What good is a smartwatch if you can’t wear it when you’re swimming? Luckily, some great smartwatches are waterproofed and even swim-proof, so you can track your swims as well as texts and emails, check the weather, or just look at your fitness stats while submerged in water. Here are seven of the best smartwatches that are great to wear while swimming.
How often do you swim?
If you're not a serious swimmer, there's no need to buy a watch specifically made for swimming. A good general-purpose smartwatch is fine. If you do laps regularly, keep reading to learn more about waterproof watches and how they measure up in 2022.
How long are your swims?
Even if you just need to keep an eye on your form, a smartwatch can be a great way to record your workouts and track how far you’ve gone. If swimming is a competitive sport or even just something you do regularly, having that data could really help out with performance and training. For most swimmers, though, there’s not enough difference between watches to justify their cost.
Do you use a fitness tracker while swimming?
If you’re not a competitive swimmer, it can be difficult to find good information about which fitness trackers are good to use while swimming. This can be especially frustrating when you want to track your swimming workouts. If you do want a smartwatch that’s waterproof and great for swimmers, though, there are several options on the market today. These devices include GPS capabilities that let you map out where you swim and monitor your performance without relying on another technology source.
The types of waterproof watches
1. Garmin Vivoactive 4
Waterproof up to 50 meters and rated to be used in salt water, Garmin’s Vivoactive 4 will let you swim laps poolside or even deep-sea swim. It offers built-in GPS and notifications, plus it can track your workouts—including cardio—across multiple sports. The Vivoactive 4 is also one of few smartwatches that offer full compatibility with Android Pay (so you can use it as a cashless payment system). With built-in music storage (4GB), it’s a great option if you want to swim laps without your phone.
Pros
- Excellent fitness tracking features
- Attractive design and easy-to-read display
- Full GPS
- Solid battery life
Cons
- ANT+ HR broadcast mode does not work well yet
- App offering could be better
- Spotify/Deezer integration should be more friendly
Read Our Full Review: Garmin Vivoactive 4
2. Apple Watch Series SE
The Apple Watch Series SE is a good entry-level option for those who aren’t ready to shell out hundreds of dollars for a premium smartwatch. It’s still waterproof, making it great for in-pool use and tracking laps. The biggest downside? It doesn’t have a built-in GPS, so you can’t track your swimming distance unless you wear it in tandem with your phone. (You can sync Apple Music playlists on it, though.) It also only has an accelerometer and heart rate monitor as its biometric sensors. For more serious swimmers who want to monitor every detail of their stroke while training and racing, they should probably look at Garmin or Fitbit watches instead.
Pros
- Premium design
- Impressive fitness features
- Bright and responsive touchscreen
- Affordable
Cons
- Lacks always-on display
- Mediocre battery life
- Expensive option for kids
- Slow charging
Read Our Full Review: Apple Watch Series SE
3. Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
The Galaxy Watch Active 2 is one of Samsung’s most recent smartwatches and features a swimming-friendly design. It includes lots of fitness tracking capabilities, swim proofing, and up to 4 days of battery life per charge. For those looking to pair their smartwatch with iOS devices, however, it isn’t compatible with all Apple products (yet). Although it won’t integrate with your iPhone automatically like previous models, you can still download an app that pairs it through Bluetooth.
Pros
- Touch-sensitive bezel
- Offline Spotify storage
- Good battery life
- Works with iOS and Android
Cons
- Requires too many Samsung phone apps to work
- Sleep-tracking needs some work
- Pricey upgrade
- ECG is only available when tied to a Galaxy phone.
Read Our Full Review: Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
4. Garmin Descent Mk2 & Mk2i
The Descent Mk2i is Garmin’s latest release in its line of D2 series of smartwatches and offers what few other smartwatches can: dedicated waterproof fitness tracking. The watch has an array of sensors, including a heart rate monitor, compass, barometer, and accelerometer. For swimmers who want to keep track of their performance in addition to their biometrics while they exercise, it doesn’t get much better than that. At a price point that hovers just under $1499 (depending on where you buy), it’s one of Garmin’s most expensive options.
Pros
- An amazing dive computer
- Usability/functionality is great
- Subwave sonar technology on Mk2i integrates tanks 30 feet away
- GPS
- Battery life is impressive
- Rated for depths of 100m
- The sheer amount of multisport tracking is amazing
Cons
- Extremely expensive
- Transmitters sold separately
- The Mk2 doesn’t have integrated air.
Read Our Full Review: Garmin Descent Mk2 & Mk2i
5. Garmin Swim 2
The Garmin Swim 2 is an affordable, but powerful option. It tracks swimming speed, distance, and time in the pool. Additionally, it comes with built-in workouts that you can follow or modify to fit your needs. These features make it a great choice if you plan on swimming laps at your local pool or going to a water aerobics class. If you're looking for a waterproof smartwatch with GPS capabilities, check out our next pick.
Pros
- Strong suite of swimming features
- Light and comfortable to wear
- GPS for open-water swimming
- Accurate tracking
- Battery life is impressive
Cons
- Expensive
- Doesn’t differentiate itself enough
- Light on smartwatch features
Read Our Full Review: Garmin Swim 2
6. Polar Grit X
The Polar Grit X is one of our favorite smartwatches because it is tough and waterproof. This makes it a great option for swimmers and other athletes who need an easy way to stay connected while they exercise or play sports in the water. This device has a GPS tracker, a barometer sensor, an altimeter, an accelerometer, and Bluetooth connectivity. It also displays notifications from your smartphone so you can stay connected without reaching into your pocket or bag during workouts.
Pros
- Lots of useful health insights
- Huge variety of sports profile
- Fleshed out health tracking
- Incredible battery life
- The polar Flow app is one of the best
Cons
- Extremely limited smartwatch features
- No automatic activity detection
- Sleep detection can be hit or miss
- A little pricey
- No Spotify support
Read Our Full Review: Polar Grit X
7. Fitbit Versa 3
The Fitbit Versa 3 is a smartwatch that’s fully waterproof, swim-proof, and offers sleep-tracking features, making it a good option for swimmers. The watch can be worn in shallow water up to 50 meters or 165 feet. It has a battery life of about six days and will automatically track your swimming sessions if you sync it with your smartphone app. You can also use it on its own without syncing with your phone by downloading music to listen to while swimming.
Pros
- Pretty accurate health tracking
- Built-in GPS
- Bright, always-on AMOLED display
- Good price
Cons
- The capacitive button isn’t ideal
- Requires Fitbit Premium subscription to unlock advanced features
- No offline Spotify support
Read Our Full Review: Fitbit Versa 3
