Swimming with Ionic okay?

[JennieY]

Hello all - have been using Ionic for a few weeks.  Love it, want to use it for swimming laps in a pool but worried it will break even though it's supposed to be able to be used for swimming laps.  Anybody have any experience with swimming laps while wearing it?

Thanks

[bikerhiker]

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@JennieY wrote:

Hello all - have been using Ionic for a few weeks.  Love it, want to use it for swimming laps in a pool but worried it will break even though it's supposed to be able to be used for swimming laps.  Anybody have any experience with swimming laps while wearing it?

Thanks

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While I do not yet own a Fitbit Ionic, but plan to as soon as Fitbit supports access to the Sp02 sensor.  But right now, I have a Flex 2 as well as a Garmin and a Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro, for which they all rated 5ATM, except the Flex 2 which is rated higher.  Ionic is rated 5ATM.  You need to understand that all swim watches are water resistant.  While swim watches are never waterproof, they are safe to swim with as long as you do not exceed the rated water pressure.

The rating of 5 ATM is very deceiving, because while it suggests that the watch can be submerged down to 50m, the watch may flood before it reaches that depth.  The reason is that, you need to get down to 50m, and the travel velocity to get down there which creates water pressure above 5ATM (atmospheres) can compromise the seals and gaskets, causing the watch to flood. 

So depending on how you swim and the velocity of your catch (swimming), you can or may compromise the seals as your hand hits the water while you swim.  But that would require you to swim like Michael Phelps or Katie Ledecky to really reach the water pressure that could compromise the seals and gaskets of most swim watches.

I've been swimming with my Garmin for a long while and has just recently switched to the Gear Fit 2 Pro because it's smaller and my Garmin has held up very well for a number of years.  More so than the Garmins other people own but had their flooded.  The seals and gaskets on these 5ATM watches will deteriorate as they dry out, here's what I had done with my Garmin to extend its swimming life.

Here are a few tips to extended the longevity of any swim watch, including the Ionic.

1, Never hot shower with your swim watch.

The water pressure and the warm temperature of the water may expand the seals and gaskets and let water ingress into the watch, thus destroying the electronics.  

2, Never straight dive down the pool.  You can start dive at an angle like most pros do when they start swimming as you are diving forward not down to the bottom.

3, Salt is your enemy.  

4, Never go into a sauna or hot tub with your watch.

(This is the same as showering as the heat expands the gasket and seals thus compromising your water protection)

5, Always rinse your swim watch with cold water to wash away the chlorine after a swim and let it air dry.  

So far, my Garmin has held up for 3 years without water damage, whereas everyone else on the Garmin forum complained how bad the watch was and how dishonest Garmin was to claim the watch being 5ATM.  Fitbit is no different.  Take care of your watch and it will last.

[JennieY]

Thanks for the response!  I'm definitely no Michael Phelps - just a moderate swimmer - so I might give lap swimming a try and will be sure to follow your suggestions.  Thanks again!

[Rich_Laue]

A 50 meter water resistant rating is considered the minimum for shallow swimming.

Timex has a very good article on this subject. Yes they are are talking about mechanical watches, but the ratings are the same.

Word of caution, you do not want the press the buttons while under the water. 

[Alliepocock]

I had this exact problem, I love my ionic and never want to ruin it. Although I have never actually swam laps with it I have worn it in the bath once without water mode activated( by accident) my Fitbit turned out to be perfectly fine afterwards.

[Rich_Laue]

Hi @Alliepocock but your ionic doesnt have a water mode that can be turned on. 

It does have a manual exercise mode called swimming, but that simply changes the algorithm for calculating calories.