The Gadget I Didn’t Want… Until I Couldn’t Dive Without It: My Life With the SCUBAPRO HUD
⭐ Some gear you plan for.
Some gear you research.
Some gear you save up for.
And then there’s the SCUBAPRO Galileo HUD dive computer (Heads-Up Display) — a gadget that entered my life in the most chaotic, perfectly “us” way possible.
Picture this:
We had just finished our navigation class in the ocean.
I was starving.
No — let’s be honest — hangry.
The kind of hunger where you have maybe 12 minutes of patience left in your entire body.
We walk into the dive shop and J spots it immediately:
A futuristic, shiny, “you’ve only seen this in movies” Heads-Up Display sitting in the case.
J looks at me.
I look at him.
And he knows he has maybe 30 seconds before I shut down any conversation that isn’t about lunch.
He used all 30.
And that’s how we walked out of the shop with two SCUBAPRO HUDs.
🤿 My First Dive With the HUD: The Big Surprise
I was skeptical.
Not because it wasn’t cool — the thing looks like something out of a sci-fi diver movie — but because I didn’t think I’d enjoy having anything in my line of sight during an entire dive.
I pictured myself constantly swatting at it, getting annoyed, or feeling like I had a tiny billboard floating in front of my eyeball.
But the moment I got underwater, something unexpected happened:
I forgot it was there… until I needed it.
It floats just enough in your peripheral vision that you only see the data when you glance upward.
When you don’t want the display, it simply isn’t in your way.
Want it completely gone? Flip it up.
Easy.
I was shocked at how natural it felt.
⏱️ Depth, Time, Air — All With One Quick Glance
Originally, I wore the HUD as a backup to my wrist computer — just an extra layer of safety while I adjusted to it.
Except…
I stopped looking at my wrist. Completely.
Why would I?
Why break trim, move my arm, tilt my wrist, and stare at a tiny screen when I could simply… glance?
One look up:
Depth.
Time.
Gas remaining.
Bottom time.
No-deco info.
All while staying perfectly focused on the dive.
I didn’t realize how much I relied on it until one day I didn’t have it.
It felt like missing a sense.
🛠️ Honest Moment: The Transmitter Dance
The HUD is incredible, but it’s not perfect.
The transmitter handshake requires a very specific set of steps to sync, connect, and stay connected.
Sometimes it’s flawless.
Sometimes it’s like trying to get Bluetooth headphones to pair with a toaster.
Before our last trip, we bought the new transmitter, and initial testing looked promising.
Unfortunately, this was right before the infamous mask bag incident, so we didn’t get a chance to test it underwater yet…
But early signs suggest it’s a solid improvement.
👀 Is J Jealous of My HUD?
Nope — because he has one too.
And honestly?
I can’t imagine either of us going back to diving without it.
The HUD has become as essential as our masks, our fins, our regulators.
It’s not an add-on anymore — it’s a core part of our dive system.
📦 The Mask Bag Mishap: A Hard Lesson
When J’s mask bag flew out of the truck bed on the way to the airport (thank you, AirTag, for helping us track it down), the HUD was damaged along with his full-face mask.
It was devastating.
But there wasn’t a second of hesitation about replacing both.
That’s how deeply this gadget has embedded itself into our diving life.
🧡 Final Thoughts
I didn’t want the HUD.
I didn’t ask for the HUD.
I barely let J pitch it to me before my stomach took over.
But here’s the funniest part:
It’s become the piece of gear I miss the most when I don’t have it.
It lets me stay relaxed.
Stay aware.
Stay in control without breaking focus.
It’s one of the biggest leaps in comfort and safety I’ve felt underwater — especially after coming back from a shoulder replacement and relearning what diving feels like.
If you like simplicity, clarity, streamlined awareness…
If you want to keep your eyes on the dive instead of your wrist…
The SCUBAPRO HUD quietly becomes part of your dive brain.
And once it’s part of your dive brain?
You won’t want to dive without it again.