Embark On The Descent Mission With Garmin And LAMAVE

Garmin expands the Descent Mk2 series lineup with the new Descent Mk2S and invites divers across Asia to support marine research for the conservation of marine megafauna and their habitats

Philippines, 10 June 2021 — In celebration of World Oceans Day, Garmin introduces the all-new Descent Mk2S, the latest addition to the Descent Mk2 series. Synchronous to this launch is Garmin’s CSR campaign to unite divers and diving enthusiasts across Asia to support nongovernment organization Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE)’s efforts to promote marine research for the conservation of marine megafauna and their habitats in Southeast Asia.

For both your worlds

With its smaller form factor and striking new colors, the Descent Mk2S follows the Descent Mk2 series’ legacy of being one of the most sophisticated and connected watch-style dive computers in the market today. Designed with a 1.2-inch color sunlight-readable sapphire display, a 43mm case and interchangeable QuickFit bands in silicone, leather, metal and nylon, the Descent Mk2S delivers advanced multisport features suitable for both underwater and topside exploration.

The Descent Mk2S supports several dive modes, including air, nitrox, trimix and up to 100 percent O2, for single and multiple gas dives. It features gauge, apnea, apnea hunt and closed-circuit rebreather. It has an underwater three-axis compass and displays depth, dive time, temperature, NDL/TTS, ascent/descent rates, gas mix, PO2, N2 loading and decompression/safety stop information.

Above water, the Descent Mk2S doubles as a premium multisport GPS smartwatch with multiglobal navigation satellite system (GNSS) support, enhanced wrist-based heart rate monitoring,¹ animated workouts and multiple sports profiles, including a newly added Surf profile. Users can monitor their health with its all-day health monitoring features such as Pulse Oximeter² for blood oxygen monitoring, Sleep Score, Stress Level and Body Battery monitoring. All these data can be viewed on a stunning 1.2-inch sunlight-readable color display.

Other smartwatch features include notifications for call, text and calendar alerts,³ and music storage with compatible service support.⁴ The Descent Mk2S has a battery life of up to seven days in smartwatch mode and up to 30 hours in dive mode.

Users can store and review dive data for up to 200 dives on the watch or view them on the free new companion app⁵ Garmin Dive, which automatically provides a detailed analysis of each dive activity, including max depth, bottom time and a map of surface entry and exit points.

Divers can plan their next trip by using the app’s Explore tool to search through more than 2,700 dive sites from around the world, divers can plan their next trip by viewing these popular dive sites, which have been rated and reviewed by other Garmin Dive app users. Helpful information such as weather conditions and dive logs from that specific location are available for viewing as well. Users can also use the app to keep track of the gear used for each dive and easily tag equipment, wetsuit and fins.

The Descent Mission

Starting June 8, through a two-part series of a dedicated The Descent Mission campaign, Garmin aims to bring together a collective effort from divers, prominent diving personalities and divers in Asia to contribute to this CSR campaign. All funds raised from the campaign will be donated to LAMAVE. In addition, people will have the opportunity to become more aware of marine ecology though the photography records from the campaign and LAMAVE research methods.

“Garmin and LAMAVE share the same ethos – that science-based technology, people and knowledge are key. We believe that great things can happen when we work together,” said Mr. Scoppen Lin, Director   Garmin Asia.

“As conservationists who use both scuba diving and freediving to study marine animals, we understand how valuable information from the diving community is and how important it is to work together to protect the marine environment. We are thrilled to be collaborating with Garmin to encourage divers to report marine biodiversity across Asia and utilize the amazing technology that Garmin continues to develop. To date, our team has recorded more than 10,000 encounters with marine megafauna using Garmin technology, and we can’t wait to see the impact this campaign will have on reporting marine wildlife across the region,” shared Jessica Labaja, LAMAVE president.

#DiveForPurpose Charity Auction Relay

Ten diving personalities across Asia, including Martin Zapanta, Cat Triviño and Valerie Bautista, will be donating their preloved Descent Mk1 for a charity auction relay from June 8 to 17, 11AM to 1PM. The relay auction will be held on each personality’s Instagram page, with one personality holding an auction per day.

Kickstarting the charity auction relay is Patty Lee, actress, host and singer from Taiwan. Happy Nancy, a well-known diving influencer and travel blogger from Thailand, will hold the last auction.

The highest bid for each auction will win the preloved Descent Mk1 from the respective diving personality. All funds raised from the #DiveForPurpose Charity Auction Relay will be donated to LAMAVE.

#EveryDiveCounts Underwater Photo Contest

Every photo of marine life captured by divers is a contribution of valuable information to marine life research. Through the The Descent Mission #EveryDiveCounts Underwater Photo Contest, Garmin invites diving enthusiasts of all levels to submit their photographs of marine life to be populated as research data. Every diver can be a citizen scientist by contributing precious marine life data to LAMAVE’s #CitizenScience collaborative data collection and analysis project with professional scientists through the platform iNaturalist.

The gathered data can help LAMAVE’s research on marine species such as marine turtles, whale sharks and manta rays, by providing information on individuals and their distribution. Through photographs of these species, LAMAVE uses a method called “photo-identification” to analyze and identify unique patterns on the bodies of these marine animals and newly identified animals will be added to the national population database for the species for marine research.

Divers can submit underwater photographs of marine life on iNaturalist until August 31, 2021.

A star-studded panel of judges made up of renowned diving celebrities and award-winning underwater photographers, including Kohei Ueno and Sirachai Arunrugstichai, will select the best entry for each country. The top entries will compete for the regional award. All winners will win a Descent Mk2i and T1 transmitter bundle worth PHP104,595.

Learn More

 Pricing and availability

The Descent Mk2S will be retailing at PHP57,995 and will be available in all Garmin Brand Stores, official online Garmin stores (Lazada, Shopee, Kinetic.com.ph) and the Garmin PH Viber Community when stocks arrive in PH during mid-June in the following color variants. Customers can also start pre-ordering at all Garmin Brand Stores and via the Garmin PH Viber Community.

• Light Gold with Light Sand Silicone Band
• Carbon Gray DLC with Black Silicone Band
• Mineral Blue with Sea Foam Silicone Band

Learn More

Engineered on the inside for life on the outside, Garmin products have revolutionized the wellness industry. Committed to developing wearables and health measurement tools that help people of all activity levels lead healthier lives, Garmin believes every day is an opportunity to innovate and a chance to beat yesterday. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom, follow us on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to us on YouTube.

1 See Garmin.com/ataccuracy
2 This is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition; see   Garmin.com/ataccuracy. Pulse Ox not available in all countries.
3 When paired with your compatible smartphone; see Garmin.com/ble
4 May require premium subscription with a third-party music provider
5 Requires Descent Mk2i dive computer paired with Descent T1 transmitter (each sold separately)
6 Requires app on your compatible smartphone paired to the Descent Mk2 or Descent Mk2i
7 GPS tracking and satellite communication does not work underwater
8 Active satellite subscription required. Some jurisdictions regulate or prohibit the use of satellite communication devices. It is your responsibility to know and follow all applicable laws in the jurisdictions where the satellite communication device is intended to be used.
9 See Garmin.com/waterrating