Garmin has unveiled the Descent S1 Smart Buoy, a compact, rugged device designed to keep divers and surface teams in constant contact. Built on Garmin’s SubWave™ sonar networking, the S1 links with compatible Garmin Descent dive computers to track, monitor, and even message up to eight divers at once.
Unlike an upgrade or tweak to an existing model, the S1 is a completely new addition to Garmin’s dive lineup. While it draws on the SubWave™ technology and Descent T2 transceiver already used in their dive computers, this is the first time Garmin has created a surface-deployed buoy as a dedicated communication and tracking hub between divers and the surface.
Susan Lyman, Garmin’s Vice President of Consumer Sales and Marketing, says the buoy “adds game-changing communication, navigation, and safety capabilities between divers and their surface crew, making it the next must-have piece of kit for dive teams, charter operations, instructors and more.”
A new layer of underwater navigation
Connected divers can see both distance and direction back to the buoy—whether it’s tied to the anchor line, drifting on a tag line, or fixed in position. This guidance can make surfacing safer and more predictable, especially in moving water.
The buoy also boosts diver-to-diver messaging, extending the range between compatible Descent units to 100 metres. Pre-set messages allow divers to share updates on location, intentions, remaining decompression time, or the need to surface early.
The Garmin Descent S1 Diver Communication Buoy video showcases how the buoy, when paired with up to eight Descent T2 transceivers and the Garmin Dive app, allows topside crews to track divers, monitor their status, and send messages directly to compatible Descent dive computers. The clip highlights its role in improving safety, communication, and situational awareness for recreational, commercial, and training dives.
Keeping the crew in the loop
On the surface, the S1 works with the Garmin Dive™ app to give topside teams real-time diver tracking. Depth, location, and tank pressure can be monitored when divers use a Descent computer with a T2 transceiver, with automatic alerts triggered if air runs low. Surface crews can also send preset messages back to divers—including an urgent recall if conditions change.
Post-dive, underwater heatmaps on the Garmin Dive app let the whole team review exactly where the dive took place.
Designed for real-world diving
Weighing just under a kilo and IPX8-rated to 10 metres, the buoy is easy to deploy and built for the marine environment. Its rechargeable lithium battery runs for up to 15 hours—enough for a full weekend’s diving before a recharge.
With a recommended retail price of $4,999 NZD (at date of writing), the Descent S1 Smart Buoy is a serious investment for those who take dive safety seriously, whether that’s for commercial operations, dive schools, or committed recreational teams.
Garmin has long been known for engineering technology that works where it matters most. With the Descent S1, they’ve introduced an entirely new way to close the communication gap between divers and the surface.
To learn more, visit: https://www.garmin.com/en-NZ/blog/garmin-advances-dive-safety-technology-with-revolutionary-descent-s1-smart-buoy/
