Kayaking is a tough sport in general. It’s tiring, you’re usually on the water for a while and you need to also know where you’re going, especially if you’re traversing long areas of lagoons and caves like Halong Bay. If you are wondering what the best waterproof GPS watches for kayaking and paddling are, then read on!

Read this: Best Garmin watch faces to download. Compatible watches: Fenix 3, Fenix Chronos, Vivoactive, Forerunner 920XT Download Commute Tracker Connect IQ app. TAGGED Garmin Sport Running. The upcoming Instinct 3 Solar and Fenix 7 series watches are a few of them. The company also introduced the Scuba Diving app for the users. To get most of your Garmin watch, download & install the above apps. Want to recommend more best Garmin watch apps, then head to the comment section. The 8 Best Garmin Vivoactive of 2021 1,805 Ratings 5/5 Share on facebook Facebook Share on google Google+ Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn Garmin 010-01689-00 Forerunner 35; Easy-to-Use GPS Running Watch Easy-to use GPS running watch tracks how far, how fast and where you run Estimates heart rate at the wrist,.

The chances are if you’ve been kayaking for a while, you like to go WAY off the beaten ‘track’ and explore places further afield. You’ve probably realized that the less stuff you have to carry the better, and you don’t REALLY want to take your smartphone on the water if you can help it, even with a good dry bagon your back.

So you’re here, looking for the best waterproof kayaking watches that have GPS installed. Before we get into the guide, let’s take a second to think about what you might need in a kayaking watch.

What To Look For In A Good GPS Kayaking Watch?

• Well, the first thing is it needs to be waterproof
• The GPS needs to work well even when the batteries running low (a problem for a lot of GPS watches is when the battery runs low the signal somehow gets worse!)
• It needs to be comfortable because you’ll wear it for a long time
• Ideally, it could track your heart rate and fitness as well (two birds one stone)

The Top 8 Waterproof GPS Watches For Kayaking & Paddling In 2021

Here is our list with no particular order, as we wanted to give you a range of options and budgets. There are watches here at various prices and with various features, but they are all waterproof and have GPS so you won’t get lost while kayaking!

Garmin Fenix 3 GPS Watch

The first Garmin on our list, (there are several because they make very good watches for kayaking and diving). Let’s start with the basics, this watch can be seen even in the brightest sunlight with its sunlight-visible Chroma display.

It’s rated up to 100 meters waterproof (so you can paddle away) and comes packed with its’ EXO antenna for a better GPS signal. That actually makes it MORE accurate than just GPS alone, and it’s all wirelessly connected of course. It has a long battery life and it’s comfortable. Not much is wrong with this Garmin, except maybe the price.

Pros Of The Garmin Fenix 3

• Waterproof up to 100 meters (from here on we won’t mention waterproof because they all are)
• EXO antenna makes the GPS signal very accurate
• The long battery life of up to 20 hours or more depending on the mode you have it set on
• Monitors heart rate

Cons Of The Garmin Fenix 3

• Quite pricey
• The heart rate has been said to be inaccurate at times

Garmin vívoactive Black

Utorrent free download windows 10 pro. This Garmin is a good addition and with this model, they actually give you the choice of having a heart rate monitor or not, and the price difference for that feature is only $20 or so!

We would always choose the heart rate over not having it, just because it can come in really useful for tracking your fitness and exertion levels. It comes loaded with sports apps and settings, and the battery lasts up to 3 weeks with proper usage (but only up to 10 hours when using the GPS function).

Pros Of The Garmin Vivoactive

• Long battery life when not using GPS
• Can customize the watch face design with free templates
• Powerful and accurate GPs antenna

Cons Of The Garmin Vivoactive

• The display stays on all the time, although from some reports this doesn’t seem to drain the battery much

Garmin Quatix 6 Multisport Marine Smartwatch

One of the more visually appealing GPS watches, this Garmin boasts racing modes and timing functions making it probably more suited to rowing and race events. That being said it’s still a great watch for kayaking and GPS kayaking situations.

It comes with features like a heart rate tracker and music linking abilities, along with a range of watch strap options making it a good choice as an everyday watch as well!

Pros Of The Garmin Quatix 6

• Fully waterproof
• Great GPS function
• Can connect to speakers and track your heart rate

Cons Of The Garmin Quatix 6

• You can find similar features for a much lower price in other models

Garmin Foretrex 401

The GPS receiver is very sensitive to this model, making it better than other models which tend to give a location ‘bracket’ for where you could be. Ideally, you want your GPS watch to be as accurate as possible especially when navigating tight lagoons and cave systems, etc.

This watch can also track sunrise and sunset times letting you never miss either. This is particularly useful for not only making sure you’re back before dark, but for making sure you never miss the perfect sunrise or sunset photo on the water.

Pros Of The Garmin Foretrex 401

• Very robust model
• Accurate and effective
• Supports dual position so you can read your location in various formats
• Much more affordable than almost all the other watches we’ve listed here

Cons Of The Garmin Foretrex 401

• Doesn’t look as good as similar models (doesn’t look very much like a watch with its horizontal design)

Best Watch Face For Garmin Vivoactive 3 Review

Garmin Forerunner 35, Easy-to-Use GPS Running Watch

You have a few color options with this one, making it a bit more likely to become your everyday watch. There is also a bike mount you can get for it, but for the purposes of kayaking, it’s very good.

There’s a 24/7 heart rate monitor that can also track your sleep, and it gives you haptic alerts about your heart rate, running (or kayaking), and various other things. This GPS watch doesn’t require a phone to be connected for it to work, so you can easily connect to GPS without a phone nearby (some watches require a phone to be connected for GPS to work fully).

People report having used this watch for years and it still performs exactly how it did when they bought it, which is amazing and made them recommend that this is a really good purchase. This just shows how reliable and durable this GPS watch really is. For kayaking, you really need watches that are durable because they’re going to get beaten up! You might clip it with your paddle a bunch of times, get it covered in mud or sand, or almost anything else! This watch can stand the heat.

Pros Of The Garmin Forerunner 35

• Independent GPS function without phone
• Vibration alerts for a fully hands-free experience
• Fully waterproof up to 5ATM
• 24/7 heart rate monitoring
• Lots of color options
• Affordable and comfortable

Cons Of The Garmin Forerunner 35

• For shorter distance tasks like a quick run, it can take a while to find a satellite

Magellan Switch Crossover GPS Watch

We promised to include a wide range of products here, and this is the best budget option so far. It includes a heart rate monitor and 50-meter waterproofing. You can use it for several hours but the GPS works within 5 meters or so, making it a bit less accurate than some of the other watches.

That’s to be expected though as it’s a tiny fraction of the price of other GPS watches. It’s a very basic watch but it has the essential features, GPS, heart rate monitor, and waterproofing. Great value for money.

Pros Of The Magellan Switch Crossover

• Very cheap considering the features it includes
• Waterproof up to 50 meters
• Several activity settings and tracking modes

Cons Of The Magellan Switch Crossover

• GPS could be a bit more accurate
• When not in a workout mode, it doesn’t display the current time on the watch face
• It’s quite big on your wrist (in terms of how it feels and looks)

Fitbit Blaze Smart Fitness Watch

The Fitbit blaze has a place here for shorter distance kayaking trips. It comes with GPS, looks great, and performs well in terms of accuracy.

It also tracks your heart rate very well (the main thing FitBit is used for typically) and is fully waterproof which makes this a GREAT addition to this list. Another bonus is that because it’s such a popular brand there are always good deals on this model online.

Top Garmin Watch Face

Pros Of The Fitbit Blaze

• Very affordable but performs well
• Fully waterproof
• 3 color options

Cons Of The Fitbit Blaze

• Battery life tends to drain fast

Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR

This has the longest battery life of the watches on this list, an amazing 14 days on time-only mode, and waterproof up to 100m. It can easily pair with your phone, and the watch strap is very comfortable despite how strange the color looks.

What we like about this GPS watch is that it’s nice and simple, it doesn’t have loads of features you’ll never use it just has some GOOD features that you WILL use.

Pros Of The Sunnto Traverse

• Robust design and well-performing features (like GPS etc)
• Waterproof up to 100m
• Huge battery life in time only mode

Cons Of The Sunnto Traverse

• Expensive considering it’s one of the more basic kayaking watches in terms of features

Which Waterproof GPS Watches For Kayaking Are Best?

Well, there are of course LOTS more watch options for watches without GPS, but this list just covers the ones with GPS. If you don’t mind being flexible with price and features like GPS, you can find a good normal waterproof watch for almost no money at all.

For GPS kayaking watches, however, Garmin seems to be in the lead in a big way, and we’d probably suggest one of the first 3 we included in this list.

Further Reviews:

Garmin is one of the top sports and fitness brands in the world. Their wearable tech for runners, bikers, hikers, golfers, and all types of other sports are well known, and used by some of the world’s best athletes. Here, we take a deep dive and review this watch not just for the daily use, but for hiking and running.

About Garmin | About The Watch | Our Review | Summary

You can purchase the Garmin Vivoactive 3 on the following sites:

About Garmin

Garmin is a worldwide organization with 65 offices around the world. They have a track record of some of the best GPS products in the world, and have great ethics and take part in socially responsible activities.

You can read more about Garmin here.

Our Testing Scenario

As avid runners and hikers in all seasons, this watch has been put to the test. We have done long trail runs, road races, walks, gym sessions, Colorado 14ers, fishing trips, and worked all day with it on our wrists. We’ve had it track our sleep, heart rate, mileage and even put the Garmin app to the test. If you have any questions about this watch, we’ll be able to help you out.

About The Watch

Technical Specs

Additional Features

• (Music Version) Download up to 500 songs to your watch, and connect with Bluetooth® headphones (sold separately) for phone-free listening
• Garmin Pay™ contactless payment solution
• Customized watch faces
• 15+ preloaded sports apps, including yoga, running, swimming, strength training and many more; use preloaded workouts, or create and download custom ones
• Monitor your fitness level with VO2 max and fitness age estimates, plus keep an eye on how you handle stress²
• Battery life³: up to 7 days in smartwatch mode and up to 5 hours in GPS with music mode

Free Standard Shipping

Best Watch Face For Garmin Vivoactive 3 Manual

Amazon, and Garmin and most distributers offer free standard shipping.

Returns

Garmin has a 30 day+ return policy as long as product is in original condition.

Our Review

Waterproof / Swimming

This watch is watch is waterproof up to 50 meters, so you’ll have no trouble swimming, snorkeling, diving, or showering with it on. The swimming functionality/workout is great as well, allowing you to track laps in a pool and time. As any other watch, the heart rate monitor doesn’t work well while the watch is submerged.

The touch screen also struggles a bit while the watch is wet, but with a quick dry off, it works great.

Battery Life

This is one of the main reasons we love this watch. If you want a watch that can handle long hikes or workouts with GPS turned on, or that you don’t have to charge every night, this is your watch. The battery will last around 4-6 days with average use. When in GPS mode, you can last 8-12 hours.

This means that if you are preparing for a long hike or workout where you want to track your GPS, you should charge the watch to full charge.

If you keep the GPS off at all times, you can stretch the battery life to about a week, which is fantastic.

The battery also charges quite fast, so in about an hour, you can fully charge your watch.

Comfort

This watch is pretty comfortable to where just about 24/7. Occasionally, the strap will cause some irritation, in which switching wrists for a couple of days solves the problem. If you aren’t going to wear the watch all day, and to sleep, you’ll have no trouble wearing this watch and forgetting it is even there.

How Good Is Garmin Vivoactive 3 Watch For Running?

This is an awesome running watch. The GPS tracks your mileage, the accelerometer tracks your cadence, the heart rate monitor is quite accurate, and all of this data automatically uploads to the Garmin app where it can be connected to Strava, Map My Run, or just about any other app you love automatically.

This watch also comes with half marathon, marathon, and other training

How Good Is Garmin Vivoactive 3 Watch For Hiking?

This is a great beginner watch for hiking. It doesn’t have all of the best features of the top hiking watches, but still this watch is great. The GPS tracking, step tracking, and elevation gain and loss tracking work quite well. The long battery life compared to other smart watches enables you to GPS record for 10 or so hours straight, meaning you can get in some really long day hikes while tracking your GPS track.

Other top watches have the ability to download GPX files and display your location. This watch doesn’t have that capability, so if you are looking for a robust hiking watch with advanced map and gps capabilities, or multi-day GPS tracking, you may want to upgrade, but if you don’t need those features, this watch is great.

Heart Rate Monitoring

We were very impressed with the accuracy of the heart rate monitoring. Through manual checks, and other device checks, when at rest, or just walking around, it is almost perfectly accurate.

While vigorously exercising, like running, or hiking, or biking, it is still quite accurate. When hiking or running, if the watch is kept tight, it tends to be more accurate. We do occasionally see some discrepancies when the underside of the watch where it touches the skin gets wet. This can happen with lots of perspiration or rain. When compared to other watches that use this heart rate technology, it appears to be equally, if not more accurate. As with any athlete looking for precise heart rates during vigorous activity, a chest monitor is likely your best option, however this watch does quite well.

Looks

Simply put, this is a nice looking watch. It is small, sleek, and professional looking. Many athletic watches can be big and bulky, making them not ideal for every day use, but this watch can work in any situation.

Daily Use

The comfort of this watch, sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, step tracking, and easy automatic syncing with the Garmin app, MyFitnessPal, and other applications are as good as it gets. If you are looking to track your day to day activities, workouts, sleep, and heart rate, this is a stellar choice.

Email notifications, text message notifications, and phone call notifications are all great on this watch. While you can’t text on this, or view long messages, it is nice to get a preview of your message to know if you need to grab your phone or not. If you are on a run, you also have the ability to answer calls with the watch. The watch doesn’t have a microphone or sound functionality, but it is convenient to be able to answer a call without pulling out your phone.

There is also a function to find your phone if it is lost, which will make your phone make noise to help you find it.

Sleep Tracking

The sleep tracking is great, and automatically syncs to any app you’d like. It appears to be quite accurate in tracking how long you are sleeping, and how well based on your movements. It will also accurately track your resting heart rate while you sleep. You also have the ability to set an alarm via your watch.

Step Tracking

The step tracking is very accurate, and allows you to set daily goals for yourself. This is a great feature if you want to track your steps!

Recommendation

This watch is awesome. If you want to test out how you like having an every day smart watch that doubles as an athlete tracker, this is an incredible starter watch. It is great for day to day use, and also great for running workouts, tracking sleep, heart rate, and even checking texts.

If you don’t know if you’re willing to invest $600-$1000 for the top of the line fitness watches, this is a great watch to test to see how you like the functionality. This also makes a great day to day watch for the weekend warrior. It is comfortable, does an incredible job at tracking steps, runs, swims, bikes, hikes, your sleep, resting heart rate, workout heart rate, and does a lot of things just as well as the most expensive watches on the market.

It is also much smaller and more sleek, making it much better for day to day wearing than some of the larger fitness watches.

Max DesMarais is the founder of Hiking & Fishing. He has a passion for the outdoors and sharing experiences with others. Max is a published author for various outdoor websites and digital marketing websites. You can read more about him here: hikingandfishing/about