GPS for Open Water Swimming

I use a GPS to track all my Alcatraz swims. I tuck the GPS under my swim cap since if I wear it on my wrist the water distorts the tracking everytime my hand goes underwater. If you go to www.motionbased.com and type in "gemich" in the upper right hand corner in the search block you'll see the Alcatraz routes I've swum. Because of the currents in the SF Bay, this really helps me understand what the currents were doing during any particular swim. Gary

Ron - I use a Garmin Forerunner 305. Nice location for a swim at the San Simeon Pier. If you're ever here in Pacifica, I'll swim the Pacifica Pier with you & we can freak out all the fishermen. To the best of my knowledge it's never been done before. Gary

Gary What kind of a GPS do you recommend? Thanks %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% ><> Ron

Is the Garmin waterproof or do you "package" it? I`d love to swim around that pier!! Here in San Diego I swim around the Oceanside Pier ( 1942 feet long ) and have had fishermen try to hit me with their casts. I stopped once after just about getting clobbered and looked up ( I stay about 40 yards from the pier) and yelled " Be nice and I`ll tell you where the fish are!" LOL!

Surfergirl: I don't believe the issue is so much "waterproof" as it is distortion of the signal. When I first got my Garmin Forerunner 305 I wore it on my wrist for a couple of swims and the courses it plotted made it look as though I were swimming in drunken circles. That's because everytime I put my wrist under the water it distorted the GPS signal. (In neither of the 2 swims was "waterproof" an issue.) Then I began tucking it up between my two swim caps (I don't put it in a plastic bag or anything - just layer it between the two caps) and have since gotten excellent lines. It's a little tricky at first locating the start/stop button through your swim cap and, of course, if you have mean dispirited friends as I do they'll tease you about looking like a Conehead with GPS bulging underneath your cap but then, hey, what are friends for?

From what I understand, the Garmin is not waterproof. I've been waiting waiting waiting for Garmin to make one that is waterproof! I really want to buy one for running but I'm going to hold out until they make one that I can use for swimming too. It would greatly help me to measure my distance because I can't swim in a straight line!

I have a conehead anyway because my hair is in a ponytail!

I have a few comments to make. I have seen someone use a Garmin Edge 305 bicycle GPS for swimming and had a good discussion with this person. He mentioned that 305 works great but you can also use the 205 for swimming. The exact altitude, cadence, and heart rate are not needed or don't work for swimming. These things are great for biking so you can save a $100 by getting the 205 if you plan to use the GPS for only swimming. Think about the 305 if you are one of those tri types. A plastic bag, snack pack zip lock or better, makes sense (The Garmin Edge 205 / 305 are only waterproof to one meter.) and placed under the swim cap in the ponytail position. This keeps the GPS stable, in a good place to get a signal and ovoids water pressure that can force water into the device. I would add a leash and some floatation if you are swimming where you have waves. In the same spot where I talked to this person about his GSP system I had a wave take off my swim cap when I was coming in from a swim and lost my $6 goggles. I did not loose my cap because it floated but the goggles were gone. I was pissed at loosing my $6 goggles though I think I would be even more pissed at loosing a $400 GPS. Once you get home you can overlay your recorded GPS on a map and get all the details like distance, route, speed, total time, real time,and date. You can also put in on to Google Earth and share your swim with the world. Great for documenting a swim even if you are the only person there. Fire Eagle

I used my iphone and it's motionx gps app this summer to track a few swims. I wrapped it in 2 ziplock bags and stuck it up the leg of my jammers. I can't say this was the most ideal unit for the task, but I couldn't bring myself to buy another gps device after bucking up for an iphone. Hopper www.swimvacation.com

Surfergirl: I don't believe the issue is so much "waterproof" as it is distortion of the signal. When I first got my Garmin Forerunner 305 I wore it on my wrist for a couple of swims and the courses it plotted made it look as though I were swimming in drunken circles. That's because everytime I put my wrist under the water it distorted the GPS signal. (In neither of the 2 swims was "waterproof" an issue.) Then I began tucking it up between my two swim caps (I don't put it in a plastic bag or anything - just layer it between the two caps) and have since gotten excellent lines. It's a little tricky at first locating the start/stop button through your swim cap and, of course, if you have mean dispirited friends as I do they'll tease you about looking like a Conehead with GPS bulging underneath your cap but then, hey, what are friends for? Yes. the new-ish 310X is waterproof, but you still won't get an accurate signal as it loses signal underwater. I've seen a chart of a Hermosa pier to pier swim from a 310 on the wrist, it wasn't horrible, but it wasn't terribly accurate. The manufacturer does not recommend (or warrant) swimming with the 305. But people do. As for 205/305, etc. yes, the 305/310 adds heart rate, so is a better option if you do run and/or cycle. It's basically an all around computer ETA as an underwater photographer who has put lots of cameras into waterproof boxes, I can't imagine swimming with my iphone (or droid, to be exact) in a zip loc or two. ballsy :)