Can I surf with Ionic on?

[Dtalitho]

can I surf with Ionic on? Water resistant vs waterproof is confusing to me!

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[Julia_G · Accepted solution]

Hi, @Dtalitho, I think that generally the term "waterproof" is no longer used.  Instead, "water resistant" to a specific depth is specified -- the depth determines the force and oressure, which is relevant for water tightness.  The Ionic is water resistant up to 50 metres.

If you use it in salt water it would be a good idea to give it a thorough rinse afterwards to prevent salt buildup.

[MarreFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community @Dtalitho, hope you're doing great! I agree with my friend @Julia_G, all Fitbit trackers and watches are water-resistant, which means they are rain-proof and splash-proof and can stand up to even the sweatiest workout. You can swim or shower with select Fitbit devices, and Fitbit Ioinic is included in the that list.

Device	Water Resistance
Fitbit Flex 2 Fitbit Ionic Fitbit Versa	Swim-proof (up to 50 meters)
Fitbit Ace	Shower-proof (don't swim with Ace)

For more information about wearing your Fitbit device, see our Wear and Care page.

Let us know if there's anything else we can assist you with.

[Dtalitho]

Tested it out and worked great. I am thrilled. However it did show me my heart rate is too hi. 

[MarreFitbit]

Nice @Dtalitho. I'm happy to hear your Ionic worked great during your surf activity.  

In regards to the heart rate inquiry, your heart rate may be affected by any a number of factors at any given moment. Movement, temperature, humidity, stress level, physical body position, caffeine intake, and medication use are just a few things that can affect your heart rate. Different medical conditions and medications can impact your heart rate as well.

When your heart beats, your capillaries expand and contract based on blood volume changes. PurePulse LED lights on your device reflect onto the skin to detect blood volume changes and finely tuned algorithms are applied to measure heart rate automatically and continuously. The heart-rate icon you see on the display tells you if you're in 1 of 3 heart-rate zones.

Resting heart rate refers to the heart rate measured when you’re awake, calm, comfortable, and have not recently exerted yourself. We use your heart rate data from when you’re awake and asleep to estimate your resting heart rate. For best accuracy, wear your device to sleep. 

Your resting heart rate is usually higher than your heart rate while you are asleep, so don’t be surprised if your resting heart rate is higher than the lowest number that you see in your heart rate graphs.

Your tracker can have difficulty finding a signal, typically due to the tracker's fit. For example, wearing your band tightly may constrict blood flow in your wrist and affect the signal. We recommend experimenting with how high you place the tracker on your wrist. When you're not exercising, wearing the tracker just above the wrist bone--as you would a watch--typically works fine. However, moving the tracker up a couple inches can be helpful during high-intensity exercises or exercises that cause you to bend your wrist frequently. If you haven't already done so, please review our recommendations for wear and other tips shared by @SantiFitbit. 

Note that on Fitbit Ionic, the heart-rate value appears gray if your watch is searching for a stronger reading.
 

Occasionally your device may have difficulty getting a strong signal. If you don't see your heart rate on your device, first make sure you are wearing it correctly. After a short wait, you should see your correct heart rate again. On Ionic, make sure the Heart Rate setting is On. For additional troubleshooting, see Why don't I see my heart rate on my Fitbit device?

Try the recommendations and let me know the outcome! 

[Aikinurse]

Just wanted to add to this conversation and include my experience.

DON'T surf with the Ionic!  I'm on my 4th one now after being told by various reps it would be ok.  The whole reason I bought the Ionic was to surf with it, but the 50m ISO standard 22810:2010 is not good for high impact water sports.  So if you plan on ever falling off your board, don't bring it.  Here is a link to an article with a better explanation: 

https://wahawatches.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-waterproof-watches/

I'm waiting for a 100m variant, but not holding my breath... Garmin makes a couple if you're willing to 'step' off the Fitbit platform. Personally, I like it and am holding on, just wish they would be more clear about limits to water activities.  

[Dtalitho]

Sorry you had problems. I am actually body board and I am doing it 3 times a week. So far no problem except occasionally hit pause button during workout. Working fine so far.  

[MarreFitbit]

Hey there @Aikinurse, thanks for jumping in here! Sorry to hear you've been having inconveniences wearing your Ionic while surfing. Thanks for sharing your experience and for providing with the link above. 

I'd like to give thanks for the feedback you've provided towards our product. Please know that we provide feedback to our team based on community posts and we are always working on improving our devices and overall environment based on that feedback. 

So glad to hear you you've been having such a great time with your Fitbit Ionic @Dtalitho! In case you have some spare time, I would like to invite you to visit our Discussions board where you will find great tips and encouragement from other members and if there's anything else I can do for you, please keep me posted!

If you guys have any questions present, let me know. 

[Aikinurse]

@MarreFitbit Thanks for the reply!

@Dtalitho Glad to hear that it's working out for you.  I would be careful if you get into big surf.  If there is too much force when the Fitbit hits the water, it very well could fail.  

I am a beginning surfer and just starting to get into bigger stuff (occasionally head high and sometimes overhead with a long board).  I fall a lot, and at times get nailed pretty good by some decent sized waves (Totally worth it ;).  I never go deeper than 50m (Thankfully!!), but the force of impact is where the Fitbit water-proofing fails.  The 100m label is supposed to be able to sustain the forces from water sports.  

Hope you continue to have good luck.  If you are going out on a bigger day, or think you might be going out in more punishing conditions, I would advise to keep the Ionic in the car 😉

Cheers and happy body boarding,

Luke

[AdamMSC]

I've surfed with my Ionic a lot. It made it through last winter and summer surfing in North Carolina, and I have had zero issues with it. When I am rinsing my board off etc, I always take a little extra time to rise off the watch. It still gets salt creep on it, so I rinse it again later that night. One thing: I did buy the sport band to ensure that the watch would stay on. The band it comes with is great for most activities, but I feel much better with the more secure  band when the surf gets over ~3 ft. 

[Aikinurse]

@AdamMSC

Right on - I'm surfing up in Northern California - hope you're safe after the hurricane!

Maybe I just have bad luck.  Made sure to rinse it after every session too. Surf here is about 2-4ft in the summer and 4-6ft and up in the winter (I'm still a bit of a noob and stay away from anything much bigger than that).

Do you have yours under your wetsuit while surfing or do you put it on over it?  Was thinking that may have been part of it (pressure from the wetsuit while surfing or something...).  

Would love to track surfing but the return process has been brutal (1 month each to get the replacement the first two times and 10 days on this one) and I'm nervous to risk it at this point.  

[WavyDavey]

I don't think the Ionic is safe to use while surfing. While it is water-resistant, it is not impact-resistant. In the same way it's not rated for diving, I don't think it's meant to take wave impacts. Surfing is far more rigorous on the device than swimming. Someone correct me if I'm wrong here.

[Aikinurse]

Thanks for the answer - I have done a bit of research on this and it is definitely not OK to surf with the Ionic (or any Fitbit for that matter as of today).  They are rated to 5atm I believe - which is 50m deep but in high speed watersports, ie. getting blasted by a wave or water skiing, the pressure hitting the watch exceeds this and damages it. 

I can personally attest to this - I gave up on Fitbit after my 4th Ionic died on me.  The first two were d/t surfing because I couldn't get a straight answer and advertising/customer service was misleading, the second two just ate it. I now have the Garmin Instinct which I love - it's rated to 10atm and can stand the pressure from high speed water sports.  It's not as fancy (no touch screen) but gets the job done.  I was trying to hold out for Fitbit, but after #4 I had to jump ship.

[CaptainSpike]

I have never bothered to comment or review any products...however I'm here today due to water issues. Frankly, I think a Fitbit barely survives you washing your hands lol. I was just in a shallow pool for about 10 minutes and did not swim or submerge it for any length of time. Now it is a mess, functions not working, counters running when not moving and the list goes on. I was here searching water issues. This watch has never worked properly since I bought it! Glad I spent the $400.00 ( CDN) for the top of the line model though. I would not recomend one of thes eto anyone. Seems like every person you speak to had had a myriad of problem/issues. Very disappointing product on so many levels.

[JGlifestyle17]

I agree I am now on my 4th ionic and the previous three have stopped working after undertaking water based training activities in a swimming pool and one body boarding in the sea....

Like you I love my ionic and would find it difficult to switch to something else.

[Mistiquethings]

Same problem here, surfing with Ionic is a mess. it's probably water-resistant like my phone, 2mt.

I lost 4 ionic surfing, don't buy it if you are a swimmer or a surfer, we hope they solve something with the next model, but nobody talks about it.

I'm really disappointed, probably because I love the app and the design, I really love all the system but, I would like to track all my sports!

[jh548]

I don't know about the iconic, but the Inspire 2 that I have has been a champ in the surf. I was worried about it until I forgot to take it off one day. I was out in the water and thought, "Well, it's dead now," but no, it survived. Since surfing is my major workout I decided to risk the fitbit again and it's done great. I usually had it under my wetsuit sleeve and it felt well-protected and safe. Then I got a short sleeved suit and was constantly worried about losing the now fully-exposed fitbit. But again, no probs! While I haven't had it out in big waves, I think that it's safe if it's under a wetsuit sleeve. I bought an off-brand band that looks more secure, but I'm thinking that the original band is probably more secure than the replacement. Maybe I've just been lucky, but I'm impressed by how tough my fitbit has been in the surf. I'm also glad to get "credit" for all of my paddling!

[LiliyaFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community, @jh548.

I appreciate your participation in the Forums and sharing your experience and feedback. I am glad to hear that you're happy with your device and hope you continue working on your health and wellness goals. Let me invite you to visit our Health & Wellness board where you can make new friends and create your own topics.

[Aikinurse]

Just be careful - it's rated to 50m just like the Ionic.  These aren't technically made for high impact water sports.

[LiliyaFitbit]

Thank you for your reply, @patfear.

I appreciate the update and understand your concern and feedback. Our team is always working on improving our devices and user experiences, and your comments are always welcome. I wish you the best of luck with your health and wellness goals and hope you could give Fitbit another opportunity in the future. You can compare Fitbit devices here.