If you love swimming and water-related competitions or activities, it’s important to have a fitness watch that can keep up with you without suffering damage. Fitbit offers watches that are highly compatible with swimming, but it can be difficult for buyers to identify them amongst the many, many smartwatches Fitbit sells. We’re making it easier by narrowing down a list of the best Fitbit bands for swimmers and why they excel.
Note: All the bands below are designed to support swim tracking, which means they are water-resistant up to 50 meters. Obviously, that means wearing them in the shower is also OK — just don’t go scuba diving with them on.
Fitbit Sense
The Sense is one of the most advanced Fitbits available, so it’s no surprise that it is water-resistant for swimming — but that’s just the start of what this model can do. It also includes sensors that can scan electrodermal activity and track skin temperature, which can be used to help get insight into sleep cycles as well as manage stress. You can also get readings on your blood oxygen levels, track your heart rate, and use the internal GPS to track your runs or hikes. There’s even a built-in mic and speaker with Bluetooth compatibility so you can use the watch to take phone calls.
All of that, and the Fitbit Sense still manages to have a battery that lasts around six days. It’s an excellent fitness watch, but if you are only interested in a swimming tracker then it may be a little more than you need at this price.
Fitbit Charge 4
Fitbit’s Charge 4 is an all-in-one fitness watch that does a little bit of everything. Like the Sense, it can track everything from nightly blood oxygen levels to skin temperature. It also includes GPS to track runs, biking, and similar activities, as well as a 24/7 heart rate tracker. Swimmers will be most interested in the ability to track swims over time and the “Active Zone Minutes,” which vibrates the Charge 4 when you reach a certain heart rate zone you wanted to get into for your cardio.
The battery for the Charge 4 is also excellent, and offers up to seven days of power for typical operation. You can even go in-depth tracking your sleep stages and sleep score if you really want to maximize results while you are training. Keep in mind this is a slim model, so the screen is small and only made to show the most important information!
Fitbit Flex 2
Maybe you don’t really like the idea of dealing with a watch face and the added weight it brings, especially while swimming. The Flex 2 is designed for people that love Fitbit’s tracking abilities but don’t want to wear a full smartwatch. It’s a slim band that uses several LED indicators to remind you of calls and texts while still tracking steps, distance, calories burned, active minutes, and more.
For swimmers, the Flex 2 has the ability to automatically recognize activities like swimming, track their activity, and log them into the app without you needing to lift a finger. For those working on their fitness level or weight loss, the band can also light up with reminders to move to reach the day’s targets. The battery lasts for up to five days before needing a recharge.
Fitbit Ionic
The Ionic is an excellent choice if you are looking for a more affordable Fitbit that can take a more general role as a smartwatch for all your life’s activities. That includes holding up to 300 songs for downloaded workout playlists, an NFC chip to make contactless payments, and support for sport, weather, and other apps.
On the fitness side, this water-resistant Fitbit Ionic can track swims, pace, and heart rate levels. It includes a GPS for providing location data as well. The downside of all this compatibility is that the battery is a bit more limited than some of our other options, offering only around four days on a single charge.
Fitbit Ace 3
Do you have kids who enjoy swimming and playing in the water? This affordable Fitbit is for them: It’s designed for kids and helps track activities, encourage outdoor exercise, and even exchange challenges and messages with other connected family. From bedtime reminders and sleep tracking to earning badges for completing activities, this version of the Fitbit is made for kids in every way.
Parents can manage the Ace 3 via a family account so they can take care of the details. While the watch has extras like animated clock faces, it’s fairly limited compared to what other Fitbits can do. Fortunately, that helps keep the battery life longer — up to eight days — while keeps costs lower.
Fitbit Inspire 2
The Inspire 2 is somewhat of a compromise between the slim Flex 2 and a more traditional watch like the Ionic. It doesn’t have a full watch face, but instead offers a slimmed-down screen with only the most minimalistic indicators for tracking time, heart rate, and other important numbers. It’s a good choice if you don’t want to be squinting at a screen all day, but would rather depend on the Fitbit app to do most of the work while you do the working out.
Most of the fitness features are still available on the Inspire 2 however, including more than 20 exercise modes, heart rate, and sleep tracking functions, and Active Zone Minutes for alerts when you get your heart rate up to target levels. Battery life is excellent at up to 10 days before needing a recharge, making this a great pick for those who want a slimmer watch.