Shearwater Research

Shearwater Tern TX

A round, watch-style Shearwater with wireless air integration and a compass.

Open BLE sync (libdivecomputer)

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

Shearwater Tern TX
3.7Comparison Score
$775
Buy on AmazonBuy on Scuba.com
Released2023
Max depth rating120m
AlgorithmBühlmann ZHL-16C with gradient factors
Air integrationwireless
Wirelessbluetooth
Display1.3" AMOLED
Batteryrechargeable
Digital compassYes
Gas typesair, nitrox
Gas switches4
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
  • Wireless air integration for up to four Swift transmitters
  • Digital compass built in, unlike the base Tern
  • Wireless induction charging pad included, about 20 hours dive time per charge
Cons
  • Recreational depth ceiling of 120m
  • No CCR mode
  • Rechargeable-only battery
Diver community sentiment
Mixed opinions

Scubaboard's dedicated Tern/Tern TX thread shows divers generally like the price point, the AMOLED display, and having Shearwater's familiar interface in a smaller/cheaper package. However, recurring complaints show up: a compass that some units fail to calibrate correctly, requiring an RMA; lingering unease that the Tern's battery/firmware management inherited the Teric line's reported battery-drain problems; a documented firmware bug where Air mode could silently use a programmed Nitrox gas setting instead of true air; and no GPS, a dealbreaker for some. Overall sentiment reads as cautious interest tempered by real reliability concerns.

Scubaboard: Tern/Tern TX price and feature discussionScubaboard: Tern TX compass calibration issueShearwater: official Tern/Tern TX firmware bulletin

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

The Tern TX is the air-integrated, compass-equipped version of Shearwater’s compact round-faced Tern, aimed at recreational divers who want Shearwater’s ecosystem in a smaller, watch-style case than the Petrel or Perdix.