Best Surf Watches of 2023

JUMP TO: GARMIN INSTINCT SOLAR / APPLE WATCH SERIES 6 / RIP CURL SEARCH / CASIO F91W-1 / COROS VERTIX / RIP CURL RIFLES / CASIO G-SHOCK FROGMAN / NIXON BASE TIDE PRO / BUYING ADVICE

Author: Rose Martin

The Short Version

The Long Version

Ever lost track of time while you’re out on the water? I know I have. It’s an easy thing to do when you’re having heaps of fun and paddling around your happy place.

But it can also make you very late and get you into trouble (it’s not like people can call to see where you are when you’re surfing is it?)… Surf watches are a great way to make sure you’re on time for your post-surf adventures, but it doesn’t stop there.

These days, surf watches range from simple time-telling devices to miniature computers capable of doing anything from giving you the latest tide report to paying for your groceries.

With such a mixture of watches out there, choosing the right one for you (and your wallet) can be a daunting task. So, to speed things up a bit, we’ve put together this list of the best surf watches around – enjoy!

If you love reading this review of the best surf watches, then you'll likely love reading some of our other surfing gear pages:

Need To Know What To Look Out For?

Do I need GPS? What is wave counting? How much water resistance is enough? If you find yourself asking these types of question, be sure to check out our buying advice at the bottom of the article!

DIMENSIONS: 45 x 45 x 15.3mm

WEIGHT: 53 g

DISPLAY RESOLUTION: 128 x 128 pixels

BATTERY LIFE: 30 hours to 56 days (depending on mode)

CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth

GPS: Yes

WATER RESISTANCE: 100 m

PROS: Solar battery, extremely durable, awesome satellite tracking, surf-specific features available

CONS: Expensive

Compatible with GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo satellite systems, the Garmin Instinct Solar lets you track your movements even when you’re off the beaten track – perfect if you love discovering secret surf spots.

It’s also packed full of extra features, including training apps, heart rate tracking, and even ways to monitor your stress and sleep. Plus, if you’re willing to spend a little more for the Surf Edition, you’ll get access to tide data and also be able to record your performance in terms of waves caught, speeds, and distance surfed – which is great if you want to push your training to the limits.

What’s more, if there’s a Surfline camera in the area, you can even get videos of you catching waves just by pressing start on your watch at the start of your session – pretty cool right?

The battery life will depend on what features you’re using, but even when you’re monitoring your heart rate and using GPS you’ll get up to 30 hours of juice. What’s more, you can add an extra 8 hours to this if the sun shows its face thanks to the solar battery. Plus, if you’re keen to save battery, you can always switch to the saver mode for 56 days of power.

Finally, this is one of the most rugged surf watches on the market thanks to its scratch-resistant Gorilla glass fiber-reinforced polymer case, and its heat and shock resistance – oh, and it has a 100 m water-resistance rating too. All pretty epic!

Best Smartwatch: APPLE WATCH SERIES 6

DIMENSIONS: 40 x 34 x 10.7 mm (40-mm model); 44 x 38 x 10.7 mm (44-mm model)

WEIGHT: 30.5–47.1 g (depending on material and model selected)

DISPLAY RESOLUTION: 324 x 394 (40-mm model); 368 x 448 (44-mm model)

BATTERY LIFE: Up to 18 hours

CONNECTIVITY: WiFi, Bluetooth

GPS: Yes

WATER RESISTANCE: 50 m

PROS: Slim design, emergency call feature, easy to monitor exercise, lots of handy day-to-day features

CONS: Low water resistance, requires case

The Apple Watch Series 6 has to be the best watch going for any tech-savvy surfers out there.

The ‘swimproof’ design is super slim, reducing the chances of knocking your watch when you’re in the water. Plus, if you’re surfing in cold weather, you’ll be able to slip this watch underneath your wetsuit sleeve no problem.

You’ll be able to monitor how hard you worked during your session thanks to the heart rate monitor, and you can transfer data straight to your iPhone too, so even time spent exercising in the water will be added to your daily fitness record. We also love that it can hook-up to your cell phone and perform emergency calls, which could be super handy if you’re unlucky enough to be involved in a surfing accident.

On top of that, this smart watch comes loaded with tons of handy features for when you’re on dry land too – you can make calls, receive texts, play music, and even use Apple Pay.

The main drawback of this watch is that it only has a 50 m water resistance rating, so you don’t want it spending very long in the water. It’s also not as rugged as some other watches out there. But fear not, there are heaps of cases out there you can buy separately to boost the water-resistance and durability (although they’ll cost you a fair bit).

Overall, despite not being designed specifically for high-paced watersports, by simply adding a case you can turn this feature-packed smart watch into an awesome surfing watch, giving you the best of both worlds.

Best For Tracking: RIP CURL SEARCH GPS SERIES 2

CASE SIZE: 43 mm

BAND LENGTH: 9 inches

WEIGHT: 62 g

BATTERY LIFE: 7 hours (with GPS); 2-3 months (no GPS)

CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth

GPS: Yes

WATER RESISTANCE: 100 m

PROS: Real-time and future surf conditions, records lots of detail, can share mapped data

CONS: Battery life could be longer, no heart rate monitor

The Rip Curl Search GPS Series 2 was designed with surfing in mind, and it comes with all the features you’d expect in a surf watch.

As the name suggests, this watch is GPS friendly, so you won’t lose track of any hidden surf spots you discover. What’s more, your movements can be plotted on a map so, after your session, you can see exactly where you paddled, how many waves you caught, and how fast you went. Plus, if you find an awesome spot you want to share with your friends, you can share the location or map of your session via the app.

It also comes with tide predictions for an impressive 1400 locations, which makes it great for planning your next session, and it displays live tide, swell, and wind reports for your nearest spot in case things change on the day. By analyzing the conditions and how well your session went, you’ll soon know where and when you should be heading out to catch the best waves.

While it doesn’t have a heart-rate sensor like some of the other watches in this price range, it does add up you paddling distance so you can keep track of how much exercise you’ve done. The main drawback of this watch has the be the battery life – it will last you just about a full day on the water with the GPS switched on, and you’ll have to remember to recharge every time you head home.

Best On A Budget: CASIO F91W-1

DIMENSIONS: 0.09 x 0.57 x 0.22 inches

WEIGHT: 20 g

BATTERY LIFE: 7 years

GPS: No

WATER RESISTANCE: 30 m 

PROS: Very affordable, surprisingly durable, slim fit

CONS: Lacks extra features

As much as high-tech features like GPS, tide reports, and Bluetooth connectivity can be fun to play around with, watches with these features don’t come cheap. And if all you’re after is a way to keep an eye on the time when you’re out on the water, then there’s no point in splashing all that extra cash.

It might not be full of fancy features, but the Casio F91W-1 is a great little watch that’s surprisingly durable despite its sleek appearance. This slim design means that it can sit underneath your wetsuit sleeve, making it less likely to get knocked or damaged, and it also helps to keep the weight super low.

Although it has just a 30 m water-resistance rating, this watch can definitely handle being dragged through the surf (I even forgot to take it off once on a scuba dive to 35 m and it emerged unscathed, so it can handle the pressure!).

It comes with an in-built timer and alarm too, so you can make sure you’re never late out the water, and the battery will keep on going for years to come.

Best For Multisport Use: COROS VERTIX

HEIGHT: 47 mm

WEIGHT: 54 g

DISPLAY RESOLUTION: 240 x 240 pixels

BATTERY LIFE: 45 days (regular mode); 150 hours (UltraMax mode); 60 hours (GPS mode)

CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth

GPS: Yes

WATER RESISTANCE: 150 m

PROS: Very versatile, great GPS battery life, extremely durable

CONS: Lacks some surf-specific features, very expensive

One of the things we like best about the Coros Vertix is that the battery life will last up to 60 hours, even with the GPS on, so you don’t have to worry about charging it after every single session. Plus, without the GPS, it can keep going for more than 6 weeks!

With a waterproof rating of 150 m and constructed from durable, high-end materials, you don’t need to worry about this watch even in the biggest of swells.

We also love that it features a night mode, so you can keep an eye on the time even if you get distracted by an awesome sunset and come ashore after dark.

Although it doesn’t come with any surf-specific features (like wave counting or tide data), it’s packed full of modes catered to a huge range of sports, including cycling, swimming, running, winter sports, and water sports, making it one incredibly versatile watch overall. Plus, as well as recording your exercise, it’s also a great training tool, thanks to the blood oxygen tracking, preloaded strength exercises, and customizable workouts.

If you’re fanatic about a range of sports and after one watch that can handle them all, then this could be the one for you!

Best For Simplicity: RIP CURL RIFLES TIDE WATCH

CASE DIAMTER: 41 mm

CASE THICKNESS: 13.75 mm

BAND LENGTH: 11 inches

BATTERY LIFE: 2+ years

GPS: No

WATER RESISTANCE: 100 m

PROS: Tide information, streamlined design, good battery life, affordable

CONS: No GPS, no fitness features

If you’re after a watch full of surf-specific features, but aren’t fussed about spending loads on GPS, then the Rip Curl Rifles Tide Watch is a great option.

As well as the usual stopwatch, timer, and alarm features, it comes with tide information for 500 locations – and you can view this information through a simple numerical display or as a graph.

On top of that, it has a waterproof rating of 100 m and has a super slim, lightweight design, so it’s unlikely to get knocked around when you’re out on the water and it can slide under your wetsuit sleeve too.

The lack of GPS and fitness features, like training programs or heart rate monitors, makes it simple to use and means that the battery life will last you for years.

Sure, it might not come with all the bells and whistles of higher-end models, but this is an affordable and reliable watch that will tell you the time and the tide while you’re out catching waves.

Best For Water Resistance: CASIO G-SHOCK FROGMAN

CASE DIMENSIONS: 52 x 50.3 x 18 mm

WEIGHT: 112 g

BATTERY LIFE: 10 months (without solar)

GPS: No

WATER RESISTANCE: 200 m

PROS: Awesome water resistance, solar rechargeable battery, can use when diving

CONS: Expensive, no GPS

The Casio G-Shock Frogman watch is one of our favorite watersports watches thanks to its incredible water-resistance – this thing can handle depths of up to 200 m! It’s also shock-resistant thanks to its solid construction and carbon-fiber resin reinforcement, so you don’t have to worry about it when the waves are hectic.

On top of that, it lets you access tide information for thousands of global locations, either on the display or via the app (depending on the model selected).

Plus, the awesome water-resistance makes this a great watch for scuba diving too. In fact, it will even record your dive time and surface interval for you!

Again, the lack of GPS and other fitness-related features means that the battery life on this watch is far longer than some of the ‘techier’ surf watches out there. Plus, we love that it’s solar rechargeable too, so if you’re ever in a pinch you’ve got yourself a back-up power supply.

The high quality of this watch means that it’s not the cheapest surf watch out there, particularly one lacking GPS, but if you’re into other watersports, like scuba diving and freediving, then it’s a definite winner.

Best For Counting Waves: NIXON BASE TIDE PRO

CASE DIAMETER: 42 mm

CASE THICKNESS: 14 mm

WEIGHT: 100 g

BATTERY LIFE: 2+ years

GPS: No

WATER RESISTANCE: 100 m

PROS: Wave counter, tide information, streamlined design, good battery life

CONS: No GPS, no fitness features

If you liked the sound of the Rip Curl Rifles, but were disappointed to see that it lacked a wave counting feature, then fear not – the Nixon Base Tide Pro has you covered.

On top of the basic stopwatch, timer, and alarm functions, this watch comes preloaded with tide forecasts for 550 locations plus a handy wave counter so you can keep track of how well you’re performing. It’s also very water resistant (100 m), so you can duck dive away without worrying.

It also features a slim design, and the silicone strap is soft but held firmly in place via a double loop and buckle mechanism.

Like the Rifles, this is a simple surfing watch lacking GPS and fitness features. Although these features are crucial for some surfers, others won’t mind trading these off for an extended battery life and far lower price tag.

BUYING ADVICE FOR SURF WATCHES

Water Resistance

Any good surf watch needs a decent water resistance rating – you’ll be wearing it in the water, after all. But these ratings can be a little tricky to get your head around at first – why would any surf watch need to be water resistant at 100 m, after all?

Well, the main thing to know is that a waterproof rating of 100 m doesn’t mean that a watch can handle being submerged at that depth for extended periods of time. Water-resistance ratings actually refer to how well a watch can stand up under pressure, and this changes with depth.

Ideally, you want a watch with at least a 100 m water resistance rating for surfing (although you can get away with 50 m if you have a decent case). Watches rated to 200 m mean that you definitely don’t need to worry when you’re surfing, and they’ll safely double up as scuba watches too.

You should always check the details provided by the manufacturer, but here’s a rough guide to water resistance ratings:

30 M WATER RESISTANCE: Suitable for day-to-day use (essentially just splash proof)

50 M WATER RESISTANCE: Suitable for casual swims

100 M WATER RESISTANCE: Suitable for serious swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, surfing (essentially all surface watersports)

200 M WATER RESISTANCE: Suitable for freediving and scuba diving

Shape

SLIMMER DESIGNS: Sleek designs keep your watch out of harm’s way, and they’re popular among the simpler, more affordable watches that tend to be less robust than high-end models. They also have the bonus of being able to slip underneath a wetsuit sleeve, so you don’t have to take your watch on and off every time you kit up.

BULKIER DESIGNS: Smart watches aside, the more features a watch has, the chunkier it tends to be. For instance, you won’t find a super sleek surf watch with GPS. However, bulkier watches are often built with high-grade materials that can handle some bumps and scrapes. The major downside of chunky watches is that you might have to wear them over your wetsuit if you’re surfing in cooler climates, but we guess that isn’t the end of the world.

Durability

Often, the more expensive the watch, the more durable the materials. But that doesn’t mean to say there aren’t some well-made budget options out there (and vice versa).

If you’re worried about the longevity of your surf watch, then keep your eyes open for shock-resistant watches and ones constructed from particularly strong types of glass and with reinforced cases.

Tides Information

This is arguably one of the most useful features a surf watch can have. Tides charts can predict tides way into the future, and these data can be pre-programmed into watches that tell you what time high and low tide are as well as how high and low those tides will be (this varies over time).

This is super important for surfing because some beaches will only have nice breaks at certain tides – if you know what tides are best, then you can avoid rocking up pumped for a session only to find nothing but ripples at a beach that had great surf the last time you were there. But there are a few things to think about when weighing up tide watches:

TIDE LOCATIONS: Tides vary according on location, and storing tidal information for the whole world would take up a ridiculous amount of internal storage. So, most tide watches come with pre-programed tidal information for specific locations instead. In an ideal world, a watch will include data for your local beach as well as your favorite holiday destinations. The number of locations varies across watches, but the more locations the better!

LOCATION CUSTOMIZATION: But what if you’re location isn’t included? Some watches let you add data for a new spot, or modify a nearby one, and then starts making predictions for your specific location instead.

WEATHER DATA: Although tide charts are undoubtedly super useful, in reality, tides are affected by more than just the pull of the moon that they depend on. Some of the more expensive surf watches allow you to track tides using apps that use not only tide information but also take into account weather conditions to give you the most up-to-date swell predictions.

Extra Features

All a surf watch really needs to do is tell the time and not get flooded with water. But, as we’ve seen, there are heaps of extra features out there. Ultimately, you need to decide whether to keep things simple (and affordable) or whether to shell out on the following:

GPS: Not only does this let you save your surf spots so you never forget where they are, but some watches use GPS to monitor your speed and activity levels throughout your entire session.

BLUETOOTH/WIFI: Surf watches with Bluetooth and WiFi transfer data from your watch to other devices, which is great for things like tracking your performance and obtaining real-time tide forecasts.

WAVE COUNTING: Surf watches with fitness tracking features can really set you back financially. If you’re keen for a way to measure your progress, but you don’t want to splash the cash, then a surf watch with a wave counting feature might be right up your street.

Some watches will automatically count the number of waves you catch using GPS to track rapid bursts of movement but, if you want to cut costs even further, some watches let you count how many waves you caught manually, typically by pressing a couple of buttons. This might not be super high-tech, but it’s a great way to keep track of how successful your session was without shelling out on fancy features.

MORE INFORMATION

If you loved this review of the best surf watches, then you'll likely love reading our other gear-fiend related articles: