Instinct Solar Surf issues

I’m a bit surprised to see a years worth of forum complaints unaddressed here. I really wish I would have saved 250 dollars by getting a normal Instinct, as all the special features are not in the least bit functional for my use case (which, unsurprisingly, is surfing). Just wanted to add to the chorus in case it helps dissuade anyone else from wasting their money on this thing.

Tide data is unavailable whenever it’s needed. I bike or walk to the beach without my phone (because who surfs with their phone or wants to leave it on the beach?) and apparently the tide data still only works with a phone connection. Why can twenty year old freestyle quartz watches accurately display several years of tide data and this watch can’t? I’m back to using the little booklet from the local surf shop.
Every time I surf the watch reports a half dozen waves for every one I catch. Maybe I paddle fast? I don’t know? Whatever the problem with the algorithm I get 30-40 waves reported when I generally catch 5-10.
Surfline cam rewinds only works with iPhones and is therefore not a feature for ~80% of the population. I actually just switched to iPhone and was excited to try this feature out but then realized I had to wade through 30 false positives.
Not much useful info on surf activity screen - a functional tide indicator and wave count would be a lot more useful than speed - when did y’all think a surfer would be interested in checking their speed in real time? While the watch is flailing around on a wrist while paddling or while on the wave itself?
Solar charging - I guess it works, but it’s really insignificant and I can’t imagine I would end up charging my watch any more than I do now if I didn’t have this. (that being said, battery life overall is great and the one reason I’d still get a normal Instinct for hiking and cycling if I were to do it over again… however these can now be found on sale for $150 instead of $450).

Who knows, maybe if enough folks point out that these ‘features’ don’t work they’ll fix them, though I’m not holding my breath having already read through dozens of ignored complaints here.

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0 1254095 2 months ago in reply to garethturner

Interesting comment. . I have been through two Surf instincts watches. They have upgraded me to the solar version and now I am worried. Interesting comment from the Garmin Customer Service / Tech person was that water might have penetrated the watch. I am bit shocked since it is a surf watch. Shouldnt the watch be waterproof. I asked and they said "Yes, but it is possible water leaked in through the housing where the buttons are located." I thought that was interesting and then told that I should take care when pushing buttons while in the water. That is a bit shocking. Surfing aside, what if you are open water distance swimming and want to check your track or timing etc. The point of the a surf (or water) watch is to be waterproof. I used Freestyle watches for years and rarely had issues until I gave up on them due more of what I call "*** Business Practices." Because one of their features kept failing they would not replace the watch with another model (a cheaper one). They said I could get a 40% discount. That was BS and told them to be piss off and went to Garmin on a friend's recommendation. And now I am somewhat frustrated by Garmin. Though their service is 100% better.

0 bgcameron 2 months ago in reply to garethturner

I just went through two Instinct 2 Solar Surfs. This seems to be a common issue. I am starting to wonder if it has anything to do with salt water. My latest surf session started at a river mouth with mostly fresh water, but my watch immediately died after paddling over to a different spot. Could be just a coincidence. I've got a regular/non-surf edition on the way, as it seems the Surf Editions are prone to this failure.

0 6368892 2 months ago

Even when the tide data is available it's wildly inaccurate in the UK at least and Garmin blame the data provider which is no help to their customers. Like you say I have a 20 year old £20 Casio that has accurate tide data.

0 6368892 2 months ago in reply to 6368892

to sum up - I had all the original issues in the original post, plus hopelessly inaccurate tide data, plus the bottom left button failed after 18 months. I was lucky, Amazon gave me a full refund.

I didn't buy another surf edtion! I spent the refund on a Forerunner 255 and I don't use it for surfing.

0 8928665 2 days ago

I regret spending $250 extra on the surf-specific Instinct, expecting it to be useful for surfing, but it's been disappointing.

- **Tide Data**: Doesn't work without a phone connection, which is impractical for surfers. Cheaper quartz watches handle this better, and I end up using tide booklets instead.
- **Wave Count**: The watch overestimates waves. It reports 30-40 waves when I usually catch only 5-10, possibly due to a faulty algorithm.
- **Surfline Cam Rewind**: Only works with iPhones, limiting its usefulness for the majority of users.
- **Surf Activity Screen**: Lacks practical info like a reliable tide indicator or accurate wave count. It shows speed, which isn't helpful for surfers.
- **Solar Charging**: It's minimal and doesn't significantly reduce charging needs. Battery life is generally good, though.

If you're looking for a surf watch, I'd suggest looking elsewhere, as these features don't deliver as expected.