Can I wear my Charge 4 in the ocean?

[Lorell]

Can you wear your Fitbit 4 in salt water, for example, the ocean?

Moderator edit: subject for clarity

[rogerz1984]

I wouldnt- i wore a charge 2 in the ocean and it completely screwed it up.  I was swimming on the surface for 20 minutes or so when i realized i forgot to take it off.  I got out, dried it thoroughly but the damage was done.

[WilsonFitbit]

Hello @Lorell @rogerz1984 Welcome to the community forums! @rogerz1984 Thank you very much for your great input! 

While Charge 4 is water-resistant to 50 meters, I agree with @rogerz1984, contact with salt water can result in a negative experience. Same as showering and expose the device to soaps, shampoos and conditioners, which can cause long-term damage to your device. For more information, I recommend taking a look at this article: Can I swim or shower with my Fitbit device?

Hope this helps! 

[MetalMastodon]

Water resistant = It can get damp, even soaked for a short time.... but not submerged (not even with it saying up to 50 meters).

Water PROOF is a different story but that isn't the case here. 

Honestly not sure why they claim up to 50 meters submerged when that is obviously not going to be the case without problems. At the very best you might be able to do it a few times. 

[Rich_Laue]

When it comes to water resistance, their is no legal definition of waterproof since at some point every case will fail. 

When a watch is rated for a depth or ATM it means that the watch will withstand the equivalent pressure. For 50 meters it would be like having 5 atmospheres of air above you. 

Hot tubes and Spas add the heat, which may compromise the water seals and the water jets can easily subject the tracker to a higher pressure than is rated. The same goes for when I'm a flowing river are playing in the waves coming up to the beach. Also your shower could be questionable with excess pressure. 

[MetalMastodon]

The main difference is when something says it's water PROOF - It means it is intended to never get water damage, and that it will be much easier getting a warranty to cover water damage. Water RESISTENCE is pretty much their way of saying "You can wear it in the rain, but in most cases we probably won't cover water damage." It's kind of a scam terminology really. Only useful for wet weather but anything beyond that is a much bigger risk. 

[Rich_Laue]

Actually @MetalMastodon there is no legal definition for the word waterproof when it comes to watches a manufacturer can not legally use this word. I remember when the US Government, made this change back in the 1960's and discussing it with my grandfather. 

If your interested in water resistant ratings see this page. 

Water resistance rating Suitability Remarks

Water Resistant 3 atm or 30 m	Suitable for everyday use. Splash/rain resistant.	Not suitable for showering, bathing, swimming, snorkeling, water related work, fishing, and diving.
Water Resistant 5 atm or 50 m	Suitable for everyday use, showering, bathing, shallow-water swimming, snorkeling, water related work, fishing. Splash/rain resistant. [6][better source needed][7]	Not suitable for diving.
Water Resistant 10 atm or 100 m	Suitable for recreational surfing, swimming, snorkeling, sailing and water sports.	Not suitable for diving.
Water Resistant 20 atm or 200 m	Suitable for professional marine activity, serious surface water sports and skin diving.	Suitable for skin diving.
Diver's 100 m	Minimum ISO standard (ISO 6425) for scuba diving at depths not suitable for saturation diving.	Diver's 100 m and 150 m watches are generally old(er) watches.
Diver's 200 m or 300 m	Suitable for scuba diving at depths not suitable for saturation diving.	Typical ratings for contemporary diver's watches.
Diver's 300+ m for mixed-gas diving	Suitable for saturation diving (helium enriched environment).	Watches designed for mixed-gas diving will have the DIVER'S WATCH xxx M FOR MIXED-GAS DIVING additional marking to point this out.

[kev_bot]

I wore mine in the ocean based on the 50meter claim.

Completely destroyed it.

Dead before I could even "rinse it off with fresh water" as they recommend.

Fitbit's claims of water resistance are completely bogus.

[kev_bot]

it is not water resistant at all.

Any claim of water resistance by Fitbit is completely bogus.'

10 min in the ocean and mine is ruined. 

[Rich_Laue · Accepted solution]

The Charge 4 is water resistant., it is not water proof @kev_bot 

Based on the 50 meter claim, and the glued on glass, with a little research, it really should be obvious that ocean swimming is out. 

Water resistant simply means that it can withstand water pressure based on the rating. 

The 50 meter claim is based on pressure in a controlled environment. Waves, water current, your arm movements could easily be to much. 

No for a hottub or Jacuzzi both of which have jets of water. 

See https://timeandtidewatches.com/watch-waterproof-guide/

As they mention, there is not much deference between 50 and 30 meters. 

A 100 meter rating should have a screwed on back. Probably good for swimming in the ocean. 

200 meter is needed for anything deeper than your typical pool. 

No diving into a pool, I don't think I would even swim very deep while wearing a Charge 4. 

[kev_bot]

most people would just go by the *clearly deceptive* claim of 50 meters.

[kev_bot]

"50 meters actually means 0 meters if you do research" is not good faith argument in defense of a deceptive claim.

it if isn't water resistant, fitbit should simply say so without intentional deceiving its customers.

[kev_bot]

its a garbage product sold on a false claim

[Rich_Laue]

Just be aware that this also applies to every device from every company that is marketed as a 5ATM or 50 meter device. 

We really should not assume, but read up on the standards that all manufacturers use. 

Yes it is 50 meters, when in a current free controlled environment and the pressure is slowly increased. Here is a simple way to test. 

https://youtu.be/2wOsnBd_7-k

[Linus11]

I've been training for the English channel swim. This has included swims in the pool and sea for over an hour at a time. Never had any issues with it.