There are countless dive computers out there — so how do you find the perfect one for you? Simple: dive into the ocean and try them there! In the boldest move imaginable, Garmin opened a store beneath the sea. On July 12th, they created a one-day-only "Extreme Underwater Pop-Up Store" near Chao Jing Park on the Northeast Coast, showcasing dive computers at dedicated "counters" set at 5 m, 10 m, and 15 m depths. BlueTrend's own Blue couldn't resist making a pilgrimage to this underwater shop — and ran into plenty of fellow divers on the day. Read on for everyone's first-hand impressions!
After a detailed briefing from instructors, participants split into a scuba diving group and a freediving group to explore the Garmin Extreme Underwater Pop-Up Store.
Want to Try On a Garmin Dive Computer? Head to the Underwater Counter
The event was split into two groups — scuba diving and freediving — each guided by professional instructors to the Extreme Underwater Pop-Up Store. Mindy, a freediving participant who holds an AIDA (freediving agency) Level 4 certification, visited every display counter across all three depths during the event.
What impressed Mindy most was actually wearing a Garmin dive computer underwater and experiencing the Descent's pace alert feature firsthand. "I thought the efficiency metronome function was so cool. In freediving, the ideal descent rate is one metre per second, and you can feel the vibration — like a metronome ticking away — so you know whether your descent rate is on beat or not."
Mindy shared that this was the first time she had worn a Garmin dive computer, and she loved the direct physical feedback of the watch against her wrist while diving. "It's completely different from trying one on at a department store counter. On land you know the feature exists, but you have no idea what it actually feels like underwater — down there, the experience is immediate." Mindy also mentioned being pleasantly surprised by just how light the watch is; she could barely feel it on her wrist at all.
Mindy freedived her way through all the display counters at 5 m, 10 m, and 15 m.
Underwater Experience with Garmin Dive Computers — "So Unique! Nobody Else Does This"
Mona, a tech and gadget blogger who loves the outdoors, also freedived down to the Garmin Extreme Underwater Pop-Up Store to check out the watches up close! She even broke her personal breath-hold record in order to get a proper look at the displays underwater — and came away raving about how fun the event was. "Nobody else holds a product launch where you have to freedive down to shoot it. It's incredibly unique and perfectly on-brand."
As for how an underwater experience compares to a land-based review, Mona said: "It's completely different — you really treasure every second. Because each dive is so short — about 1.5 minutes — you push yourself to look as closely as possible." Over the course of the event she spent a cumulative 20–30 minutes underwater, planning which details to focus on each time before she surfaced.
As a tech blogger, Mona's favourite part was diving down to pose with the watches for photos. She noted that at past product events she was always shooting alongside other media, but this time you had to be able to dive to take part — which led her to joke with a touch of pride: "I'm the tech blogger who can go deep. I'm the only one in the gadget world who can review a dive computer from underwater." Now that's an entrance worthy of a salute from BlueTrend!
Tech blogger Mona broke her personal breath-hold record just to get a proper look at the watches underwater.
Garmin Dive Computers Underwater — Reading the Display Made Easy
After listening to an in-depth pre-dive briefing from the instructors, the scuba diving group headed down to 15 m to try the watches at the display counter. Outdoor-focused YouTuber Casey captured the whole rare experience on video. "I've never seen anyone put products in the ocean and make you earn the right to see them," he said.
"On land it's hard to grasp what the information on the watch actually means. But underwater, when it's showing your depth and dive time in real time, it just clicks instantly." Casey described his first experience using a dive computer: on the surface the watch doesn't activate dive mode, so none of the data made any sense to him — he surfaced from that first look completely baffled. Going hands-on underwater made everything far more intuitive.
The moment he reached the Extreme Underwater Pop-Up Store, Casey was pressing buttons and trying every function he could find, concluding that the experience was both extreme and genuinely practical. He also mentioned that photographing the watches underwater was entertaining in its own right — the current kept spinning them around, almost like built-in rotating display stands, while also putting divers' buoyancy control to the test.
YouTuber Casey browses the watches at 15 m, with a Garmin staff member on hand to assist using waterproof cue cards.
Garmin Extreme Underwater Pop-Up Store — Engineers Moonlighting as Shop Staff
After such an incredible event, BlueTrend was naturally curious: what on earth gave Garmin the idea to do something this bold? It turns out the Extreme Underwater Pop-Up Store is the latest instalment in the wild series that began with "Garmin Extreme Hand-Delivery."
Previously, the team had dived into the waters off Orchid Island to hand-deliver a dive computer, hiked up a hundred-peaks mountain to deliver a trekking watch, and cycled all the way to Wuling Pass to deliver a cycling watch. After completing all those extreme hand-delivery challenges, the same outdoor-obsessed spirit led Garmin to think: "Surely the everyday try-before-you-buy experience could be even crazier!" — and so the Extreme Underwater Pop-Up Store was born, taking outdoor gear testing to the great outdoors itself.
Fittingly, the "shop staff" at the Extreme Underwater Pop-Up Store were all full-time Garmin employees — engineers, marketing colleagues, and more. It just goes to show that when you get a group of hardcore outdoor enthusiasts together, the wildest ideas become reality.
Many Garmin employees are passionate outdoor enthusiasts themselves — here they are diving in to staff the Extreme Underwater Pop-Up Store, doubling as dive guides and instructors for the scuba diving group.
Products on Display at the Garmin Extreme Underwater Pop-Up Store
Here are the three watches showcased at the Garmin Extreme Underwater Pop-Up Store, displayed at underwater counters at 5 m, 10 m, and 15 m respectively. Do any of them tempt you to try one on?
Garmin Dive Computer - Descent G1 Solar
Garmin Dive Computer Series - Descent Mk2S
Garmin Dive Computer Series - Descent Mk2i
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