Whether you’re an experienced freediver or a complete beginner, you may never have considered using a smartwatch in freediving. For a start, you may not have realized that any smartwatch would be capable of working deep below the water’s surface. Yet specialized diving smartwatches exist, and they can be a vital piece of equipment to add to your diving kit.
Diving watches provide helpful information for divers during the dive itself and afterward if they wish to track their performance in the long term. A dive watch can help divers improve their safety while under the water and help them improve their abilities.
Boosting your abilities with a smartwatch in freediving
Freediving is increasing in popularity these days as more people worldwide begin to recognize how exciting and fun this activity can be. However, while it may appear that freediving is all about simply going underwater and holding your breath for as long as possible, it’s about far more than just that.
Experienced freedivers are constantly pushing their boundaries and trying to achieve more. They want to stay underwater for longer or go even deeper using just the air they have in their lungs. Essentially, it’s a competitive sport, although most freedivers are just competing against themselves!
This is where a smartwatch in freediving can prove to be vital. Depth and time are two key measurements that are vital to freedivers. A dive watch can provide those details effortlessly. Armed with this information, a freediver can then use it to inform their future practices and set new targets to beat.
Keeping you safe
When you’re underwater, it’s all too easy to lose track of how deep below the surface you’ve gone. While freediving is fun and safe when done correctly, it can be extremely dangerous if you exceed your safe limits.
All kinds of problems can arise if you go too deep or stay underwater too long. For example, you could suffer from brain hypoxia which can have symptoms ranging from temporary memory loss and a loss of focus to seizures, a coma, or even brain death if you don’t return to the surface before you run out of breath.
If you accidentally go too deep and then return to the surface too quickly, you could suffer from decompression sickness (otherwise known as the bends). Even if you dive in clear water, it’s still very difficult to know how far down you’ve gone unless you use a dive watch that can track both your depth and time underwater, giving you an accurate and precise measurement so you can stay safe.
Using a smartwatch in freediving can also ensure you maintain appropriate surface interval breaks, so you don’t get too carried away and exceed your safe limits.
Tracking your dives over time
One thing that many freedivers like to do is to keep track of their various dives over a long period of time. This is helpful when it comes to tracking your progress to see if you’re really pushing yourself and whether you’re managing to work towards and exceed the targets you’ve set for yourself.
However, it’s also helpful to see which areas were best for freediving and which dives were the most enjoyable. The human memory can often forget things, but if you track each freedive using a dive watch, you’ll be able to track your diving progress over time.
You’ll know where you went diving, how long you spent underwater and how deep you got. This allows you to keep records of your most successful dives so you can repeat them in the future or try to beat them.
What kind of features does a good dive smartwatch have?
If you’re choosing a smartwatch for freediving, there are a number of key features it must have to ensure you’ll get the maximum benefit from your purchase.
For a start, it goes without saying that it needs to be fully waterproof! Good diving watches are rated for water resistance down to 200 or 300 meters. The ISO standard stipulates at least 100m of water resistance which will suit any diver who doesn’t plan on descending lower than 40m but won’t fit the needs of professionals or experienced divers.
It also needs an indicator that shows straight away if the watch is running and luminous hands and markers that can be read easily under the water. The ideal dive watch will have an alarm to alert you if you’re exceeding your safe time underwater by vibrating or flashing.
You should undoubtedly be on the lookout for a diving watch with a depth gauge to see how far under the water you are at a glance.
The material used during the manufacture of a dive watch affects its lifespan and durability as well as its comfort. Straps come in many different materials, but one made from steel, titanium, or rubber is best for durability. It would be best if you were looking for a watch made from an advanced ceramic composite that is highly pressure resistant.
Should I invest in a smartwatch for freediving?
As you can see from the above, there are many great reasons to invest in a good-quality diving watch. However, it’s also important to make your choice wisely. While there are many different types and brands of diving watches on the market, not all are equally good at doing their intended job.
In fact, some smartwatches that are marketed as diving watches are of poor quality and won’t enhance your dive experience at all. Therefore it’s essential to do your research well and select a model that will do everything you require during your dive.
The Garmin Descent G1 is a great option.
As long as you choose the right watch for you, it will become an essential part of your freediving gear and will help you get even more enjoyment and pleasure from your pastime.
Have you seen our guide to freediving gear and equipment?
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Emma brings over a decade of freelance copy and content writing experience and is our Editor, Social Media Manager, and regular contributor. Specializing in long-form content such as blogs, articles, lead magnets, and white papers, Emma also provides businesses with email marketing, website copy, and landing pages.