Mares Puck 4 Dive Computer: Specifications and Who It Suits
The Mares Puck 4 is a beginner tier dive computer at $280 to $340, running Mares-Wienke RGBM with a segment lcd with backlight and no air integration, accepting nitrox mixes up to 99 percent. Divers who wanted the Puck Pro but did not want to strap a hockey puck to their wrist.
The Mares Puck 4 is a beginner tier dive computer in the $280 to $340 band. The Puck in a watch shaped case rather than a puck shaped one, with Bluetooth logging added. Same single button logic, same conservative Mares model, in something you can wear off the boat.
The specifications below are the manufacturer's published figures. Where we could not confirm a figure against the maker's own documentation, the row is left out rather than guessed at, which is why some units on this site show fewer rows than others. On a page whose readers can check the work, a missing row is better than an invented one.
What are the Mares Puck 4 specifications?
| Specification | Puck 4 |
|---|---|
| Brand | Mares |
| Model | Puck 4 |
| Decompression model | Mares-Wienke RGBM |
| Maximum oxygen fraction | 99 percent |
| Air integration | No |
| Display | Segment LCD with backlight |
| Battery | User replaceable |
| Depth rating | 150 m (492 ft) |
| Modes | Air, Nitrox, Gauge, Freedive |
| Trimix | No |
| Closed circuit | No |
| Price band | $280 to $340 |
| Tier | Beginner |
Who is the Puck 4 for?
Divers who wanted the Puck Pro but did not want to strap a hockey puck to their wrist.
A beginner tier computer is not a lesser instrument, it is a simpler one. It tracks the same depth and time and applies a decompression model to them, and the things it leaves out, multiple gas switching, a configurable algorithm, air integration, are things a diver in their first hundred dives does not use. The argument for starting here is that a screen you can read and menus you cannot get lost in are worth more on dive twenty than a feature list.
Who should not buy the Puck 4?
Divers who want tank pressure or a compass, which means moving up to the Quad Ci or the Genius.
That is the more useful half of any specification page. Computers in this category are close enough on the things that matter, tracking depth and time and applying a model, that the deciding factor is usually a mismatch rather than a ranking: a screen you cannot read without glasses, a menu system nobody near you can teach, or a feature set aimed at diving you do not do. Compare against the alternatives at the bottom of this page before deciding.
What does Mares-Wienke RGBM actually mean on a dive?
A decompression model is a mathematical description of how quickly inert gas moves into and out of body tissue, used to calculate how long you can stay at a depth before a direct ascent stops being acceptable. Every computer runs one, they disagree with each other, and the disagreement is real rather than cosmetic.
RGBM implementations model bubble behaviour as well as dissolved gas, which in practice makes them more conservative than a comparable Buhlmann implementation, particularly across repetitive dives, short surface intervals and reverse profiles. Divers moving from a liberal model often describe an RGBM computer as pessimistic. It is not wrong, it is priced differently, and the difference can be tens of minutes of no-stop time on a repetitive afternoon dive.
Whichever model a computer runs, the rule is unchanged: your own computer supersedes any published table, two computers on the same dive can legitimately disagree, and a buddy pair runs the dive on the more conservative of the two. The algorithm comparison covers the trade in detail, and the no-decompression limits table shows how far apart published figures can be.
What nitrox mixes can the Puck 4 handle, and to what depth?
The Puck 4 accepts oxygen fractions up to 99 percent. That covers every recreational mix and the oxygen-rich gases used for decompression in technical diving, so the computer will never be the limiting factor.
Maximum operating depth is set by the oxygen partial pressure, not by the computer. MOD in feet of sea water equals 33 multiplied by the maximum ppO2 divided by the oxygen fraction, minus one. The working maximum is 1.4 ata for the bottom phase of a dive, and 1.6 ata is a contingency ceiling used for decompression gas at rest rather than a target to plan against.
| Mix | MOD at 1.4 ata | MOD at 1.4 ata, metric | MOD at 1.6 ata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air (21%) | 187 ft | 57 m | 218 ft |
| EAN28 | 132 ft | 40 m | 156 ft |
| EAN32 | 111 ft | 34 m | 132 ft |
| EAN36 | 95 ft | 29 m | 114 ft |
| EAN40 | 82 ft | 25 m | 99 ft |
| EAN50 | 59 ft | 18 m | 73 ft |
| EAN80 | 25 ft | 8 m | 33 ft |
Run your own mix and your own planned depth through the nitrox MOD calculator, and pair it with the equivalent air depth calculator, which handles the nitrogen half of the same decision. MOD is an oxygen limit and EAD is a nitrogen calculation, and a nitrox dive is only planned when you have both.
Whatever the computer accepts, you analyse every fill yourself with an oxygen analyser , sign for it, and set the mix on the computer before you get in. A computer set to air on a nitrox fill is merely conservative. A computer set to EAN36 on an air fill is dangerous, because it will show you no-stop time you do not have.
Does the display suit the diving you do?
The Puck 4 uses a segment lcd with backlight. Display technology decides legibility more reliably than screen size does, and legibility is the specification that actually matters at depth.
A segment display shows fewer things at once and shows them very large, which is a real advantage rather than a compromise. Big digits are readable through a fogged mask and without reading glasses, and a segment screen sips power, which is why these units run for a year or more on a user replaceable cell. What you give up is the ability to show a graph or to signal a warning with colour.
Whatever the screen, check one thing in the shop before you buy: can you read it at arm's length without your glasses, in dim light, at a glance? Presbyopia arrives for most divers in their forties and it is the single most common reason a computer gets replaced.
How does air integration work on this unit?
The Puck 4 has no air integration. Cylinder pressure comes from a mechanical submersible pressure gauge on a hose, which is the standard recreational arrangement and is entirely adequate: it needs no battery, no pairing and no line of sight. If pressure on the wrist is the feature you want, the answer is a different computer rather than an accessory, and the air integrated roundup covers the options.
Air integration does not change how much gas you have or how fast you use it. That is your own respiratory minute volume, and it is worth knowing as a number rather than as a feeling. The SAC rate calculator works it out from one logged dive, and the gas planning calculator turns it into a reserve and a turn pressure.
The Puck 4 also carries a freedive mode, which tracks depth and time on breath-hold descents and warns on ascent rate. Useful if you spearfish or freedive on the same trips, and worth knowing that mixing breath-hold diving with scuba on the same day carries its own risks that a mode selector does not address.
Gauge mode turns the computer into a depth and time instrument with no decompression calculation at all. It exists for divers running their own tables or their own plan, and it is not a way to dive past a no-stop limit without the computer complaining. Using it that way is technical diving without the training, and it is the single most common misuse of the mode.
How does it compare with the rest of the Mares range?
| Model | Tier | Display | Air integration | Price band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puck Pro Ultra | Beginner | Segment LCD with backlight | No | $200 to $260 |
| Quad | Intermediate | Large segment LCD | No | $350 to $450 |
| Smart Air | Intermediate | Segment LCD | Optional | $450 to $600 |
| Quad Ci | Intermediate | Large segment LCD | Optional | $500 to $650 |
| Genius | Expert | Full colour LCD | Optional | $750 to $900 |
| Horizon | Expert | Full colour LCD | Optional | $1,100 and up |
Staying inside one brand has a genuine advantage that specification tables hide: the menu logic, the app and the transmitter all carry over, and a shop that services one unit usually knows the others. That matters most for air integration, where the transmitter is locked to the ecosystem.
What else should you look at in the same tier?
What should you check before you buy?
- Can you read it? At arm's length, in dim light, without glasses. This is the most common reason a computer is replaced, and no specification captures it.
- Can someone near you teach it? A unit your local shop rents and services is worth more than a slightly better one nobody around you has used.
- Does the battery arrangement suit your travel? A user replaceable cell is a ten minute fix on a trip, and a hatch you have to close correctly every time.
- Is the price band real for you? This unit sits below $350, which is the band where a first computer belongs.
- Are you buying capability or permission? A computer that supports trimix does not qualify you to dive it. Training comes first, always.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
Does the Mares Puck 4 support nitrox?
Yes. The Puck 4 accepts oxygen fractions up to 99 percent. That covers every recreational nitrox mix and the oxygen-rich decompression gases used in technical diving, so the mix setting will never be the limiting factor on a recreational dive. Remember that the computer accepts a number you type in: you still analyse every fill yourself, verify the actual fraction with an analyser, and set the mix before you dive. On EAN32 at a 1.4 ata working limit the maximum operating depth is 111 feet.
What decompression model does the Mares Puck 4 use?
The Puck 4 runs Mares-Wienke RGBM. RGBM implementations model bubble behaviour as well as dissolved gas, and in practice they tend to be more conservative than a Buhlmann implementation at default settings, particularly on repetitive and reverse profile dives. Whatever the model, your own computer supersedes any published table.
Does the Mares Puck 4 have air integration?
No. The Puck 4 has no air integration, so cylinder pressure comes from a submersible pressure gauge on a hose. That is the standard recreational arrangement and it is entirely adequate. If tank pressure on the wrist is the feature you want, you are shopping for a different unit rather than a different accessory.
What kind of battery does the Mares Puck 4 use?
User replaceable. A user replaceable battery means a dead cell on a dive trip is a ten minute fix with a coin and a fresh o-ring rather than a shipped service. The trade is a hatch with a seal, which is one more thing to flood if it is closed carelessly or the o-ring is dirty. Change it before a trip rather than during one.
How deep is the Mares Puck 4 rated?
The Puck 4 carries a published depth rating of 150 metres, about 492 feet. That is far beyond any recreational limit and reflects technical capability rather than an invitation. A depth rating describes the pressure the housing survives, not a depth you are qualified to dive. The recreational limit is 130 feet, and going past it requires training that this site does not substitute for. Treat the rating as a durability specification.
Is the Mares Puck 4 a good choice for a new diver?
Yes. It sits in the beginner tier at $280 to $340, which is where a first computer belongs. Divers who wanted the Puck Pro but did not want to strap a hockey puck to their wrist. The thing to check is whether the interface is one your local shop can teach, because familiarity with the instrument matters more than a specification sheet on your first fifty dives.
How we choose: we compare published manufacturer specifications, published training agency standards, and verified owner reviews across retailers. We do not test gear in person, and every depth rating, cylinder capacity and algorithm name quoted here is the manufacturer's published figure unless we say otherwise, so confirm it on the current spec sheet before you buy. Nothing here is dive instruction, and no calculator output on this site is a dive plan. Scuba diving carries a real risk of decompression sickness, oxygen toxicity, barotrauma and drowning. Dive within the limits of your certification, verify every plan with your own computer, and buy the training before the gear that assumes it.
Logging your own SAC rate and gas plans? The Dive Kit & Air Planning Workbook is the paid version of these pages: 8 printable worksheets you fill in with your own numbers, plus the full PDF, $29.