Apple Watch Apps compared for Freeriding

[PeteTh]

Just to add the other Apple Watch App I found recently which is brilliant is the 'Tides' App http://www.7thg.com/apps/tide-charts-and-predictions , so on your Apple Watch you can have a complication that shows if tide is failing or rising and the next tide height and time of day, then if click that get taken to graph of of the tide with a white dot giving the current tide position. And it's free. You can pay to remove the Adds from the iPhone version for £1.99 I think. Love it.

[andikite]

This kind of devices are good for jumps tracking? Is variometer (smartwatch sensor for height) similar to acelerometer/giroscope (woo sensors) in terms of accuracy?

[IWantToFly]

Why don't you use the standard Activity sports app and select the ''Open water course'' activity! it will show everything you ask for!

Leon, does the 'Open Water' activity also track your location with GPS? I always use 'Outside Cycling' for that reason. The only downside is that you manually have to lock the Watch for water.

Yes also GPS, And the watch auto locks for you!

Do you mean Open Water Swim? I don’t see any “Open Water” to add.

Water sports available seem to be:
-open water swim
-pool swim
-rowing
-sailing
-surfing
-water fitness
-water polo
-water sports

Of those, only open water swim seems to include distance, which I assume means GPS. Even sailing and surfing don’t have distance, which seems dumb.

[Vinda]

What straps are you using out on the water? I've only got the rubbery one that came with the watch at the moment. Are the Apple Velcro straps any good (secure) or is there something better out there?

[Gestalt]

What straps are you using out on the water? I've only got the rubbery one that came with the watch at the moment. Are the Apple Velcro straps any good (secure) or is there something better out there?

I have read reports the standard apple watch straps are not good for kiteboarding and some people have lost their watches with a hard landing.

The velcro strap from apple can apparently be put on in reverse for a super secure fit (that would be tricky to do however). I bought the nice nylon Velcro strap from apple however did not use it as I felt it had too much texture on the band that I was concerned it would catch/absorb the sticky mix of suntan lotion, saltwater and sand.

I used the following two silicone straps that both have a clasp and band (the first having a double band) for a more secure fit. Both worked well for kiting.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07GSY ... UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B06ZY7 ... UTF8&psc=1

[Vinda]

Cheers I'll take a look at those

[Leon van Bergen]

Leon, does the 'Open Water' activity also track your location with GPS? I always use 'Outside Cycling' for that reason. The only downside is that you manually have to lock the Watch for water.

Yes also GPS, And the watch auto locks for you!

Do you mean Open Water Swim? I don’t see any “Open Water” to add.

Water sports available seem to be:
-open water swim
-pool swim
-rowing
-sailing
-surfing
-water fitness
-water polo
-water sports

Of those, only open water swim seems to include distance, which I assume means GPS. Even sailing and surfing don’t have distance, which seems dumb.

Strange, i indeed got the open water Swim bit also just an ''Open water'' including GPS..

@Vinda, buy a velcro strap like on my picture, i've used it about a hundred times and still have it, it cannot come off completely.

[bkkite]

Don’t get the sport band for the Apple Watch, it’ll come off in higher impact situations with water. The loop is the way to go, and get a small silicon strap to go around the end and hold it in place. With out this the Velcro will still come undone in high impacts

4Packs Rubber Leather Watch Band...

On the app / tracking front, I’ve been using Strava. I log a run on my watch and then in the app on my phone I can switch it to a Kitesurf session. Only really tracks route and top speed. Been considering switching to the open water swim activity in the apple workouts app because it automatically water locks the screen to prevent accidental touches. I’ve had a few accidental pauses or complete stoppages in strava because the water messes with the touch screen and it accidentally interprets it as a touch.

[PoweredbyNorth]

Don’t get the sport band for the Apple Watch, it’ll come off in higher impact situations with water. The loop is the way to go, and get a small silicon strap to go around the end and hold it in place. With out this the Velcro will still come undone in high impacts

4Packs Rubber Leather Watch Band...

On the app / tracking front, I’ve been using Strava. I log a run on my watch and then in the app on my phone I can switch it to a Kitesurf session. Only really tracks route and top speed. Been considering switching to the open water swim activity in the apple workouts app because it automatically water locks the screen to prevent accidental touches. I’ve had a few accidental pauses or complete stoppages in strava because the water messes with the touch screen and it accidentally interprets it as a touch.

Hey, @leon van Bergen, tested it and yes, the 'Open Water Swim' activity indeed tracks GPS! Big plus is that it automatically locks the screen after starting it, like Bkkite says.
Regarding the wrist band, I use the Nike sport band, which works fine for me, but that is probably because I always use a long sleeve wetsuit and put the watch under it.

[bkkite]

@poweredbynorth

Do you know anything else about the open water swim vs the other activities? Is it more or less the same amount of gps usage and thus similar battery drainage?

I’ll probably do open water swim so I get the auto screen lock, then sync to strava. In strava I tend to put the kite size and board for the session in the notes , and I attach a screenshot of the wind conditions. This helps me go back to know which kites I got the most sessions on in the season ( strava has a csv export ). It’s a bit manual but keeps me busy on a non windy day