Shearwater Petrel 3

A rugged AA-battery technical computer with a 2.6" AMOLED screen.

Open BLE sync (libdivecomputer)

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

4.0Comparison Score

$1325

Buy on Scuba.com

Released	2022
Max depth rating	290m
Algorithm	Bühlmann ZHL-16C with gradient factors, or VPM-B
Air integration	wireless
Wireless	bluetooth
Display	2.6" AMOLED, 320x240, toughened glass with titanium bezel
Battery	user-replaceable
Digital compass	Yes
Gas types	air, nitrox, trimix
Gas switches	5
CCR capable	Yes

"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

Runs on standard AA batteries, easy to source anywhere, even on a remote boat
Large 2.6" AMOLED display with piezo touch buttons that work with gloves
Up to 5 open- or closed-circuit gases, with optional Swift transmitter air integration

Cons

Bulkier and pricier than the Peregrine/Tern lines
AA battery door is another seal to maintain versus sealed rechargeable units
Overkill for pure single-tank recreational diving

Diver community sentiment

Mixed opinions

Divers on Scubaboard and in independent reviews consistently praise the Petrel 3's bright AMOLED display, intuitive interface, robust customer support, and rebreather/CCR integration, with some owners calling Shearwater's service "above and beyond." However, in September 2024 Shearwater issued a formal recall/service bulletin after identifying a failure mode causing unexpected power loss, in some cases mid-dive, traced to a battery-connector design change; forum posters reported random reboots after only a few battery swaps, and Shearwater suspended production and sales while offering free repairs. Reviewers generally still recommend the line once serviced, treating the recall as serious but resolved rather than a reason to avoid the computer outright.

Scubaboard: Petrel 3 mid-dive reboot failure report Shearwater: official Petrel 3 service update/recall notice BSAC: coverage of the Petrel 3 recall

Summarized from public forum discussion (Scubaboard, Reddit, and similar), not a survey we ran ourselves. See the linked threads for the original conversations.

The Petrel 3 is Shearwater’s current AA-powered technical flagship, aimed at the same cave/tec/CCR crowd as the Perdix but with a bigger AMOLED screen and touch buttons. Like the Perdix, the AA battery is a deliberate design choice for divers who don’t want to depend on charging infrastructure.