Swimming with an Apple Watch

By Mark P, 8 October, 2019

Forum
watchOS and Apple Watch Apps

I am planning to get a watch specifically to swim with. I am not sure if I need to get a titanium case? I am worried about possible damage from scrapes with the pol side or ladders. I presume what ever case you have the glass screen must always be at risk.
Any advice thankfully received.
Mark.

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Comments

By mehgcap on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 - 06:42

Hello,

I've swum with an Apple Watch for a couple years now. I always use the aluminum models, but any material you choose should be okay. I don't think one is more or less at risk than any other, so unless you want titanium or stainless steel for other reasons, I'd save your money.

Yes, the screen is the big risk. I always fear bashing it against a ladder or wall. I've avoided doing so by following two simple rules: always swim in a middle lane that has no walls/ladders, and always swim on the right, so my watch arm is opposite the lane line. If I have to use a lane with a wall, I'm simply extra careful when the wall is on my left, making sure to stick close to the lane line so my watch isn't near the wall. The screen can take a lot of punishment--I know someone who was running in a sports practice and slammed his watch face into a metal trailer with no consequences--but I always try to be careful all the same. I've only had one mishap so far, and that was a manufacturer defect that caused my screen's adhesive to fail. Since then, with a Series 2 and a Series 4, I've had no screen issues while swimming or otherwise.

By Bingo Little on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 - 06:42

I agree with the previous comment. What it comes down to is being careful, in the same way you would be careful if you were doing back stroke so as not to knock yourself out on the wall when you reach the end of your length. Sometimes of course it's not possible to take the middle lane. Where I swim, I have to take what lane I am given by the leisure centre. But the answer to this, as the previous poster said, is to swim on the right if you have your watch on your left wrist, and vice versa. I did cop my watch a fair old clout at the end of a length once, but there were no ill effects and that's the only time it's happened. I do think you have to be fairly rough with the display in order to damage it - I succeeded in doing so when at a water park in Turkey, but only because I wore it on a massive water slide! I, too, use the aluminium case.

Let me just add something else: I love swimming with the watch. It's a great source of motivation to see how many callories I've burned after a pool swim. Granted there are sceptics out there about how accurate the callory count is, but better to view the glass as half full than half empty in my book.

And something else: my series 4 watch is much better at giving me the time during a pool swim than was my series 3 watch. I don't have to fiddle about nearly as much to get the watch to tell me the time, although I havne't got taptic time to work in the pool as some people have. The series 4 is also a muc faster drying watch, I have found. This is useful as you can get back to normal functionality relatively quickly. Happy swimming.

By Holger Fiallo on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 - 06:42

I have apple watch 5 and whenever take a shower, and unlock it from water log, sometimes I hear the sound sometimes I do not. I also hear echo from my VO. Start to wander if does work well in water.

By Bingo Little on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 - 06:42

Perhaps it doesn't work well in soap and water, or perhaps it doesn't work well in hot water. Do you have hot showers? Personally I wouldn't advise having a shower wearing your Apple watch. Nor would I personally swim in the sea wearing an Apple Watch, though it's clear from the workout app that it's designed to be worn in open water swims.