Draft entry. Specs not yet verified against the manufacturer.

TUSA

TUSA DC-Sapience

A discontinued TUSA model (IQ-800/IQ-850 era, circa 2011) no longer sold new. Algorithm and current price could not be confirmed.

Manufacturer app only

Not supported by libdivecomputer. You're locked into the manufacturer's own app to get dive logs off this computer.

TUSA DC-Sapience
2.1Comparison Score
Released—
Max depth rating99m
Algorithm—
Air integrationnone
Wireless—
DisplayDot-matrix display with 12-tissue-compartment loading graph
Batteryuser-replaceable
Digital compassNo
Gas typesair, nitrox
Gas switches1
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
  • Vibration warning function, TUSA advertised it as an industry first at launch
  • Dot-matrix display shows detailed nitrogen-loading graphs, not just numbers
  • Air, Nitrox, and Gauge modes covered
Cons
  • Does not appear in TUSA's current product lineup (which now centers on Element III and TC1), discontinued, no longer sold new
  • No manufacturer-confirmed decompression algorithm found in the IQ-800 manual
  • Could not confirm a current retail price, this is a legacy/collector item at this point, not an active listing
Diver community sentiment
Mostly positive

Divers on Scubaboard generally speak favorably of the DC-Sapience (IQ-800/IQ-850), praising its large, easy-to-read display, low profile, reliable performance at depth, user-replaceable long-lasting battery, and the vibrating alarm as a standout feature for deco/ascent alerts without audible beeping. Recurring complaints center on inflexible nitrox/PPO2 handling: entering the wrong gas percentage can lock the diver out with no in-water correction, PPO2 is fixed at 1.4 with no manual adjustment, and there's no gas-switching for staged bottles. A few users noted early units were "a bit flakey." Despite these gripes, most reviewers considered it a solid, good-value recreational computer.

Scubaboard: TUSA IQ-800 DC-Sapience owner experiencesScubaboard: 12-dive owner reviewScubaboard: broader TUSA brand sentiment

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

The DC-Sapience name covers two generations (IQ-800 and the vibration-alert IQ-850 “Sapience II”), both dating to around 2011 and neither currently listed on tusa.com. TUSA’s own IQ-800 manual states a waterproof range to 328 ft (99.9 m), but the manual never names the decompression model behind its calculations, and no current pricing exists since the line was discontinued. It’s a legacy model rather than something a buyer can order new from TUSA today.