Best Surf Watches
The Best Surf Watches-Sometimes, having a good surf watch is important. There are times when you need to get out of the water at a certain point.
Whether it’s for a meeting, a meeting at work or school, or to see your friends.
There are many different kinds of surf watches. From the simplest to the most advanced. It all depends on your wishes and budget.
There are a few basic differences between surf watches. There are tide watches, activity trackers, and smartwatches.
These watches help you to track your movement and surf session statistics. There are also simple waterproof watches that tell the time and have a few basic functions.
To give you a better idea of what each type of surf watch has to offer.
We’ve made a list of some of the best options across all price ranges. Because these watches come in a variety of styles.
Also, they have a variety of functions, it’s hard to pick the “best” one for each category. Yet, there is something for everyone, from retro to modern.
The more normal tide watches are followed by the more tech-advanced ones on this list.
Features Related to the Surf watches
They made the watches into smart surf computers by adding a few more useful features. Like wave counters, sunrise/sunset times, and moon phases.
GPS and WiFi systems have recently been added to surf watches for men and women. It allows users to update and check the ocean conditions at any location in real time.
You get all the information you need to win. Like the height of the waves, how long they last, the temperature of the water, and the speed. Also, it helps to check the direction of the wind, etc.
Along with that, many fitness apps and widgets are also included. These help you in preparing for a variety of ocean conditions.
Among the features of a high-end surf watch are the following most important:
- Times of tide
- Tide chart
- Height of the Wave
- Speed and Direction of the Wind
- Moon Phases
- Times of Sunrise and Sunset
- Weather Forecast
- Programs for Exercise and Training
- Measuring and Tracking Multiple Sports
- Measuring Heart Rate
- Monitoring of Sleep
- GPS, Activity Tracking, and Navigation
- Wifi etc
The most dependable manufacturers of tide watches are Garmin, Apple, Casio, Rip Curl, Nixon, Timex, Vestal, and Freestyle.
As we’ve taken a look at what are surf watches, and their features. Let’s take a look at some of the best surf watches.
Apple Watch
Apple Watch as a Surfing Smart Watch Okay, this might seem odd for a surf watch.
Some of you might not like it. But, the Apple Watch is a strong contender for the title of best surf watch.
This watch is a great way to keep track of your surfing sessions because it has a lot of features. It is waterproof and has a lot of surfing apps.
Pros:
There are many surf-tracking apps, including Dawn Patrol and Surfline Sessions.
You can receive texts and calls while you’re in the water. This is great for people who want to surf but can’t be far from their phones. There are also apps for all other sports and activities.
The Apple Watch will be an amazing addition to surf sessions. Thanks to the addition of the Dawn Patrol app and Surfline Sessions.
Yet, new models can be pricey and not the most stylish.
Since many people have become more interested in keeping track of daily fitness goals. They can use Dawn Patrol continuously.
Plus, after experiencing it for years. Using Surfline Sessions to check waves. It has helped me identify some improper techniques and behaviors. Which I had before been unaware of. As a result, my surfing has improved altogether.
The Good The fact that the Apple Watch is not only a surf watch is its greatest strength.
This is a great gadget because it can do so much more when you’re not surfing. There are apps for snowboarding, and a variety of other sports as well.
For instance, if you buy an Apple watch that comes with cellular service. You will be able to receive texts and calls even when you are waiting in line.
That’s the last thing we need in the lineup. I know what you’re thinking. But, many of my friends work “on-call” shifts and must be close to a phone in case they are called to work.
They can surf while still receiving those alerts because of this. People who need to be near a phone for any other reason can also enjoy it.
Additionally, you do not need the most recent version. The Apple Watch Series 8 was just released. But my Series 6 is performing very well for surfing-related tasks. For my part, I wouldn’t get one older than 5 to be a little more prepared for the future.
Drawback
The Apple Watch’s drawback is that you can only change the band and there is only one style available.
Despite the breaks, I don’t find the design particularly appealing. There are a few cases available.
Like the Catalyst one, that gives the Apple watch more protection from water and a more tough look. It’s also a good idea to protect the watch in some small way.
Garmin Instinct Solar Surf
With some very high-quality and well-reviewed watches. Garmin has begun to nail the smartwatch niche. The Garmin Instinct Solar Surf is designed only for surfers. It features a few key enhancements. It is an excellent alternative to the Apple Watch for data geeks and Android phone owners.
Pros:
Great looking like a watch with a long battery life. It will appeal to people who do not “like” smartwatches. It is compatible with Surfline Sessions. There is an incredible list of more features.
The Garmin Instinct Solar Surf is shown with the tide screen showing.
Garmin sets itself apart in the smartwatch space. This watches provides good detailed data, more so than the Apple watch.
The monochrome screen could be a plus for some people, though. There is limited access to third-party apps also known as iPhone apps.
Because of this, it is a popular option for people who enjoy looking down at their stats. Such as health status, exercise stats, GPS stats that are very much targeted, and other stats.
It also acts as a smartwatch for people who don’t like smartwatches. As it shows all the features on a screen that looks like a traditional watch.
With the solar edition, you won’t have to charge the watch as much because it lasts up to 50 days in solar exposure. The 24 days in smartwatch mode, makes Garmin a leader in battery life!
Also, Garmin watches have a distinctive and robust design that the Apple Watch does not. Everyone has the same Apple Watch, which has a rather uninteresting appearance.
All versions of the Garmin Instinct are compatible with Surfline Sessions. They have a very athletic look.
The Surf edition is available in two color options. A white “Cloudbreak” version and a black “Pipeline” version with blue accents.
The Garman Instinct Solar Surf with Surfline Sessions Rip Curl Search GPS 2. This is one of the first surf watches designed only for surfers.
It includes motion technology and GPS. You can keep track of the number of waves you catch, your top speed, the length of each wave, and more.
You can perform all these features with the Rip Curl Search GPS 2 watch. After that, it plots all this information on a map, allowing you to see where you caught waves and how far you went. You can even replay your session to see how the waves progress.
Pros:
It uses a variety of useful statistics to quantify your sessions.
Cons:
It provides more accurate tide readings for a greater number of locations. It’s easy to set up and use.
One of the first surf watches to include GPS and motion technology in a package designed only for surfers. This watch at times misses the very small, slow waves.
The tide graphic display is not my favorite feature. You can keep track of the number of waves you catch and your top speed. The length of each wave, and more with the Rip Curl Search GPS 2 watch.
After that, it plots all this information on a map, allowing you to see where you caught waves and how far you went. You can even replay your session to see how the waves progress.
The Good:
The map shows all your paddling tracks. It tells you how far you’ve paddled in a session, making it an excellent fitness tracker.
The watch also keeps track of the tide and tells you the time. It is very accurate.
It determines your location and adjusts the tide to the correct time and places each time you sync to the GPS.
Additionally, you don’t have to be at a “named” location for it to plot your session anywhere on the map. It will attempt to identify your location.
But it will not place you where you are not on the map. Thus, if you enjoy surfing at a secret sandbar. The satellite map will show your session location.
Although this watch is a high-tech item. It is still a lot of fun, especially for people who like to keep track of their statistics. You can see where they can make improvements.
It’s not only for surfing, either! You can track stand-up paddleboarding, kite surfing, and even boogie boarding with this watch.
Drawback:
My only issues with this watch were missing a few waves and trying to get more than one surf out of each battery charge. How do you know this? Do I surf? No guys I can’t do surfing. So, I asked one of my friends to tell me about his experience. As he owns this watch. It did not track some of the tiny waves he caught on his longboard.
But, as long as they have a little push, the watch has caught all his waves very well. In my view, Rip Curl should include a statistic about how many calories you burned.
If it also shows how far you paddle, this shouldn’t be too hard to add to the app. Although I don’t do much exercise, I find it very interesting to see how many calories I burn during workouts.
I’ve set up a car charger only for the watch (it uses a USB charging cord). To solve the issue of charging the watch each time I drive so that it is always charged.
As far as tide watches are concerned, their functionality is very like one another. So choosing which one you prefer is more of a matter of personal choice.
Consider your home beach as well. Then check the online manuals for the various tide watches to see if it is included. It is much simpler than attempting to set a tide offset when there is no listed closest beach.
This was the first time watching my friend own in almost 15 years of surfing. This fact alone makes it a bit of a luxury. Although knowing the tides at any given time is a pretty good way to learn more exactness.
Freestyle Shark Watches
The Freestyle Shark line of digital timepieces is inspired by the past. It features a variety of bands. The color combinations as well as tide information. Reliability and durability are top priorities for Freestyle Shark watches.
Shark watches are the best option if you want something that will last. As the majority of my friends love surfing. They have nothing but positive feedback to share about this brand.
The Good:
The Freestyle Shark watches come in a variety of styles and bands. But they all have the same basic face graphics and functions. The clip tide is my favorite because it’s so simple to put on and take off.
Others say that the nylon band can smell after a while. If you’re concerned about it picking up smells. You could stick with the traditional rubber bands that are also available. I would think that taking it in the shower or rinsing it off would do the trick.
I enjoy this tide watch: It’s straightforward to the point. The cool black face with light numbers. The one I own has poor visibility unless you are looking at it.
Cons:
In all honesty, these watches don’t have many “cons.” They only do one thing well. But they don’t have as many bells and whistles as the other watches mentioned earlier.
Rip Curl Rifles Tide Watch
The Rip Curl Rifles tide watch has a menu-based system that makes setting it up simple. The difficulty of setting up some tide watches—it’s like solving a riddle—is my only gripe. The Rifles tide watch is no more.
The graphical wave display on the Rip Curl Rifles is much easier to read. In a comparison of the odd volume graph on the Rip Curl Search GPS.
Compared to the other brands, the Rifles has 500 beaches. The list of beaches is on page 6 of the manual.
There are no frills, and the use and setup are simple. In my view, that’s fantastic!
Conclusion for Surf watches
Surfing as a sport or as a hobby has become very popular. With the changing technology, there are many features added to watches. Also, there are many types of watches available among them are surf watches.
Now, you don’t have to worry about your watches as they are no ordinary watches. They are the best Surf watches. You can surf without any worries.
