Can the blaze go into the pool or ocean

[MaxGrabow]

I am at the beach and it is annoying taking it on and off

[Colinm39]

---

@MaxGrabow wrote:
I am at the beach and it is annoying taking it on and off

---

@MaxGrabow Welcome.. Unfortunately not.... All Fitbits are splash proof only, see this link. If you look on the underside of your Blaze there is a small hole above the flashing led lights. That is the intake where the inbuilt altimeter detects changes in air pressure for your stairs.

[bbarrera]

---

@MaxGrabow wrote:
I am at the beach and it is annoying taking it on and off

---

No. Other sport watches are swim-proof, and have altimeter just like Fitbit, kinda disappointing that Fitbit still doesn't offer swim-proof trackers. 

[Talahthas]

---

@bbarrera wrote:

---

@MaxGrabow wrote:
I am at the beach and it is annoying taking it on and off

---

No. Other sport watches are swim-proof, and have altimeter just like Fitbit, kinda disappointing that Fitbit still doesn't offer swim-proof trackers. 

---

Hi bbarrera,

It's a matter how precise those altimeters have to be and how they work. Blaze, in contrary ot other devices of for example Garmin or Suunto, doesn't have built in GPS to help getting altimeter readings, so it has to rely solely on the tiny pressure sensor behind that small opening.

Regards,

Stefan

[bbarrera]

---

@Talahthas wrote:

 It's a matter how precise those altimeters have to be and how they work. Blaze, in contrary ot other devices of for example Garmin or Suunto, doesn't have built in GPS to help getting altimeter readings, so it has to rely solely on the tiny pressure sensor behind that small opening.

---

@Talahthas

Hi Stefan, I don't agree, although I understand the point you are making. If you gave more technical details I might change my mind, but for now my understanding is that both Fitbit and Garmin activity trackers only use altimeter for "floors climbed" feature and not for elevation while running or cycling (unlike my Garmin Edge bike computer that uses altimeter for elevation).

Like Garmin/Suunto devices you referenced, Fitbit Surge has both altimeter and GPS and is not swim-proof. But the other devices are swim-proof.

Like Blaze, the Vivosmart HR has altimeter without GPS, however the Blaze is swim-proof. Both Fitbit and Garmin activity trackers use altimeter to measure floors climbed, and I wouldn't be surprised if floor counter temporarily stopped counting floors after jumping out of swimming pool if the tiny hole was blocked by water. But once dry I would expect it to start working again.

Further, the floor counting feature in Fitbit devices has been inconsistent for me in dry conditions, works well sometimes and terrible accuracy on other days (both inside and outside). Its not just Fitbit... Altimeters work well in certain conditions, and not well in others. For example elevation readings on my Garmin bike computer lose accuracy when the temperature increases 20 degrees, for example starting a ride at 8am on a winter day in California when temperature is 35 degrees and then during 2 hour ride the temperature rises to 55 degrees. I haven't seen that problem in the summer, even though I start a ride at 95 degrees in the evening and temperature drops to 75 degrees before sunset when San Francisco fog bank pushes into the central valley.