Surf watches are an increasingly useful piece of gear for serious surfers and surf sports participants.
Over the last decade, the quality and performance of surfing watches for men and women has improved dramatically, with the latest models now featuring lunar phases, sunrise and sunset times, and tide levels for hundreds of popular surf spots around the world.
Durability is a vital characteristic for a piece of equipment that will spend much of its time immersed in salty water. Besides being waterproof, surf sports watches must be corrosion-resistant, shockproof, and they must be able to withstand the pressure of large waves, deep wipe-outs, and long hold-downs.
And a secure strap is essential. There's nothing worse than scrambling to paddle over a bomb set, just as your expensive timepiece begins to slip off. A resin or polyurethane strap will generally be more resistant to corrosion and oxidisation than leather or metal.
Top-of-the-line surfing watches also feature GPS trackers, gyroscopes and accelerometers that log your session, wave count, speed, distance travelled, and total time in the water. These details can later be uploaded to an app on your PC or smartphone and used to track your progress, or to share your top sessions with your mates. This also lets you review your best sessions, along with the swell, tide and wind conditions logged for that day, so you’ll be better able to judge those days when it might be worth pulling a sickie to repeat your past success.
Most good surfing watches are digital rather than analogue. That’s because you can pack a lot more information into a digital display, and the absence of moving parts makes a digital watch better able to withstand pressure and impact. And when it comes to recharging your watch, plugging in a standard USB charger simply isn’t an option if you want a waterproof device. This means surf watches are either solar powered, or charged via external waterproof electrodes on the outer casing.
A great surf watch can revolutionise the way you approach surfing and other ocean-based activities, by helping you to select the optimum surf breaks, log your progress, remember your best sessions, and hone your surfing technique by making sure you hit the water on the best days. Ultimately, this should encourage you to spend more quality time in the ocean. And that’s always a good thing.
This guide presents the top five surf watches for 2016. These models are sure to enhance your surfing sessions for many years to come, and they’re all available through Amazon.com, with free shipping in many cases.
Over the last decade, the quality and performance of surfing watches for men and women has improved dramatically, with the latest models now featuring lunar phases, sunrise and sunset times, and tide levels for hundreds of popular surf spots around the world.
Durability is a vital characteristic for a piece of equipment that will spend much of its time immersed in salty water. Besides being waterproof, surf sports watches must be corrosion-resistant, shockproof, and they must be able to withstand the pressure of large waves, deep wipe-outs, and long hold-downs.
And a secure strap is essential. There's nothing worse than scrambling to paddle over a bomb set, just as your expensive timepiece begins to slip off. A resin or polyurethane strap will generally be more resistant to corrosion and oxidisation than leather or metal.
Top-of-the-line surfing watches also feature GPS trackers, gyroscopes and accelerometers that log your session, wave count, speed, distance travelled, and total time in the water. These details can later be uploaded to an app on your PC or smartphone and used to track your progress, or to share your top sessions with your mates. This also lets you review your best sessions, along with the swell, tide and wind conditions logged for that day, so you’ll be better able to judge those days when it might be worth pulling a sickie to repeat your past success.
Most good surfing watches are digital rather than analogue. That’s because you can pack a lot more information into a digital display, and the absence of moving parts makes a digital watch better able to withstand pressure and impact. And when it comes to recharging your watch, plugging in a standard USB charger simply isn’t an option if you want a waterproof device. This means surf watches are either solar powered, or charged via external waterproof electrodes on the outer casing.
A great surf watch can revolutionise the way you approach surfing and other ocean-based activities, by helping you to select the optimum surf breaks, log your progress, remember your best sessions, and hone your surfing technique by making sure you hit the water on the best days. Ultimately, this should encourage you to spend more quality time in the ocean. And that’s always a good thing.
This guide presents the top five surf watches for 2016. These models are sure to enhance your surfing sessions for many years to come, and they’re all available through Amazon.com, with free shipping in many cases.
1. Rip Curl "The Search" GPS Surf Watch
Rip Curl's top-of-the range "The Search" GPS surf watch comes in two stunning designs - choose from either the crisp white or the sophisticated charcoal model. This is a watch like no other in the lineup, letting you track your session, register your wave count and top speed, and record your distance surfed and paddled.
Then you simply sync the data using Bluetooth to the Rip Curl Search App on your computer or smartphone to re-live your surf experience, with location maps, images and graphics showcasing your session. It's so easy - and you can even review your surfing stats live from the lineup. Check out the video below for more information (review continues after the video).
Then you simply sync the data using Bluetooth to the Rip Curl Search App on your computer or smartphone to re-live your surf experience, with location maps, images and graphics showcasing your session. It's so easy - and you can even review your surfing stats live from the lineup. Check out the video below for more information (review continues after the video).
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Other notable features of The Search include...
The Rip Curl Search GPS Surf Watch is an amazing piece of technology, and would make the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys surfing, kitesurfing, bodyboarding, stand-up paddle-surfing, or any other ocean/surf centered activity. It's not cheap, but if money is no object, and you simply want the best surf watch on the market, then this is the one to get.
- One-touch auto-set with 1,360 tide locations
- Ten hours of GPS-recorded surf time
- Sync your data to the cloud
- Day, date, month, year, moon phase and tide functions
- Water resistant to 100 metres (i.e. also suitable for snorkeling, but not scuba diving)
The Rip Curl Search GPS Surf Watch is an amazing piece of technology, and would make the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys surfing, kitesurfing, bodyboarding, stand-up paddle-surfing, or any other ocean/surf centered activity. It's not cheap, but if money is no object, and you simply want the best surf watch on the market, then this is the one to get.
2. Casio G-Shock G-Lide Surfing Watch
Casio's top selling surfing watch, the G-Shock G-Lide, is available in either white or red models. It's one of the toughest watches on the market, built to withstand the gnarliest surf conditions, and it's water resistant to 200 metres, making it suitable for scuba diving as well as surfing. The slimline design is very comfortable to wear, and the large digits are easy to read. And like all the surf watches reviewed here it includes moon phase and tide functions (but no GPS).
Casio has pioneered cutting-edge solar-powered technology, and this watch features a built-in solar battery, as well as atomic timekeeping so you'll never need to reset the time. The battery charges via a solar panel on the face of the watch, and will power the watch for up to 23 months without further exposure to light. Any light source can be used to recharge the device.
While not as fully featured as the Rip Curl watch, the Casio G-Shock G-Lide is still an ultra modern and highly durable surf watch at a lower price point that represents excellent value for money. No wonder it's one of Amazon's top-rated and best selling watches.
Casio has pioneered cutting-edge solar-powered technology, and this watch features a built-in solar battery, as well as atomic timekeeping so you'll never need to reset the time. The battery charges via a solar panel on the face of the watch, and will power the watch for up to 23 months without further exposure to light. Any light source can be used to recharge the device.
While not as fully featured as the Rip Curl watch, the Casio G-Shock G-Lide is still an ultra modern and highly durable surf watch at a lower price point that represents excellent value for money. No wonder it's one of Amazon's top-rated and best selling watches.
3. Casio G-Shock GWX Series Tide Watch
Functionally similar to the G-Lide model, Casio's G-Shock GWX series watches have a chunkier, more rugged appearance, and come in black/white and neon versions.
Shock resistant, solar powered, and featuring multiband atomic timekeeping, this is another excellent and durable surf watch. It includes tide and moon phase graphs, a super illuminating LED, and a global time system (31 time-zones and 48 cities), four daily alarms, a stopwatch and two countdown interval timers. The Casio G-Shock GWX is also water resistant to 200 metres, making it perfectly suitable for recreational scuba diving.
Shock resistant, solar powered, and featuring multiband atomic timekeeping, this is another excellent and durable surf watch. It includes tide and moon phase graphs, a super illuminating LED, and a global time system (31 time-zones and 48 cities), four daily alarms, a stopwatch and two countdown interval timers. The Casio G-Shock GWX is also water resistant to 200 metres, making it perfectly suitable for recreational scuba diving.
4. Vestal "The Brig" Surf Watch
Available in a wide range of twelve different colours and designs, Vestal's premium surf watch, The Brig, is a digital timepiece that tracks tides at over 200 beaches around the world. It also features a digital tide graph and quick access to Vestal's custom training mode with the "Suffer and Recover" interval timer, and a Heat Mode with countdown timer so you can practice surfing heats like the professionals.
The strap uses a patented OKTOLOCK system with a raised underside pattern that means less rubber contact with your skin, and hence greater airflow, more flexibility, and a lighter feel on your wrist. And it's water resistant to 100 metres, making it also suitable for swimming and snorkeling (but not scuba diving).
The strap uses a patented OKTOLOCK system with a raised underside pattern that means less rubber contact with your skin, and hence greater airflow, more flexibility, and a lighter feel on your wrist. And it's water resistant to 100 metres, making it also suitable for swimming and snorkeling (but not scuba diving).
5. Freestyle Unisex Shark Classic Tide Watch
Available in a range of colours, the Freestyle Unisex Shark Classic is the most affordable of the five surf watches we reviewed. It features night-vision display, and has a durable polycarbonate casing with stainless steel buttons that can be used underwater.
The watch comes with a soft and comfortable silicone strap, stainless steel buckle, and a hardened mineral crystal screen that protects the face from scratches. The unisex design will suit either male or female surfers. And like the other watches reviewed, it's water resistant to 100 metres and includes tide, sunrise and sunset times for 150 beaches worldwide.
The watch comes with a soft and comfortable silicone strap, stainless steel buckle, and a hardened mineral crystal screen that protects the face from scratches. The unisex design will suit either male or female surfers. And like the other watches reviewed, it's water resistant to 100 metres and includes tide, sunrise and sunset times for 150 beaches worldwide.