Suunto

Born in the Arctic, Built for the Elements

In 1936, in the frozen wilderness of Finland, an orienteer named Tuomas Vohlonen was frustrated. His dry compass was erratic and inaccurate. He invented a method for filling the compass housing with liquid to dampen the needle’s movement, creating a steady, precise reading. Suunto was born. For nearly 90 years, this Finnish heritage of precision engineering has defined their approach to diving instruments.

Suunto doesn’t just build electronics; they build survival tools. The Suunto SK-8 is arguably the most famous diving compass in the world. Its ability to handle a significant tilt angle and its phosphorescent dial that glows like a torch in the dark make it the default choice for navigating the low-visibility waters of the UK. On the digital front, Suunto pioneered the modern dive computer with the SME-ML in 1987.

Today, computers like the Zoop Novo are the gateway for thousands of new UK divers, offering bomb-proof reliability at an accessible price. At the high end, the EON series and D5 offer customizable colour screens and the advanced Suunto Fused™ RGBM algorithm, designed to manage the microbubble risks associated with repetitive, cold-water diving. Suunto represents Nordic resilience—gear designed in a country that understands cold just as well as we do.