Approach® S50
Approach® S70 | Approach® S70 - TaylorMade® Edition
D2™ Air
D2™ Air X10
D2™ Mach 1 | D2™ Mach 1 Pro
Descent™ G1 | Descent™ G1 Solar | Descent™ G1 Solar - Ocean Edition
Descent™ G2
Descent™ Mk2 | Descent™ Mk2S | Descent™ Mk2i
Descent™ Mk3 | Descent™ Mk3i
Enduro™
Enduro™ 2
Enduro™ 3
epix™ (Gen 2) - Standard Edition | epix™ (Gen 2) - Sapphire Edition | epix™ (Gen 2) - Porsche Edition
epix™ Pro (Gen 2) - Standard Edition | epix™ Pro (Gen 2) - Sapphire Edition
fēnix® 6 - Standard Edition | fēnix® 6 - Solar Edition | fēnix® 6 - Pro and Sapphire Editions | fēnix® 6 - Pro Solar Edition
fēnix® 6S - Standard Edition | fēnix® 6S - Solar Edition | fēnix® 6S - Pro and Sapphire Editions | fēnix® 6S - Pro Solar Edition
fēnix® 6X - Pro and Sapphire Editions | fēnix® 6X - Pro Solar Edition
fēnix® 7 - Standard Edition | fēnix® 7 - Solar Edition | fēnix® 7 - Sapphire Solar Edition
fēnix® 7S - Standard Edition | fēnix® 7S - Solar Edition | fēnix® 7S - Sapphire Solar Edition
fēnix® 7X - Solar Edition | fēnix® 7X - Sapphire Solar Edition
fēnix® 7 Pro - Solar Edition | fēnix® 7 Pro - Sapphire Solar Edition
fēnix® 7S Pro - Solar Edition | fēnix® 7S Pro - Sapphire Solar Edition
fēnix® 7X Pro - Solar Edition | fēnix® 7X Pro - Sapphire Solar Edition
fēnix® 8 - AMOLED Edition | fēnix® 8 - Solar Edition
fēnix® E
Forerunner® 165 | Forerunner® 165 Music
Forerunner® 245 | Forerunner® 245 Music
Forerunner® 255 | Forerunner® 255S | Forerunner® 255 Music | Forerunner® 255S Music
Forerunner® 265 | Forerunner® 265S
Forerunner® 570
Forerunner® 745
Forerunner® 945 | Forerunner® 945 LTE
Forerunner® 955 | Forerunner® 955 Solar
Forerunner® 965
Forerunner® 970
Garmin Swim® 2
Instinct® 2 - Standard Edition | Instinct® 2 - Camo Edition | Instinct® 2 - Surf Edition | Instinct® 2 - dēzl Edition
Instinct® 2 Solar | Instinct® 2 Solar - Tactical Edition | Instinct® 2 Solar - Surf Edition
Instinct® 2S - Standard Edition | Instinct® 2S - Camo Edition | Instinct® 2S - Surf Edition
Instinct® 2S Solar | Instinct® 2S Solar - Surf Edition
Instinct® 2X Solar | Instinct® 2X Solar - Tactical Edition
Instinct® 3 - AMOLED | Instinct® 3 - Solar
Instinct® 3 Tactical Edition - AMOLED | Instinct® 3 Tactical Edition - Solar
Instinct® Crossover - Standard Edition | Instinct® Crossover Solar | Instinct® Crossover Solar - Tactical Edition
Instinct® E
Legacy Hero - Captain Marvel | First Avenger
Legacy Saga - Darth Vader™ | Rey™
Lily® - Classic Edition | Lily® - Sport Edition
Lily® 2 | Lily® 2 Classic
MARQ® Adventurer | MARQ® Athlete | MARQ® Aviator | MARQ® Captain | MARQ® Commander | MARQ® Driver | MARQ® Expedition | MARQ® Golfer
MARQ® Adventurer (Gen 2) | MARQ® Athlete (Gen 2) | MARQ® Aviator (Gen 2) | MARQ® Captain (Gen 2) | MARQ® Golfer (Gen 2)
MARQ® Adventurer (Gen 2) - Damascus Steel Edition | MARQ® Athlete (Gen 2) - Carbon Edition | MARQ® Athlete (Gen 2) - Performance Edition | MARQ® Commander (Gen 2) - Carbon Edition | MARQ® Golfer (Gen 2) - Carbon Edition
quatix® 6 | quatix® 6 Titanium | quatix® 6X Solar
quatix® 7 - Standard Edition | quatix® 7 - Sapphire Edition | quatix® 7X - Solar Edition
tactix® 7 - AMOLED | tactix® 7 - Standard Edition | tactix® 7 - Pro Edition | tactix® 7 - Pro Ballistics Edition
tactix® 8 - AMOLED | tactix® 8 - Solar
tactix® Delta - Sapphire Edition | tactix® Delta - Solar Edition | tactix® Delta - Solar Edition with Ballistics
Venu®
Venu® 2| Venu® 2S
Venu® 2 Plus
Venu® 3 | Venu® 3S
Venu® Sq | Venu® Sq - Music Edition
Venu® Sq 2 | Venu® Sq 2 - Music Edition
Venu® X1
vívoactive® 4 | vívoactive® 4S
vívoactive® 5
vívoactive® 6
vívomove® 3 | vívomove® 3S
vívomove® Luxe | vívomove® Sport
vívomove® Style | vívomove® Trend
Select your product to confirm this information applies to you
Frequently Asked Questions About Wrist Heart Rate While Swimming
What Watches Can Be Used to Track Heart Rate While Swimming?
The following watches will give you the option to turn on the optical heart rate sensor while using a swim activity profile:
What Do I Need to Do to Take Advantage of This Feature?
The software on your watch needs to be up to date. If your watch is paired to the Garmin Connect™ app on your smartphone, updates are sent automatically to the watch. You can also use the Garmin Express™ program on a personal computer to manually update the software. See How Do I Install Garmin Express? for full instructions.
Can I Turn This Feature On or Off?
With the latest software, most watches will have the optical heart rate sensor enabled automatically when performing a Swim activity. To see if your watch has the option to enable or disable this setting, check your owner's manual or see if your device has the following options.
Press and hold the MENU button.
Select or scroll to Settings
Select Sensors & Accessories or Health & Wellness
Select Wrist Heart Rate.
Select While Swimming.
Toggle setting On or Off.
How Accurate Is the Wrist Heart Rate When Swimming?
Swimming can have many of the challenges which are described in The Heart Rate Sensor on My Garmin Watch Is Not Accurate. The large arm motions can affect the level of blood volume in the wrist area, chilly water can reduce the amount of blood in the tissue on the back of the wrist, and the water can “pull” on the watch creating a gap between the optical heart rate sensor and the skin. The same tips apply to swimming as other types of activities. Warm up a bit before starting the swim activity and make sure you are properly wearing the watch. Specifically:
The optical heart rate sensor must always remain in contact with your skin.
The watch must also be worn snug, but not too tight.
Too loose the watch can slide around, creating a gap between the optical heart rate sensor and your skin.
Too tight and the watch can actually restrict blood flow.
The watch is properly snug when you can move the watch and the skin underneath moves with it.
For best heart rate accuracy during swimming, use the HRM 600, HRM-Pro™, HRM-Pro™ Plus, HRM-Swim™, or HRM-Tri™ heart rate monitors.