Want to wear your fitness tracker all day long including your trips to the pool or the shower? Then you should choose a wearable activity tracker which is not only splash proof but truly waterproof up to a certain depth.
Misfit Shine Speedo Swimmers Edition
While the normal Misfit Shine 2 is meant for running or cycling, this specific model is also designed to track your swimming activities. You will need to own an Android or an iOS device to view the tracking data. The Speedo Shine comes with both black and white straps to match with your outfits. The straps have a smooth finish and are adjustable to fit multiple wrist sizes.
There are no buttons and no ports as you don’t need to charge the tracker. However you will need to change the battery about twice a year. You can touch the front of the tracker to show the current time and daily progress but all other details are managed through the app.
The Misfit Speedo Shine is a very basic activity wearable. It doesn’t come with more advanced features such as a heart rate monitor. Price wise it does compete with models that offer more sensors or functionality. The swimmers edition has the benefit of being waterproof; tracking swimming and it has a cute way of showing time through LED lights.
Fitbit Flex 2
Fitbit Flex 2 can count steps, distance, calories burned and sleep. This is Fitbit’s first wearable tracker that is swim proof and it can track swimming along with other activities such as walking, running or cycling. It can automatically track your laps in the pool, their duration, and also display your caloric burn while swimming, using the Fitbit app.
Fitbit’s Flex 2 is slim, discreet and lightweight built to blend in. The little sensor is kept in a band that comes in large or small, depending on your wrist size. You can also pop the tracker right out of the band and then pop it into a different color. In addition there’s also silver and gold bangles and necklaces to choose from making it one of the most stylish and versatile Fitbit tracker.
This activity tracker does not have a display and instead it uses five tiny LED lights to tell you how close you are to reaching your step goal, to remind you to move and to alert you to incoming calls and texts. The Flex 2 does not come with the ability to track your heart rate. The battery lasts for around five days and it also sends you an email notification when you are almost out of battery so you know it’s time to power up again.
You can take your Flex 2 on a workout without your phone and it will record your steps, floors climbed and how far you went. You simply sync it up with your Smartphone or desktop after your activity. The Fitbit app also gives you the ability to log the foods you’ve eaten and see how many calories you’ve consumed throughout the day.
Garmin Vivoactive HR
Garmin Vivoactive HR can track multiple activities ranging from the traditional running, biking and swimming to less common sports such as skiing and rowing. Each activity has its own unique metrics. For example, biking displays speed, rowing shows 500 m pace, paddle boarding shows stroke rate and skiing shows drop statistics. You can even set the pool size when selecting swimming. Apart from activity and sleep tracking, it has all the features of your more advanced fitness tracker. You get a daily steps goal and Garmin automatically adjusts that goal based on your recent activity level so that the goal remains attainable to you and keeps you motivated.
Vivoactive HR comes with a built-in wrist based heart rate sensor and works in all modes except swimming as the water would probably throw off the readings. Also it will not work with HRM Swim or HRM tri HR monitors during swimming. The tracker has a capacitive touch screen display which might not function underwater, so be sure to set up the screen as you want before jumping in the pool.
Like many other new sport watches, the Vivoactive HR is capable of receiving and displaying notifications wirelessly from a Bluetooth connected phone. It has GPS / GLONASS sensors for tracking pace or distance and it also works with external sensors such as heart rate monitors and speed / cadence sensors.
Garmin Forerunner 235
Garmin FR 235 is a multi activity GPS sports watch with an onboard optical heart rate sensor and it is water proof up to 5ATM. Therefore you can wear it during rains, shower or while swimming. The tracker is packed with features suitable for both casual and serious runners.
The HR sensor monitors your heart rate during your workout throughout the day. There is a recovery advisor to help determine when you are ready for that next hard work out and the watch can even estimate your VO2 max. This is in addition to basic running features like auto pause, auto lap and interval workouts.
FR235 also works as an all day fitness tracker and pedometer for things like steps, calories burned and sleep. When connected to your Smartphone it displays notifications and can also control your music.
Withings Activité Pop
Unlike all the other fitness wristbands out there, Withings Activite goes on an unconventional approach of being a watch first. It’s a beautifully designed classic timepiece which silently monitors your daily movement. This Swiss made activity tracker watch is built using premium high quality material. It has a stainless steel body with a casual smart look which won’t look out of place either in the office or on a run.
Activite uses a round face design and it’s a mechanical timepiece with hour and minute hands. Therefore there is no LCD or OLED display. The design is simplistic and minimalistic with no date or notifications. The smaller circle on the watch face shows your daily step progress towards your preset goal. The analog watch face keeps the time by digitally syncing with your phone over Bluetooth.
The watch tracks walking, running and swimming. It also doubles as an automatic sleep monitor if you don’t mind wearing a watch while you are sleeping. You can view the tracked activity data using the Withings app which is compatible with both Android and iOS. There is no GPS or heart rate sensor built into this tracker. It has about eight months of battery life and is available in a range of colors and finishes.
Moov Now
Moov Now’s goal is to make you better at certain activities like running, cycling and swimming. It comes with multiple sensors built-in such as gyroscope, accelerometer and a magnetometer. So, paired up with the appropriate Smartphone, an iPhone or an Android phone, it not only tracks your fitness but it also acts as your personal coach.
Since the tracker is about the size of a quarter, you can switch the types of bands you are using. You can insert it right into one of the bands in the middle and you can put it on your wrist or your ankle depending on the type of activity you are doing. The tracker is water proof up to 30 meters so you need not worry about getting it wet while on a swim or in the shower.
There is no display and all the tracking data is viewable in the companion app. It has a GPS sensor built in and it runs on a watch battery which lasts around six months.
Garmin Swim
Garmin Swim is a low profile watch specifically designed for pool swimmers. The design reduces drag and enables the tracker to be worn on a daily basis. With no GPS antenna and no charging necessary, the watch is unique among Garmin’s counterparts. Just set the pool size, jump in and start swimming. The Garmin Swim uses accelerometer technology that can detect a change in direction and keep a track of every lap in the pool.
You will not be able to track any other activity like running or cycling with this tracker as it is exclusively meant to track swimming. It does not connect to your Smartphone via Bluetooth but instead uses an ANT+ USB stick to connect to Garmin ANT agent software to download tracking data on your computer. You can also view your historical in-depth swimming statistics on the device display itself. The device runs on a CR2032 battery which lasts around a year.
Garmin Vivosmart HR+
Vivoactive HR+ is not just for athletes but rather anyone who loves the outdoors and being active as it’s not designed for a specific sport. It can track all activities like steps climbed and sleep. It also displays Smartphone notifications like call, text and calendar alerts when connected to an iPhone or Android device. In addition it has an optical heart rate sensor on the back and an on board GPS sensor to measure just about any activity. You should also note that HR+ does not have the option to connect to an external chest strap HR monitor.
It can track more than 14 sports that include running, cycling, golfing, swimming, skiing, rowing and even water related sports like paddle boarding. The HR plus also has a new feature called ‘MoveIQ’ which is an automatic workout detection for specific exercises. The display is single colored touch screen and the device is waterproof up to 50 meters. The battery is rechargeable and each charge lasts around four days.
Garmin Vivofit 3
Vivofit 3 is a very generalist fitness band as it lacks GPS and optical HR sensors. It tracks your basic exercise and encourages you to move when you’ve been inactive for long. The wrist bands are interchangeable and it is waterproof up to 5 ATM. It uses a coin cell style battery that lasts for up to a year and you don’t have to recharge this thing every five days or so.
This tracker has a watch face and it does have a backlit display. It also has the capability to pair with an external heart rate chest strap sensor to collect your heart rate while you are working out. Without a chest strap it is only good for walking and jogging step based exercises.
Polar A360
The Polar A360 tracks all day fitness metrics, sleep and exercise. It has a full color touch screen display and is waterproof up to 30 meters. You can swim with it but you won’t get any swimming specific metrics. It even has a couple of smartwatch features like call and text notifications delivered right to your wrist.
The A360 wristband uses a standard micro USB port to charge the internal battery. It has an on board optical HR sensor and also the ability to pair wirelessly with an external Bluetooth heart rate monitoring chest strap like the Polar H7. The internal optical HR sensor also tracks your heart rate while swimming.
Garmin Forerunner 920XT
The Forerunner 920XT is a GPS multi-sport watch with a full color display. It’s water resistant down to 50 meters and has a battery life of about seven days on average. It has a basic all day activity tracking metrics alongside a daily activity goal, an alarm clock, move reminders and automatic sleep analysis.
The 920Xt is built to track sports such as running, cycling and swimming as well as triathlon training. It even has a dedicated triathlon application. When tracking swimming it gives you the option of open water or pool swimming. You can also change the pool size and you will get swim stats such as distance, pace, stroke count, calories consumed and your SWOLF score. You can also create your own custom sport profiles.
The watch pairs with ANT+ external sensors like HR monitors, speed and cadence sensors. It even works with HRM Tri and HRM Swim heart rate monitors to pick up your heart rate while you are swimming.
Polar V800 multi sports watch
The Polar V800 fitness watch has an accelerometer, an integrated GPS and barometer. It gives you information such recovery status, training load, 24 hours a day activity measuring and smart notifications.
The design of this tracker is rugged with an aluminum and stainless steel body. With a Gorilla glass display this device is top notch I terms of durability. It’s also water resistant down to 30 meters. It monitors your sleep as well as all of your workouts like strength training exercises, cycling, running, swimming and multi sports exercises such as a triathlon.
It connects wirelessly with several external Bluetooth low energy sensors such as HR monitors, foot pods and speed sensors. The multi sport aspect is the key selling point along with getting the swimming metrics and having your heart rate tracked using an additional external HR sensor during swimming workouts.
TomTom Spark 3 GPS watch
The Spark3 from TomTom is a daily activity tracker but it focuses mainly on GPS tracking when you are running, cycling or doing any kind of outdoor activity. Spark 3 comes in four variants – a no frills only GPS watch, GPS plus music storage, a GPS plus HR monitor and lastly GPS plus HR monitor plus onboard music storage. You can choose depending on how you like to work out and what your needs are.
On the sports side it tracks running, indoor running, cycling, indoor cycling, pool swimming only and no open water swimming or triathlons. The watch can pair with an external HR sensor to get accurate heart rate data. However the external HR sensor will be switched off while swimming.
Mio Alpha 2
Mio Alpha 2 is a continuation of the Mio Alpha the original sport watch with its main feature being built-in heart rate monitoring. It comes with a magnetic USB charger that attaches to the back of the device for charging the battery.
Alpha 2 is water resistant up to three atmospheres or 30 meters, has a Bluetooth low energy built-in and a companion iOS and Android application where you can sync and analyze all of your workout data. It also has an accelerometer and can track your speed, pace and distance.
Alpha 2 is specifically designed to handle running, biking, walking, climbing, swimming, rowing and hiking. The display is backlit and it shows you very basic info such as time, heart rate and sports metrics. The tracker lacks a built-in GPS sensor.
Misfit Ray
Ray is a sleek, low profile and stylish all day activity and sleep fitness wearable with water resistance of up to 50 meters so you don’t have to take it off. It does not have a display screen. However a small programmable LED notification light and vibration will give you alerts for calls, texts and reminders through the Misfit companion link app.
The body is made from aircraft grade aluminum and it doesn’t require you to charge the battery as it runs on 3 button cell batteries which will last for about six months.
