in your own oxygen exposure limits.

Decompression Model

The algorithm is Bühlmann ZHL-16c with gradient factors. That combination gives you precise tissue loading calculations alongside the ability to tune conservatism exactly as you want it, either through Garmin's low, medium, and high presets or by entering your own gradient factor values directly.

Deep stops are supported through custom gradient factor settings. The computer also tracks CNS and OTU oxygen exposure, displays no-fly time with a 24-hour countdown, and includes a missed deco lockout that can be disabled before a dive with user acknowledgement.

The surface diver status widget shows your surface interval, nitrogen and helium tissue loading, CNS, OTU, and compartment status at a glance between dives. For multi-dive days or expeditions, that information is immediately accessible without navigating menus.

Alerts and Alarms

The alert system is unusually configurable. You can set up to 40 audible and/or vibration alarms per dive mode, triggered by depth or time. Alerts cover ascent rate, PO2, CNS and OTU limits, NDL, deco obligations, and gas switching cues.

For technical divers managing multiple gases, the gas switch alert is a practical safety net, especially in situations where task loading is high.

Dive Planning

The built-in dive planner handles both basic NDL calculations and multi-gas decompression planning. You can review a planned profile before entering the water, which is useful when you are working with complex gas schedules and need to check your decompression obligation in advance.

The automatic altitude adjustment means the computer recalculates ambient pressure and tissue loading thresholds when you dive at altitude, without requiring manual input.

Display and Navigation

The display is a monochrome transflective MIP panel measuring 0.9 x 0.9 inches at 176 x 176 pixels. Transflective MIP screens become more readable in bright sunlight rather than washing out, which matters at the surface and in shallow water. The backlight is configurable for time and intensity, and set to activate automatically at depth.

The built-in 3-axis tilt-compensated compass is adjustable for heading, with quick-change options to 90 degrees right, 90 degrees left, and reciprocal bearing. It shows both degrees and a direction indicator back to your set heading, which is more useful for navigating to a specific point than a basic compass that only shows north.

GPS and Surface Tracking

The G1 Solar uses GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo satellite systems to automatically save your dive entry and exit locations at the surface. This is practical for boat diving in open water where re-locating a site matters, and for logging where you actually entered and exited relative to where you planned.

Note that satellite communication does not function underwater. The GPS records surface positions only.

Compatibility with Garmin's inReach satellite communicators (sold separately, requires active subscription) extends surface safety options for remote diving locations.

Battery Life

Battery performance across modes:

Mode	Without Solar	With Solar
Dive mode	Up to 25 hours	Not applicable
Smartwatch mode	Up to 21 days	Up to 4 months
Battery saver watch mode	Up to 48 days	Unlimited
GPS mode	Up to 26 hours	Up to 39 hours
Max battery GPS mode	Up to 56 hours	Up to 205 hours
Expedition GPS mode	Up to 27 days	Unlimited

Solar figures assume at least three hours per day in 50,000 lux conditions. For dive mode specifically, solar charging has no practical effect since the watch is underwater. The 25 hours in dive mode is the number that matters for your time in the water.

For a liveaboard week or an expedition with limited charging access, the solar-extended smartwatch runtime is genuinely useful between dives.

Build Quality and Fit

The case and bezel are fiber-reinforced polymer with a sapphire crystal lens, which resists scratching far better than mineral glass. The watch is rated to MIL-STD-810, a military durability standard covering shock, temperature, and other environmental stresses, and is water-rated to 330 feet (100 meters).

Physical dimensions are 45.5 x 45.5 x 15.2mm at 66 grams. That is a reasonably compact profile for a technical dive computer, though the 15.2mm thickness means it will sit noticeably on the wrist compared to a slim dress watch. The silicone band fits wrist circumferences from 5 to 8.82 inches, with an optional extra-long band extending that to 14.7 inches for use over a drysuit or thick wetsuit sleeve.

The band is 22mm quick-fit compatible, so swapping to a different strap style for surface use is straightforward.

Dive Logging

The G1 Solar stores up to 200 dives in its 32MB of onboard memory. Dive data syncs to the Garmin Dive app on a paired smartphone via Bluetooth, where you can review profiles, share logs, and analyze your dives in more detail than the watch screen allows.

Dive entry and exit locations are saved automatically, so your log includes position data alongside depth and time without any manual input.

Above-Water Functionality

Between dives, the G1 Solar functions as a full smartwatch and fitness tracker. This includes wrist-based heart rate monitoring sampled every second, pulse oximetry (blood oxygen saturation), a barometric altimeter, respiration rate tracking, sleep monitoring with scoring, body battery energy monitoring, stress tracking, and more than 30 sport activity profiles covering running, cycling, swimming, hiking, golf, and others.

For divers who travel to remote locations or spend extended time outdoors, the barometric altimeter, tide data, and weather integration via a paired phone are genuinely useful tools rather than marketing additions.

Garmin Pay contactless payments are supported through participating providers, and the Connect IQ store allows additional watch faces, data fields, and apps to be downloaded.

Who This Is Not For

The G1 Solar is a capable computer for divers who need trimix, CCR, and full decompression planning. But there are a few situations where it may not be the right fit.

If you dive exclusively recreational depths on air or nitrox and have no plans to go further, you will not use most of what this computer does. A simpler, less expensive computer will serve you just as well underwater.

The display is monochrome and measures 0.9 x 0.9 inches. It is readable, and the MIP technology handles sunlight well, but divers accustomed to larger color screens may find the data density a compromise at depth. If screen size and color are priorities, that is worth weighing against the G1 Solar's other strengths.

The solar charging extends surface battery life meaningfully, but it requires consistent time outdoors in strong light to realize those gains. In overcast climates or primarily indoor lifestyles, the solar benefit is smaller than the headline figures suggest.