Garmin Smart Watches for Swimming
Garmin swimming watches are designed to track your performance in the pool or open water. Whether you're a recreational swimmer, triathlete,
or competitive athlete, Garmin offers waterproof watches with swim-specific metrics, heart rate tracking, and stroke analysis to help
you train smarter and swim stronger.
Fitness & Casual Swimming
Competitive Pool Swimming
Open Water Swimming
Accessories
Garmin Watches for Swimming: Overview
Garmin swimming watches track laps, strokes, pace, and heart rate in the pool or open water. Models like the Forerunner 970, fenix 8, Enduro 3, and Instinct 3 offer waterproof designs, custom swim workouts, and accurate metrics for swimmers of all levels. Whether you're training for fitness or competing in triathlon, Garmin provides the tools you need to swim stronger and smarter.
What are key Golf features across models?
- Pool & Open Water Tracking - Measures distance, pace, strokes, SWOLF, and rest times.
- Stroke Detection - Identifies freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly.
- Underwater Heart Rate - Wrist-based HR or via HRM- strap (on supported models).
- Drill Logging & Lap Timing - Tracks kickboard sets, intervals, and laps manually or automatically.
- Workout Customisation - Supports custom swim workouts and plans via Garmin Connect.
- Water Resistance - 5 ATM or higher - suitable for pool and open water.
- Smartwatch Features - Includes notifications, music (select models), and daily health tracking.
What can Garmin swimming watches do?
- Track your swim strokes, pace, and distance in both pool and open water
- Calculate SWOLF scores to measure swim efficiency
- Detect stroke types and support custom drills and intervals
- Monitor underwater heart rate on supported models
- Sync with the Garmin Connect app to review performance and progress
- Offer training and recovery insights for multisport athletes
- Function as full-featured smartwatches for health, fitness, and notifications
What are the top Garmin Watches for Swimming?
- Forerunner 970 / 965 / 955 - Advanced swim metrics, HR tracking, open water + pool, triathlon support
- fenix 8 - High-end swim tracking, topo maps, solar charging, rugged build, dive capability
- Enduro 3 - Open water swim tracking with ultra-long battery life
- Forerunner 570 / 265 - Pool swim tracking, ideal for fitness swimmers (265 lacks open water mode)
- Instinct 3 - Pool and open water support, rugged design, basic swim data
- Venu 3 / vivoactive 6 / 5 - Pool swim mode, wrist HR, great for casual and recreational swimmers
What Garmin Swimming Watch do you recommend?
- Casual fitness swimmer - Venu 3, vivoactive 5, vivoactive 6, Forerunner 265
- Swim Tracking - Instinct 3, Forerunner 570
- Competitive pool swimmer - Forerunner 970, Forerunner 965, Forerunner 955
- Open water swimmer - fenix 8, Enduro 3, Instinct 3
- Triathlon / multisport - Forerunner 970, Forerunner 965, fenix 8, Enduro 3