Background:
As someone who enjoys both swimming and freediving, I made the significant decision to purchase the Garmin Descent Mk3. While I’m quite satisfied with its freediving features, I find the swimming functionalities to be severely lacking.
Main Complaints:
-
Limitations in Activity Recognition:
-
No Recognition of Kickboard/Drill Practice: Unlike Samsung Galaxy Watch or Apple Watch, which can somewhat detect swimming even without arm movements, the Mk3 completely fails to recognize such activities and requires manual input through the “Drill Log” function. This is disappointing, especially for a smartwatch marketed as fitness-focused.
-
Inaccurate Stroke Recognition: Regardless of the actual stroke used, over 90% of my swimming is recorded as breaststroke. This is not a personal issue, but rather a long-standing problem with Garmin watches, as pointed out by many users. Competing products generally offer much better stroke recognition.
-
-
Lack of Water Temperature Measurement During Swimming:
-
Although the Mk3 is equipped with a water temperature sensor, this function is unavailable during swimming activities and is not recorded in activity logs. Users want to see real-time water temperature during their swims and have this data logged for future reference, especially when swimming in different pool environments.
-
-
Swimming Features Are Underdeveloped Compared to Running:
-
Swimming is arguably the second most important sport for smartwatch users after running. However, Garmin seems to lag behind in supporting and developing swimming-related features. As a result, many users feel that apart from waterproofing and battery life, Garmin is hard to recommend for swimmers.
-
Requested Improvements:
-
Significant Enhancement of Swimming Features: Garmin should provide swimming support on par with its running features, ultimately fostering the perception that "Garmin is the go-to brand for swimming."
-
Firmware Updates: Improvements such as better activity recognition accuracy and water temperature display/logging should be implemented via firmware updates—not only for the Mk3 but for as many Garmin devices as possible.
Conclusion:
I feel that Garmin has neglected swimming functionality, especially in terms of activity recognition accuracy, user convenience, and supplementary features like water temperature logging. Just as Garmin has become a top choice for runners, I urge the company to take proactive steps so it can also become the best option for swimmers.
