A good waterproof fitness tracker can make a swim workout a lot more enjoyable.
When you take into account how long most people have to wait for results from fitness trackers, it’s easy to see why waterproof fitness trackers are quickly becoming popular.
Swimming presents a unique problem for fitness trackers, though. After all, the main purpose of a fitness tracker is to monitor your activity, so you’ll want something durable and waterproof.
As I’ve explored, I wanted to come up with a list of the 7 Best Waterproof Fitness Trackers for Swimming in 2019. Following the information you’ll see below, I’ll also show you how to find the absolute best deals for you.
| Name | Category | Product |
|---|---|---|
| FORM Smart Swim Goggles | Best Overall |  |
| Garmin Swim 2 | Budget Pick |  |
| Fitbit Flex 2 | Upgrade Pick |  |
1. FORM Smart Swim Goggles
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Affordable
- Comfortable
- Easy to Use
Cons:
- Small Screen
- Battery Can Die Quickly
The wearable features a 0.95" Monochrome OLED display with black and white icons for different metrics. The display also gives you access to a timer, stopwatch, lap counter, and a pool swimming counter.
The Smart Swim sensor is inserted into your goggles strap, or on your open-water goggles. If you launch the Smart Swim app on your phone and pair it with the sensor, the app registers your activity in real-time, showing a virtual partner on the display as you swim.
After you’re done swimming, you can view the data recorded on the app which gives you information on your activity. It gives you information on your time, distance, heart rate, stroke rate, and calories burned when you finish a session.
2. Garmin Swim 2
Pros:
- Waterproof to 100 M
- Built-in GPS for accurate pacing
- Group Swim feature to see what lap others are in and to race with them
- Long battery life
Cons:
- Heart rate monitor isn’t the best
- Doesn’t remember past lap information
The Garmin Swim is a GPS watch designed specifically for swimmers, and it works impressively well. It comes with a customizable feature set that can be configured to your pool or open water training, making it one of the best waterproof fitness trackers for swimming.
The watch allows you to follow your swimming data between swims, and it can record lap data for up to 18 different swimmers.
This watch is also specifically designed for open water swimming, which is a great feature that others don’t have.
3. Fitbit Flex 2
Pros:
- Records steps, distance, calories burned, active minutes, hourly activity, and sleep quality
- Eight-day battery life
- Waterproof with an IPX7 rating
- Easy to use
- Customizable
- Easy to read display
- Auto-tracks your workouts
- Wristband is adjustable
- OLED display
The Fitbit Flex 2 has features that are often absent from other activity trackers, including a waterproof design. It is also a versatile device since it can be worn all day.
This device can track swimming and other water activities. The screen is bright enough to read even when you are swimming. It is also water resistant.
4. Fitbit Ionic Watch
Pros:
- Swim proof
- Sleep tracker
- 24-hour heart rate monitor
- Smartwatch
- GPS and GLONASS
Cons:
- Large Display
- Does not sense when swimming laps
Packed with a ton of software and hardware features, the Fitbit Ionic is the most financially friendly watch of the bunch. Taking a step further than just fitness tracking, the Fitbit Ionic packs in workout apps like running, biking, and swimming.
The screen is a bit on the large size for a watch, but that’s a small price to pay for all the useful features you get out of it. The GPS was a little bit on the slow side in my tests, but it did OK with the rest of the tasks that I threw its way.
5. FINIS Swimsense Live Watch
Pros:
- Waterproof
- Impressive battery life
- Track swimming with smart phone app
- GPS Tracking
Cons:
- Not very durable
- Battery can be hard to remove
The FINIS Swimsense Live Watch is my top choice because the watch is compatible with multiple platforms in addition to having a long battery life and tracking my swimming, including displaying the time. For runners and swimmers this is a great product!
I can sync my stats to my RunningAHEAD app with my Bluetooth-enabled smart phone. While it does not show the time of day on its own, it is connected with a watch face app which shows day of week and date.
One of the cool features that I really appreciate is the ability to quickly change the date or time without having to go through different menus.
6. Misfit Shine 2 Swimmer's Edition
Pros:
- The band is super flexible and very comfortable
- You can wear it to swim, shower and sleep in
- The straps are soft and comfortable
- Very responsive button
- The battery life lasts for 4+ months
- The app is easy to use
- Good build quality
- Waterproof to 50 meters
- With this purchase you will get the tracker, the charging cable.
Cons:
- The button does not serve as a switch or press to start or stop a tracking session
- The Shine 2 does not have a display
The Shine 2 is a great choice for swimmers as it is unfortunately not possible with devices that are not water-proof, like FitBit Charge 2 and the FitBit Flex 2. This is a great little gadget for swimmers who have aversions to wearing a waterproof case.
The Misfit Shine 2 is waterproof and water resistant to 50 meters. With the Shine 2, you can track your laps, distance, calories burned, time and more.
The LED display lights up in various colors and gives you an idea of how you're doing with your progress.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the best fitness tracker for swimming?
If you want to know how many calories you burned, the best fitness tracker for swimming is the one that tracks the most calories expended. If you actively swim laps in a pool, the best fitness tracker for swimming is the one with the best built-in waterproof Doppler. The device you should choose should be able to provide therapy type information and feedback to your training and swimming routine. You should be able to look at your entire week at one time with one look at a device. You should be able to download other apps to your device.
If you want to maintain a count of daily calories used, the best fitness tracker for swimming is the one that tracks the most calories burned per session. If you want to know how many calories you burned and how much fat you have saved, you should look for a fitness tracker that can give you accurate data and can be used a fitness and health companion.
Which Fitbits can you swim with?
Fitbit doesn’t recommend wearing its trackers in the shower. This is due to the fact that these products are not water-proof and getting them wet can damage the hardware.
According to Fitbit, only the Fitbit Flex and the Fitbit Alta can be worn while you are swimming or in the shower. The Flex is waterproof to around 165 feet. The Alta is waterproof to 50 meters (5ATM).
Note that these guidelines may change if the user has a medical condition or is pregnant.
What is the best waterproof Fitbit?
Most Fitbits have the ability to track your heart rate. To do this, they have to be in close proximity to your skin. It also works for tracking your steps, distance and activity levels.
But Fitbit is not a water-proof product. So if you are working out and sweat a lot, Fitbit can not be used.
What's the best fitbit for swimming?
For swimmers, there are two main types of waterproof fitness trackers: those designed for use specifically in the water, and those that are water-resistant. Many people interested in fitness trackers tend to think that waterproof means they can take the tracker into the pool or other water activities. This is definitely not the case.
For swimmers, it is more important to dive a little deeper into the specifications of the fitness trackers.
Water-resistant trackers are indeed intended to be used in water, but it is important to note that this does not necessarily mean you can take it into the pool or ocean. However, it is possible to get a waterproof fitness tracker, but this is generally more expensive than the water-resistant models.
No matter which iteration of the fitness tracker you choose, any of them can withstand a reasonable amount of water to track your fitness activities.
Conclusion
After careful research and consideration, we chose these water-friendly fitness trackers as the best for those who are extremely active or have an intense exercise regime. Depending on the watch, you’ll get features like swimming, built-in GPS, heart-rate tracking, sleep tracking, and more. Some of them aren’t for the casual exerciser and are geared more towards runners and bikers and the like.
Our Recommendation
| Name | Category | Product |
|---|---|---|
| FORM Smart Swim Goggles | Best Overall | |
| Garmin Swim 2 | Budget Pick | |
| Fitbit Flex 2 | Upgrade Pick | |