Swimming
The device is intended for surface swimming. Scuba diving with the device may damage the product and will void the warranty.
Swimming in Open Water
You can record swim data including distance, pace, and stroke rate. You can add data screens to the default open water swimming activity (Customizing the Data Screens).
- Press START.
- Select Open Water.
- Go outside and wait while the watch locates satellites.
- Press START to start the activity timer.
- Start swimming.
- Press UP or DOWN to view additional data pages (optional).
- After you complete your activity, press STOP, and select Save.
Going for a Pool Swim
Setting the Pool Size
The pool size must be correct to display accurate distance.
Tips for Swimming Activities
Swim Terminology
- Length
-
One trip down the pool.
- Interval
-
One or more consecutive lengths. A new interval starts after a rest.
- Stroke
-
A stroke is counted every time your arm wearing the watch completes a full cycle.
- Swolf
-
Your swolf score is the sum of the time for one pool length and the number of strokes for that length. For example, 30 seconds plus 15 strokes equals a swolf score of 45. For open water swimming, swolf is calculated over 25 meters. Swolf is a measurement of swimming efficiency and, like golf, a lower score is better.
- Critical swim speed (CSS)
-
Your CSS is the theoretical speed that you can maintain continuously without exhaustion. You can use your CSS to guide your training pace and monitor your improvement.
Stroke Types
Stroke type identification is available only for pool swimming. Your stroke type is identified at the end of a length. Stroke types appear in your swimming history and in your Garmin Connect™ account. You can also select stroke type as a custom data field (Customizing the Data Screens).
Free |
Freestyle |
---|---|
Back |
Backstroke |
Breast |
Breaststroke |
Fly |
Butterfly |
Mixed |
More than one stroke type in an interval |
Drill |
Used with drill logging (Training with the Drill Log) |
Swim Auto Rest and Manual Rest
The auto rest feature is available only for pool swimming. Your watch automatically detects when you are resting, and the rest screen appears. If you rest for more than 15 seconds, the watch automatically creates a rest interval. When you resume swimming, the watch automatically starts a new swim interval.
To use manual rests instead, you can turn off the auto rest feature in the activity options (Activities and App Settings). During a pool or open water swim activity, you can manually mark a rest interval by pressing . Swim data is not recorded during a rest interval.
Training with the Drill Log
The drill log feature is available only for pool swimming. You can use the drill log feature to manually record kick sets, one-arm swimming, or any type of swimming that is not one of the four major strokes.