Sharing my first swimming experience with AW2

[exxxviii]

Garmin intentionally turns off wrist HR while swimming. I wish they didn't. Other swimmers use the Scosche Rhythm+ without issue. So, optical can work. I would happily accept some inaccuracy simply to get the HR data. I sometimes feel I am not working hard enough in the pool, but I have a hard time taking my pulse manually at rests.

 

[ApplePhy]

1) In my experience so far, not sure if it differentiates (I think it probably can since it can identify freestyle), but it did not display a secondary stroke for me. I swam predominantly free (44/50 laps) and did not see breast show up anywhere.

2) can't speak much to the accuracy of heart rate data as I didn't confirm manually by taking pulse to see how close it was and this is my first HR monitoring wearable.

3) correct, didn't need the iphone nearby for this to work. just toggle to the workout menu, select pool workout, set goals (optional), and start workout. it did take me a little while to figure out that you need to swipe left to get to the menu to end the workout. also, I think if you double tap or hard press it creates a segment/interval (though I'd really like for it to auto-detect when you are resting).

In regards to the level of detail displayed/stored from the AW2, I'm hoping that apple builds and expands this as it is lacking relative to other options out there. I'm also hoping that the swim.com app gets approved soon so I can give that a run. In case you haven't seen it, here is the type of data that it captured swimming with a pebble time.

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Thanks for the reply. I sure hope that the swimming portion of the activity app will improve.

For comparison with your pebble time, here is data from a typical swim with my MOOV

 

[yaleyuan]

Just received my series 2 SS today, and I haven't had a chance to use it for my swim routine. I had a couple of questions maybe you can answer:

1) can the activity app differentiate and display the different stroke types during a workout? For example, if one swims 50% freestyle, 25% breast stroke and 25% backstroke, then will it display the stroke type and the number of laps/yards swum for each stoke type? From what I can tell, it seems like the app only lists the dominant stroke used, and not each individual stroke

Just did a swimming work out with freestyle and breaststroke alternating, and kicks. It is registered in the activity app as "mixed" and it does not show different strokes/distance/etc by each type.

I suspect the laps count for breaststroke is horrible. I didn't check my watch during workout. What I did was 500m freestyle + breaststroke alternating, and a 300m kicks only (no arm movements). I think the 300m kicks got completely ignored. And only half of the breaststroke counted. So I got a 384m total recorded on the watch (which is roughly 250m freestyle + 125m breaststroke + 0 kicks = 375m).

I am a little disappointed. But My garmin 225 also pretty much ignored any distance I swim in breaststroke.

I hope it can be improved.

 

[awputra]

Update:

I have been using three straight days in a row,and the heart rate average is accurate i believe. The distance and the time elapsed are accurate too.
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Thanks for the reply. I sure hope that the swimming portion of the activity app will improve.

For comparison with your pebble time, here is data from a typical swim with my MOOV

Do you think moov or apple is better on tracking your swimming? Couple weeks ago i wanted to buy moov. However, i changed my mind after apple watch 2 can be used to track swimming since aw can also be used for fashion and smart watch. But so far i am happy with my decision.

 

[gugy]

Update:

I have been using three straight days in a row,and the heart rate average is accurate i believe. The distance and the time elapsed are accurate too.
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Do you think moov or apple is better on tracking your swimming? Couple weeks ago i wanted to buy moov. However, i changed my mind after apple watch 2 can be used to track swimming since aw can also be used for fashion and smart watch. But so far i am happy with my decision.

Thanks for the screenshots. I am waiting for my AW2 but can see I swim like you do. Around 1hr non stop at least 5x p/week. I am excited to be able to track my laps and activity. I never had the patience to count my laps and never had a tracker. I hope having this information, I can improve my swimming and fitness.

 

[awputra]

Thanks for the screenshots. I am waiting for my AW2 but can see I swim like you do. Around 1hr non stop at least 5x p/week. I am excited to be able to track my laps and activity. I never had the patience to count my laps and never had a tracker. I hope having this information, I can improve my swimming and fitness.

I just came back to swimming a month a go and try to get 5km. But sure you should share your training here. I heard moov is pretty good on tracking swimming workout

 

[gugy]

I just came back to swimming a month a go and try to get 5km. But sure you should share your training here. I heard moov is pretty good on tracking swimming workout

Cool, Yeah, once I get my AW I will try to share the info. I will try to stop by at one of the stores and see if I can get a sport version. I ordered the Nike+ but not sure I want to wait for it.

 

[ApplePhy]

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Do you think moov or apple is better on tracking your swimming? Couple weeks ago i wanted to buy moov. However, i changed my mind after apple watch 2 can be used to track swimming since aw can also be used for fashion and smart watch. But so far i am happy with my decision.[/QUOTE]

I am starting to think that, at this point, the MOOV is better at swim tracking.

The fact that it can display all four stroke types separately and how many laps as well as stroke count per each stroke type is an advantage over the  Watch activity app, which is not as sophisticated.

I still plan on replacing my MOOV with my new Series 2 SS for swims because :

1) I believe with apple's re sources, it is only a matter of time before they will improve and surpass pretty much all other swim trackers out there (under $1000 of course)

2).it was too inconvenient for me to carry both my  Watch and my MOOV to the gym, and have to switch between the two. I love the idea of just having one device for everything.

 

[alexb2008]

I went for my first swim yesterday in a pool and was really impressed. The screen was very bright underwater, it also gave a vibration half way through, i looked at the watch and it said i'd reached my halfway point. The data captured seemed accurate enough, including average heart rate. Very happy with it.

Only downside was after i got out, the microphone didn't work properly for a couple of hours, it wouldn't recognise my words accurately, and recorded audio was very muffled. It did sort itself out though and is perfect again. Evacuating water with the digital crown works well for the speaker, you do it enough times and eventually the tone loses a wobble like sound and becomes smooth. Very cool!

 

[angeloc]

Just received my series 2 SS today, and I haven't had a chance to use it for my swim routine. I had a couple of questions maybe you can answer:

1) can the activity app differentiate and display the different stroke types during a workout? For example, if one swims 50% freestyle, 25% breast stroke and 25% backstroke, then will it display the stroke type and the number of laps/yards swum for each stoke type? From what I can tell, it seems like the app only lists the dominant stroke used, and not each individual stroke

3). How accurate was the average heart rate data?

2) im assuming you don't need your iPhone nearby when pool swimming?

Really excited to try out the series 2 for swimming. This is the main reason for my upgrade from series 1. I was getting tired of having to switch my  watch with my MOOV fitness tracker whenever I went for a swim.

From what I can tell, the activity app isn't as sophisticated as the other options when it comes to swimming, but I believe this is just the beginning as the app will get better. In addition, I'm hoping there will be 3rd party apps for swimming as well.

My MOOV can display each stroke type, with how many yards swum specific to each stroke type, as well as the time for each individual lap. There are also times for flips, average pace per lap, fastest 100 yards/meters, calories burned, and even comparisons to Olympic and world records for comparisons.

I've been really happy with my MOOV thus far, as I find it one of the better (for under $100) swimming trackers out there.
But I wanted to simplify the number of activity trackers I had to carry with me. Also---my MOOV didn't have a heart rate sensor, and so I couldn't track average heart rate during my workout.

Hi,

I use MOOV for swimming too, I do like to know how series 2 swimming data compared to MOOV as well. thanks.

 

[blinkered]

Reporting back after my first open water swim with the Apple Watch Series 2.

As a breaststroker, the GPS was not able to track my route. Apple says your arms need to leave the water consistently for GPS to track your swim. This only happened once or twice for goggle adjustment, and that just didn't cut it.

No attempt at estimating distance based on accelerometer data either. There was an estimated calories burned, but I wasn't convinced by the accuracy of it.

So stick to freestyle or stay inside!

 

[exxxviii]

As a breaststroker, the GPS was not able to track my route. Apple says your arms need to leave the water consistently for GPS to track your swim. This only happened once or twice for goggle adjustment, and that just didn't cut it.

Haha, great point. I never thought of the breaststroke problem with open water tracking, as most OWS swimmers I know are freestyle. And freestyle works pretty well with most trackers. (Actually, I am amazed at how good freestyle OWS GPS tracking is, given the limitations.)