A New Horizon for the Recreational Diver: Shearwater Peregrine Tx and Swift Transmitter Review

For many divers, a dive computer isn't just a piece of equipment—it's a trusted companion. For the last 14 years, my trusted companions have been a pair of UWATEC Galileo Lunas, one on my wrist and a second on my camera housing for redundancy. They served me faithfully, dive after dive, but like all good things, they came to an end when the batteries were discontinued a couple of years ago. This set me on a journey to find a suitable replacement, one that could offer the same level of reliability and perhaps even a few modern upgrades.

This search led me to the Shearwater Perdix, and I was immediately impressed with its bright, colorful display and the convenience of its user-replaceable AA battery, which can be found almost anywhere in the world. Now, with Shearwater’s introduction of the Peregrine Tx and its accompanying Swift transmitter, the brand is offering a more accessible option for recreational divers with many of the same key features found in the more advanced Perdix.

This review will explore whether the Peregrine Tx is the perfect evolution for divers seeking a powerful yet intuitive computer to replace a long-serving favorite. We’ll explore its key features, and weigh the pros and cons to help you decide if it's the right choice for your next underwater adventure.

Unboxing the Peregrine Tx: What’s in the Box?

The unboxing experience with Shearwater is always a testament to their commitment to quality and a clean, minimalist approach. The Peregrine Tx arrives in a sleek, compact box, packaged thoughtfully with the planet in mind, which is a nice touch.

Upon opening the box, you’ll find the Peregrine Tx dive computer itself, nestled securely. It's immediately apparent that this computer is built to last, with a robust ballistic nylon polymer case and a high-resolution, full-color display.

Underneath the computer, you will find a wireless charging station with a USB-C cable. This modern, hassle-free charging solution eliminates the need for charging ports or specific cables that could be a point of failure. Simply place the computer on the pad and let it charge—it's a convenient feature, especially on a liveaboard or during a busy dive trip, however it requires that you find a flat level surface to charge. Trying to charge it on a flight or car ride to the dive site might be more challenging.

Shearwater provides everything you need to get started. The box also contains an inspection checklist card, a product information guide, and a screen protector to keep that vibrant display safe from scratches. For mounting options, the Peregrine Tx comes with two choices: a standard black silicone strap with a stainless steel clasp and a grey shock cord bungee. This versatility allows divers to choose their preferred method of securing the computer to their wrist or drysuit. I personally prefer the Perdix strap but more on that in the Con’s section.

The Shearwater Swift transmitter, which is sold separately or in a bundle with the Peregrine Tx, comes in its own packaging. It's a small, compact, and rugged device designed to screw directly into the first stage of your regulator. Its standout feature is the user-replaceable CR2 battery, a major advantage that ensures you're never caught without a charged transmitter.

An Overview of the Peregrine Tx: Bridging the Gap

The Peregrine Tx is more than just a Peregrine with a new coat of paint; it's a significant upgrade that brings two of Shearwater’s most requested features to its recreational lineup: air integration and a digital compass.

At its core, the Peregrine Tx retains all the features that made the original Peregrine so popular. It boasts a large, easy-to-read 2.2-inch full-color LCD screen, with enhanced color and saturation that make data instantly visible, even in low light or murky conditions. The two-button interface is a hallmark of Shearwater's design philosophy—simple, intuitive, and easy to operate even while wearing thick gloves.

The computer supports multiple dive modes, including Air, Nitrox (single gas up to 40%), and a three-gas Nitrox mode (up to 100% O2). This last feature is particularly valuable as it allows the Peregrine Tx to support more advanced sport diving and basic decompression diving. The computer utilizes the trusted Bühlmann ZHL-16C algorithm with configurable gradient factors, giving divers the ability to adjust the level of conservatism to their liking.

The Power of Air Integration and the Swift Transmitter

The "Tx" in its name stands for "Transmitter," and this is where the Peregrine Tx truly shines. It’s capable of wirelessly connecting to up to four Shearwater Swift transmitters, a feature that will be especially appealing to sidemount divers or those who use a pony bottle. The computer provides real-time tank pressure data and, more importantly, calculates Gas Time Remaining (GTR), giving you a more accurate and dynamic sense of your dive time based on your current air consumption. This is a game-changer for dive safety and planning, moving beyond a simple visual gauge and into the realm of truly intelligent diving.

The Shearwater Swift transmitter is a key part of this equation. Unlike some older air integration systems, the Swift is designed for robustness and ease of use. It features a streamlined design that keeps it low-profile on your first stage. The user-replaceable CR2 battery is a huge win, offering a much longer service life than most sealed units and allowing you to change it yourself in minutes.

The Tilt-Compensated Digital Compass

Another major upgrade is the integrated, tilt-compensated digital compass. This is a massive step up from a traditional wrist compass, providing clear, easy-to-read headings and a reciprocal heading function to help you navigate back to your starting point with confidence. Its tilt-compensated nature means it provides accurate readings regardless of your wrist orientation, a common frustration with many cheaper compasses.

The Pros: Why Divers Love the Peregrine Tx

The Peregrine Tx and Swift transmitter duo brings a wealth of advantages to the table, making it a powerful contender in the recreational dive computer market.

1. Shearwater’s Proven Interface: The two-button menu system is a joy to use. It's logical, quick to learn, and incredibly efficient, which means less time fiddling with your computer and more time enjoying the dive. The display is uncluttered, showing you the most critical information at a glance.

2. Brilliant, High-Visibility Display: The large 2.2-inch full-color LCD screen is exceptionally bright and easy to read in all conditions, from the sunniest shallows to the deepest wrecks. This is a major plus for divers of all ages and for those with less-than-perfect vision.

3. Comprehensive Dive Information: With the Peregrine Tx, you get all the data you need in one place. Real-time air pressure, gas time remaining, depth, time, and your compass heading are all easily accessible. You have the ability to customize the display to show any metrics that you find important on the main screen. This consolidation of information enhances safety and streamlines your gear setup.

4. Advanced Features for a Recreational Price: The Peregrine Tx democratizes advanced features like air integration and a digital compass. Previously, divers had to step up to a much more expensive computer to get these functionalities. The Peregrine Tx offers them at a price point that is highly competitive and offers incredible value.

5. Excellent Battery Life and Wireless Charging: The rechargeable Li-ion battery provides up to 30 hours of dive time on a single charge, which is more than enough for a multi-day liveaboard trip. The wireless charging is a simple, convenient, and reliable method that protects the computer from water ingress that can happen with charging ports.

6. Seamless Bluetooth Connectivity: The Peregrine Tx features robust Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to easily connect to your smartphone or computer. This is a game-changing feature for both maintenance and record-keeping, as it enables quick and hassle-free firmware updates and allows you to download your dive logs directly to the Shearwater Cloud app for analysis, sharing, and long-term storage.

7. Sidemount and Multi-Gas Ready: The ability to monitor up to four transmitters makes the Peregrine Tx a perfect choice for sidemount divers. Furthermore, the three-gas Nitrox mode and decompression capabilities mean this is a computer you won’t quickly outgrow as you progress in your diving journey.

The Cons: Areas for Improvement

While the Peregrine Tx is a fantastic piece of equipment, it’s not without its drawbacks. No product is perfect, and there are a few areas where Shearwater could make an already great computer even better.

1. The Bulky Form Factor: While the large screen is a major advantage, the Peregrine Tx is a "slate-style" computer and is not designed to be a sleek, everyday wristwatch. This is a matter of preference, but some divers may find it a bit large and bulky for day-to-day wear. If you prefer a wristwatch form factor, check out the Shearwater Tern Tx.

2. No User-Replaceable Computer Battery: Unlike the Perdix 2, the Peregrine Tx has a factory-replaceable internal battery. While the battery is long-lasting and the wireless charging is convenient, having a user-replaceable battery is a huge advantage for extended trips to remote locations where a replacement service is not an option. It also adds a layer of peace of mind.

3. The Straps (A Point of Contention): The Peregrine Tx comes with two strap options: a standard silicone strap and a bungee. While both are functional, I find myself wishing for the type of strap that comes with the Perdix. The Perdix strap is essentially two independent straps, with two pins that attach to the computer's lugs. This design provides an exceptional level of redundancy—if one of the two straps (or latches) breaks, the computer remains securely fastened to your wrist by the other strap. The Peregrine Tx's single-piece strap, while perfectly adequate, lacks this crucial safety feature, which is a consideration for divers who prioritize ultimate redundancy (the bungee option would be the preferred option in this case).

4. No Freediving Mode: For divers who also engage in freediving, the absence of a dedicated freediving mode might be a drawback. This is a feature found on some of Shearwater's other computers, such as the Teric, and its inclusion would make the Peregrine Tx an even more versatile all-around water sport device.

The Verdict: A New Standard for the Recreational Diver

The Shearwater Peregrine Tx, especially when paired with the Swift transmitter, is a monumental product in the recreational dive computer space. It’s a beautifully designed, user-friendly, and powerful piece of equipment that takes the best of Shearwater’s high-end technology and makes it accessible to the masses.

The air integration with the Swift transmitter is seamless, reliable, and incredibly useful, providing a level of safety and information that every diver can benefit from. The large, clear screen and intuitive menu system make it a pleasure to use, and its decompression capabilities mean it will grow with you as your diving skills and interests expand.

For the recreational diver who is ready to step up from a basic computer and wants a device with air integration, a compass, and the legendary reliability of a Shearwater, the Peregrine Tx is an outstanding choice. It's an investment in a computer that will serve you well for many years to come. While I do have a preference for the more robust, redundant strap design of the Perdix, the Peregrine Tx still delivers a level of performance and value that is hard to beat. It’s a computer that allows you to focus on the beauty of the underwater world, with the quiet confidence that all your critical information is right there at your wrist.