My Descent Mk3 just received a firmware update. I checked to see if there were any new swimming-related features, but unfortunately, nothing has changed.
I assume it’s the same for the Garmin Forerunner, so I’m sharing this here for others as well.
If a device that’s widely recognized as the best sports smartwatch offers this little when it comes to swimming features, that’s quite disappointing. Its swimming capabilities are clearly inferior to the Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch.
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When using a kickboard, it doesn’t recognize the activity. They tell us to use the “Drill” feature, but both the Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch recognize it automatically — why can’t Garmin?
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Stroke recognition is also lacking. It feels like they only captured motion data from professional swimmers. The recognition accuracy is much lower than that of the Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch.
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Distance tracking is inaccurate. When swimming indoors, it often overestimates the distance or fails to record properly. Again, this feature is much worse than the Galaxy Watch or Apple Watch.
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The watch can measure water temperature, but why can’t it do that for indoor swimming? It works outdoors, but indoor pools also have different water temperatures, and this data is useful for record-keeping.
Some might ask, “Then why not just use an Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch?” But I also enjoy freediving, and I really like Garmin’s design. It’s the most premium smartwatch out there and widely regarded as the best overall — but with swimming features like this, that reputation feels undeserved. Garmin really needs to improve this area.
If Garmin put just a little of the effort it does into running into swimming, it could easily dominate in the pool as well. That would not only benefit users but could also lead to meaningful sales growth for Garmin.
I’m not sure if Garmin monitors this community, but if you agree with my thoughts, please use the link below to submit your feedback directly to Garmin. Even a short comment can help.
