Shearwater — Powerful, Simple, Reliable

In 1996, at 41, Bruce Partridge sold the company he'd built designing computer systems for law firms and retired. He spent the next few years teaching sailing, learning to dive, and getting deep into technical and rebreather diving — until his fiancée Lynn, a fellow tec diver he'd met on a dive boat, suggested it was time he got a job again. Bruce decided he should make something, ideally something involving diving. He'd bought an early closed-circuit rebreather and spent hours talking with its designers about its electronics, which gave him an unusually clear view of what divers were actually struggling with: capable equipment wrapped in interfaces nobody could read or navigate underwater.

Shearwater Research was incorporated in 2004, with production running out of a spare bedroom in Partridge's home. The founding premise was almost stubbornly simple — that divers wanted a clear, intuitive interface, and that this mattered as much as raw computational capability. The earliest engineering work went into the menu structure. That priority hasn't shifted in twenty years, and it's the reason Shearwater computers are consistently described the same way by the people who use them: easy to read, easy to operate, reliable when it counts.

The milestones came steadily. The Pursuit in 2006, a rebreather-compatible dive computer. The Predator in 2009, with the dive industry's first full-colour AMOLED display — a genuine leap in underwater legibility. The Petrel in 2012, adding Bluetooth connectivity and better battery life in a more compact body. In 2020, Shearwater brought its technology to recreational divers with the Peregrine, followed by the watch-style Tern and Tern TX. Bruce stepped back from day-to-day leadership in 2018 and the company was majority-acquired by BRS & Co. in 2021, enabling significant expansion. Today Shearwater employs over 100 people and manufactures in a 35,000-square-foot facility in Richmond, British Columbia.

One small detail that tells you something about the company: every product is named after a bird, preferably one with some relationship to diving. Shearwaters are pursuit predators. Partridge is, of course, also a bird.

At DiveCatalog.com, we carry the full current Shearwater lineup as an authorized dealer: wrist computers, air-integrated computers, consoles, the NERD 2 heads-up display, Swift transmitters, and the complete accessory range.

---

The Shearwater Product Range

Technical & Advanced Computers

NERD 2 — The Near Eye Remote Display is unlike anything else in diving: a heads-up display that mounts to your regulator or rebreather loop and floats a full dive computer display in your field of vision. No wrist check, no looking away from the line or the wreck. Purpose-built for rebreather divers and serious technical divers who want continuous access to their data without breaking task focus. Includes the same Bühlmann ZHL-16C decompression engine as the rest of the lineup.

Petrel 3 — The direct descendant of the 2012 computer that established Shearwater's reputation in technical diving. Large, bright, unmistakably readable display; user-replaceable AA battery; full trimix and closed-circuit capability; Bluetooth sync. The Petrel is the computer many technical instructors and rebreather divers still consider the default choice, and the third generation refines the platform without disturbing what works.

Perdix 3 Ti — A titanium-bodied evolution of the Perdix, in Silver and Black. Titanium construction reduces weight and adds corrosion resistance for divers who spend serious time in salt water. Full technical capability — open circuit, closed circuit, multiple gas mixes — in a slimmer, more travel-friendly profile than the Petrel.

Perdix 2 Ti — Available in Silver, Black, Bronze, and the Journeys Edition. The previous-generation Perdix remains a genuinely capable technical computer and a strong value for divers who don't need the very latest platform revision.

Watch-Style Computers

Teric — Shearwater's technical capability in a wearable watch-style body, available in Black, Silver, Blue, and Bronze. Full-colour AMOLED display, vibration alerts, wireless air integration, rechargeable battery, and complete technical functionality including trimix and closed circuit. The Teric is the computer for divers who want serious capability and also want to wear it to dinner.

Tern TX and Tern — The recreational watch-style line. The Tern (Silver) covers recreational diving with Shearwater's interface and display quality in a compact everyday-wearable body; the Tern TX (Black) adds wireless transmitter support for air integration. Both bring the Shearwater experience to divers who don't need trimix or rebreather functionality.

Recreational Computers

Peregrine — The 2020 computer that brought Shearwater to the recreational market. Available in Black, Adventures Light, and Adventures Dark. Large, exceptionally readable colour display, wireless charging, simple two-button operation, and the same Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors that runs in Shearwater's technical computers. A recreational computer with no meaningful compromise in display quality or decompression engine.

Peregrine TX — The Peregrine with wireless air integration, pairing with Swift transmitters for real-time tank pressure and gas-time-remaining calculations directly on the display.

Consoles

Peregrine Console and Peregrine TX Console — Console-mounted configurations for divers who prefer their instrumentation on a hose rather than a wrist, with the TX version supporting wireless air integration alongside the console format.

Transmitters

Swift Transmitter — Shearwater's wireless air-integration transmitter, threading into a high-pressure port and sending tank pressure to any compatible Shearwater computer. Eliminates the hose to a mechanical SPG and enables true gas-time-remaining calculations based on your actual breathing rate.

Swift GPS Transmitter — Adds GPS capability to the Swift platform, logging surface position data alongside pressure — useful for dive site logging, boat diving, and building an accurate record of where you actually were.

Accessories

The complete support range: Perdix and Petrel battery caps and cap kits, Peregrine and Teric chargers with cords, the NERD 2 charging clip and EVA case, Perdix and Peregrine silicone protective cases, Peregrine Long Strap Kits, Remora Strap Kits in multiple colourways, and the Avelo Mode unlock code for divers using Avelo buoyancy systems.

---

Key Shearwater Technologies

Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors: Shearwater's standard decompression algorithm across the entire lineup, from the recreational Peregrine through the technical Petrel 3. Gradient Factors let divers tune conservatism to their own risk tolerance and dive profile rather than accepting a manufacturer's fixed setting. Technical models also offer VPM-B as an alternative bubble model.

Display Legibility: The design priority Shearwater built its reputation on. From the first full-colour AMOLED in 2009 to today's lineup, the underlying principle is that a computer you can't read at depth, in low visibility, or in a hurry is not doing its job. Shearwater computers are consistently identified by divers as the most readable on the market.

DiveCAN® Digital Messaging: Shearwater's digital communication protocol for rebreather integration, providing more reliable and flexible data transfer between the computer and rebreather electronics than analogue alternatives.

Wireless Air Integration: Swift transmitters pair with compatible Shearwater computers to deliver real tank pressure and gas-time-remaining based on your actual consumption rate, rather than an assumed average. Multiple transmitters can be tracked simultaneously on technical models.

Free Firmware Updates: Shearwater has a long-standing practice of delivering new features and improvements to existing computers via free firmware updates over Bluetooth, rather than requiring a hardware purchase to access new functionality.

---

Choosing Your Shearwater Computer

Diver Type	Recommended Computer	Key Reason
Recreational divers wanting the best display available	Peregrine	Large colour display, wireless charging, full Bühlmann GF engine
Recreational divers wanting air integration	Peregrine TX + Swift Transmitter	True gas-time-remaining based on actual breathing rate
Divers wanting an everyday-wearable computer	Tern or Tern TX	Watch-style recreational computer; TX adds transmitter support
Advanced divers wanting watch-style with full tech capability	Teric	AMOLED, vibration alerts, trimix and CCR, rechargeable
Technical and trimix divers	Petrel 3 or Perdix 3 Ti	Full technical capability; Petrel for max display, Perdix Ti for lighter travel
Rebreather divers and overhead-environment specialists	NERD 2	Heads-up display keeps data in your field of vision, hands free

---

Why Buy Shearwater from DiveCatalog.com?

• Authorized Shearwater dealer — genuine products, full manufacturer warranty
• Complete Shearwater range — computers, transmitters, consoles, and the full accessory line
• Expert advice — our team can help you choose the right computer for your certification level and diving goals
• Fast shipping — in-stock items ship within one business day
• Financing available — for premium technical computers
• Rewards program — earn points on every purchase

---

Frequently Asked Questions — Shearwater

Who founded Shearwater and when?

Bruce Partridge founded Shearwater Research in 2004 in Canada, initially producing computers out of a spare bedroom in his home. He came to dive computers from a background in computer systems design and embedded programming, combined with active technical and rebreather diving. Bruce stepped back from day-to-day leadership in 2018, and the company was majority-acquired by BRS & Co. in 2021.

Why are Shearwater products all named after birds?

Because the founder's name is Partridge. Shearwaters are pursuit predators and divers, and Shearwater has continued naming products after bird species — preferably ones with some relationship to diving. Petrel, Perdix, Peregrine, Teric, Tern, Swift, and Remora all follow the pattern.

What decompression algorithm do Shearwater computers use?

Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors is standard across the range, from the recreational Peregrine through the technical Petrel 3. Gradient Factors let you set your own conservatism level rather than accepting a fixed manufacturer setting. Technical models additionally offer VPM-B as an alternative bubble-model algorithm.

What is the difference between the Petrel 3 and the Perdix 3 Ti?

Both are full technical computers with the same core capability. The Petrel 3 has a larger body and display and uses a user-replaceable AA battery. The Perdix 3 Ti is titanium-bodied, slimmer, lighter, and more corrosion-resistant — generally preferred by divers who travel frequently or want a lower-profile computer on the wrist.

Do I need a transmitter for air integration?

Yes — air-integrated Shearwater computers require a separate Swift or Swift GPS transmitter, which threads into a high-pressure port on your first stage. The transmitter is sold separately from the computer. The "TX" designation on models like the Peregrine TX and Tern TX indicates transmitter compatibility.

What is the NERD 2 and who is it for?

The Near Eye Remote Display mounts to your regulator or rebreather loop and positions the display in your field of vision, so you can read your computer without looking at your wrist. It's built for rebreather divers, cave and wreck divers, and anyone in a task-loaded environment where breaking visual focus to check a wrist computer is genuinely disruptive.

Does Shearwater still make products in Canada?

Yes — Shearwater designs and manufactures in a 35,000-square-foot facility in Richmond, British Columbia, with over 100 employees.

---

Browse the full Shearwater collection above and reach out if you'd like help choosing the right computer and transmitter configuration for your diving.