5 Of The Best Waterproof Wearables For Swimmers

Water and electronics don’t always play nice, but there are water-resistant devices out there like waterproof Bluetooth speakers perfect for poolside fun. There are even wearables that can survive water, including some that are great for swimmers. If you’re looking for something you can keep on while swimming, it’s important to know that not every device that can handle water exposure is suitable for extended submersion. Companies also call their products water-resistant rather than waterproof to indicate that they aren’t guaranteed to work in the deepest depths. 

There are two rating systems for water resistance. First is ingress protection (IP), which measures how well an enclosed piece of equipment keeps out dust or water. Items get a two-digit score, but only the second digit matters for swimming, as it represents water resistance. The other is ATM (short for atmosphere), which tells you how deep you can take your device and how much water pressure it can take. For a wearable to be suitable for swimming, it needs to be at least 5ATM or IPX8. Just be aware that water resistance also degrades with time, so your wearable will naturally get more vulnerable as it ages. 

The following wearables are among the best options for swimmers. Most are smartwatches, but there are some other types of devices, including one designed specifically for swimmers. Many of these wearables have swimming-focused features that will help you track your workouts and progress. At the very least, you won’t have to panic if you forgot to take one of these devices off before you jump in the pool.

Perhaps the coolest wearable for swimmers is the Form Smart Swim 2, a set of goggles that function like smart glasses for the water. These use an augmented reality display in the lenses to provide real-time information about your workout like stroke pace, stroke count, and distance. There’s also a Form app you can connect to for more detailed post-workout analysis, and you can easily share your data with other fitness apps you might use like Apple Health, Final Surge, and Strava. It even has Form’s SwimStraight technology, a digital compass to help you navigate while open-water swimming.

Reviews for the Smart Swim 2 say that the goggles are remarkably accurate and provide useful information. Aly Lopez of CNET even said they “transformed” how she swims and that she couldn’t imagine going back to swimming without them. That said, all of that cool data is going to block your vision to an extent, which may be uncomfortable or even unsafe. They’re also a non-starter for glasses-wearers who rely on prescription goggles.

At $199, Smart Swim 2 is more affordable than a lot of wearables, though the nature of the product means it’s really only usable for swimming. It’s perfect if that’s your sole focus, but there are far more versatile fitness wearables if you want something for more general use.

Garmin watches are considered the best wearables by many swimmers, with the company offering various smartwatches designed for swimming, triathlons, and other sports. The thing to check for when picking a Garmin for swimming is whether it has leakproof inductive buttons, a unique technology that prevents water from getting in if you press your device’s buttons underwater. Many 5ATM models like the Forerunner 570 don’t have these, which is why the best overall option for water sports is the Garmin Descent G2.

At $699.99, it’s a decent mid-point between Garmin’s budget and high-end models, and it’s designed for diving up to 100 m (10ATM), receiving the highest water rating on Garmin’s scale. The Descent G2 also has lots of swim-specific features, including tracking different pool and open-water metrics like distance, pace, stroke count, and swim efficiency. It can also measure your heart rate, log drills, and give you time and distance alerts. The Descent G2 can even detect whether you’re swimming freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, or butterfly, which shows just how tailored this smartwatch is to swimmers’ needs.

Apple devices are famous for how seamlessly they interact with one another, so if you’re an iPhone user who wants a wearable with maximum functionality and convenience, you might want to get an Apple Watch. Any model from the Series 2 on and in the SE line can handle some water exposure and even has a Water Lock function to prevent unintentional taps while underwater and to clear the speakers when you get out.

The Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), and later have a water-resistance rating of 50 m, which the company says makes them suitable for “shallow water activities like swimming in a pool or ocean.” That will be fine for casual swimmers, but the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is easily the best for swimming and other water activities. Though it’s not cheap at $799, it has greater water resistance (100 m), and Apple approves it for snorkeling and scuba diving up to 40 m. The Ultra 3 also has satellite communication capabilities, which make it a safer choice for open-water swimmers.

If you want a fitness tracker rather than a smartwatch to track your workouts, the Fitbit Charge 6 is a great budget option at $159.95. In addition to a 5ATM water protection rating, it also has a Water Lock feature that you can activate from the device or by starting a swim workout in the app, a very smart failsafe. With a small screen that displays the time, your heart rate, and your step count, it’s less bulky and distracting than smartwatches like the Garmin Descent G2 or Apple Watch Ultra 3 while still offering conveniences like Google Maps and Google Wallet.

That said, there are some clear drawbacks. In May, Google overhauled the Fitbit app, now called Google Health, in ways that Fitbit users can’t stand. The main frustration is the app’s new focus on AI coaching and summaries that make it hard to see anything that the AI thinks you don’t want to see, features that cannot be turned off. Given all the complaints, it’s likely Google will make some changes, but that is something to consider at the moment.

Overall, the Fitbit Charge 6 is a good option for swimmers who want a fitness-focused wearable. It’s also great for those who use Google products and services, but, unlike Apple and Android watches, they aren’t exclusive to one platform.

Finally, if you want a small and simple wearable that can give you detailed health information without being a distraction, smart rings are a great option. The best for swimming is the recently released Oura Ring 5, which is water resistant up to 100 m (10ATM) and tracks even more health metrics than its predecessor, including blood pressure and breathing patterns. Oura also promises its new ring is even more efficient and accurate at tracking data than previous models, and, at $399, it doesn’t cost that much more than the $349 Oura Ring 4.

While not specifically a swimming device, Oura Rings are ideal for those who want detailed health and recovery analytics. They also have the endorsement of legendary swimmer Katie Ledecky, one of the most decorated Olympians of all time. In a 2022 interview with Oura, Ledecky said she got an Oura Ring in 2019 to track her sleep and post-competition recovery, and that she was “fascinated” by the data.

That said, there are things to know before buying an Oura Ring, including the fact that you’ll also need a subscription (which costs $5.99/month or $69.99/year) for the ring and app to be fully useful. If that’s not a dealbreaker and you’d prefer passive monitoring to real-time data and assistance while you’re swimming, a smart ring like the Oura Ring 5 is the best choice.

This list covers a range of wearables that can safely be used while swimming in a pool, and in as many cases as possible, in open waters. That, of course, means everything mentioned meets water resistance ratings of at least 5ATM, IPX8, or their equivalent on a brand’s own scale.

Since smartwatches make up so much of the wearable tech market, we wanted to include other kinds of devices where possible and choose smartwatches that fit a variety of different needs from casual swimmers to hardcore athletes. Because these products were focused on water resistance and swimming features, price was less of a factor. That said, we’ve mentioned some budget alternatives where possible.