Orca edge Computer

The Orca “EDGE” dive computer changed everything. Released in January 1983, Orca Industries Inc.’s EDGE was the first commercial dive computer that proved to be reliable. Weighing in at 1.6 pounds, this brick-sized milled-aluminum, EDGE displayed a diver’s theoretical tissue loading in real-time, and enabled users to do full decompression dives to 200 ft./60 m. EDGE is actually an acronym standing for “Electronic Dive Guide.”

Dive computers and their respective control algorithms have come a long way in 40 years. As an avid diver I decided to purchase a well-used Orca Edge computer and have begun using it alongside my modern Shearwater Peregrine dive computer to assess how they compare in operation.