Updated September 2, 2024
It used to involve guesswork and a little luck to go surfing and actually catch a few good waves. Thanks to technological advances, surf watches are widely available that can measure and forecast the tides for just about any location you want to surf. These watches often contain a wide range of other benefits like tracking, recording, navigation, heart monitors, and meteorological measurement, to name a few, in addition to a variety of time features.
With a large number of surf watches available and a lot of terminology and jargon to cut through, selecting the right watch for your pocketbook and style of surfing may be a bit daunting. To help you decide, some top models have been chosen as a sample of the best on the market. To begin there’s a comparison table, followed by descriptions, key features, photos, and videos, and a buying guide to finish.
If you have any questions or concerns, please use the comments section at the bottom. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
For other reviews of watches, surfboards, and accessories, please check out these popular posts:
Soft Top Surfboards Surfboards for Kids Beginner Surfboards Surfboards Surfboard Car Racks Surf Booties Surfing Wetsuits Surfboard Travel Bags Men’s Rash Guards Women’s Rash Guards Dive Watches Dive Watches for Women Freediving Watches
Best Surfing Watches of 2024
- Apple Watch Series 5 Surf Watch
- Rip Curl Men’s Rifles Tide Digital Surf Watch
- Casio G-Shock Frogman GWF1000 Surf Watch
- Rip Curl Search GPS 2 Surf Watch
- Nixon Base Tide Pro Surf Watch
- Nixon Mission Surf Watch
- Freestyle Shark Classic Tide Surf Watch
- Vestal Brig Tide and Train Surf Watch
- Garmin Instinct Solar Surf Watch
- Casio GLX5600 Surf Watch
Best Surfing Watch Comparison Table
| Picture | Surf Watch | Water-Resistance Depth | Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
  | Apple Watch Series 5 Surf Watch | 50 meters | 4.6 | $$ |
  | Rip Curl Men's Rifles Tide Digital Surf Watch | 100 meters | 4.5 | $ |
  | Casio G-Shock Frogman GWF1000 Surf Watch | 200 meters | 4.7 | $$$ |
  | Rip Curl Search GPS 2 Surf Watch | 100 meters | 4.6 | $$ |
  | Nixon Base Tide Pro Surf Watch | 100 meters | 4.7 | $ |
  | Nixon Mission Surf Watch | 100 meters | 4.8 | $$ |
  | Freestyle Shark Classic Tide Surf Watch | 100 meters | 4.2 | $ |
  | Vestal Brig Tide and Train Surf Watch | 100 meters | 4.3 | $ |
  | Garmin Instinct Solar Surf Watch | 100 meters | 4.6 | $$ |
  | Casio GLX5600 Surf Watch | 200 meters | 4.1 | $ |
| Picture | Surf Watch | Water-Resistance Dept | Rating | Price |
Apple Watch Series 5 Surf Watch
The Apple Watch Series 5 Surf Watch is the top choice for iPhone users. It has numerous apps including Dawn Patrol that provide lots of info and data geared to surfers.
Water-resistant to 50 meters, it’s available in two display sizes, three color combinations, and has a 32GB storage capacity.
About the only drawback is the 18-hour battery life.
- Available in 40mm & 44mm displays
- Always-on display
- Many apps including GPS, compass, ECG, optical heart sensor, elevation, emergency SOS, fall detection
- Dawn Patrol app counts waves, measures wave time, shows top speed, calculates distance surfed
- 32GB storage
- Requires you to have an Apple phone, doesn’t support Android
- Available in gold aluminum/pink band, silver aluminum/white band, or space gray aluminum/black band
- Smart Device Compatible: yes
- Battery Life: 18 hours
- Water-resistance Depth: 50 meters
- Rating: 4.6
- Price: $$
Rip Curl Men’s Rifles Tide Digital Surf Watch
The Rip Curl Men’s Rifles Tide Digital Surf Watch has 500 tide locations from around the world pre-programmed that display tidal height and direction 2 hours in the past and 8 hours into the future.
It’s lightweight, durable, depth-rated to 100 meters for water resistance, and has a backlight for a clear display.
While having no Smart capability, it does come at a low price in a choice of 6 colors.
- Available in 41mm case size
- Quartz movement
- Includes time, date, alarm, stopwatch, timer, tide tracking, and light
- 500 pre-programmed tide locations in the detailed display or graph
- Reliable backlighting
- Polyurethane strap
- Choice of 6 colors
- Smart Device Compatible: no
- Battery Life: 1 year (1 LR44 battery included)
- Water-resistance Depth: 100 meters
- Rating: 4.5
- Price: $
Casio G-Shock Frogman GWF1000 Surf Watch
The Casio G-Shock Frogman GF1000 Surf Watch is a durable heavy-duty watch, waterproof to 200 meters, and powered by a long-lasting solar battery.
Suitable for scuba diving with a depth gauge, dive timer, and surface interval measures, surfers love the tidal graph and data.
It also features a full auto-calendar and multiple time features, a compass, thermometer, and backlighting.
The only drawbacks are its bulkiness and high price.
- 52 x 50.3 x 18.0mm case dimensions
- Stainless steel case and bezel
- Full auto EL backlight with afterglow
- Depth gauge, dive timer, and surface interval measurement
- Auto-calendar, stopwatch, countdown timer, and alarms
- Moon data and tide graph
- Compass, thermometer
- Smart Device Compatible: yes
- Battery Life: 8 months on full charge (solar rechargeable battery with indicator and power saver function)
- Water-resistance Depth: 200 meters
- Rating: 4.7
- Price: $$$
Rip Curl Search GPS 2 Surf Watch
The Rip Curl Search GPS 2 Surf Watch uses GPS to track your surfing and can also be used for a range of activities including biking, running, swimming, and others.
Info about a multitude of tide locations and real-time weather can be accessed for the best data on your chosen surf area.
Your distance, wave count, time on the water, and top speed can be measured and recorded along with other info, charts, maps, and data that can all be shared with friends later using a mobile app.
- Available in 43mm case size
- Quartz movement
- GPS tracking for surfing and a range of activities
- Includes time, date, timer, tide tracking
- 1,400 pre-programmed tide locations in the detailed display or graph
- Rubber strap
- Choice of 5 dark colors
- Smart Device Compatible: yes
- Battery Life: 1 year (1 LR44 battery included)
- Water-resistance Depth: 100 meters
- Rating: 4.6
- Price: $$
Nixon Base Tide Pro Surf Watch
The Nixon Base Tide Pro Surf Watch is an exceptionally durable model with polycarbonate and stainless casing and a mineral crystal face.
It includes preloaded tidal data for 550 beach locations with past and future tides, and a wave counter, along with alarms and other timing features.
A backlit negative LCD display assures visual clarity.
It is low-profile, lightweight, and available in 10 colors at a very reasonable price.
- Available in 42mm case size
- Durable polycarbonate case, stainless case back, and mineral crystal face
- Time of day, day/date, sunrise/sunset, future, and past tides
- 3 types of alarms, countdown timer, wave counter, chronograph
- Clear negative LCD display with EL backlight
- 550 pre-programmed tide locations in the detailed display or graph
- Silicon strap
- Choice of 10 colors
- Smart Device Compatible: yes
- Battery provided (no details available)
- Water-resistance Depth: 100 meters
- Rating: 4.7
- Price: $
The Nixon Mission Surf Watch is an attractive smartwatch compatible with Android and iOS with trace and mission apps that provide real-time surf and snow conditions and tracking of sessions.
Other functionalities include GPS, thermometer, e-compass, barometer, altimeter, and gyrometer.
It has a user-friendly touchscreen display.
Durably fabricated with a polycarbonate case and Corning Gorilla Glass crystal face, it is water-resistant to 100 meters.
The only thing that might slow your decision to purchase is the fairly high price point.
- Available in 48mm display
- Durable polycarbonate case and Corning Gorilla Glass crystal face
- Stainless steel bezel
- Full-color touchscreen display with Multi-Touch and wet finger technology
- 512MV RAM, 4GB Flash
- Includes GPS, thermometer, barometer, e-compass, altimeter, gyrometer
- Real-time surf and snow conditions
- Preloaded Trace App and Trace technology allows tracking surf/snow sessions
- Choice of black or grey
- Smart Device Compatible: yes (Android & iOS)
- Battery: rechargeable
- Water-resistance Depth: 100 meters
- Rating: 4.8
- Price: $$
Freestyle Shark Classic Tide Surf Watch
The Freestyle Shark Classic Tide Surf Watch is a basic surf watch, tried and true over many years, with sufficiently durable construction, and water resistance to 100 meters.
It has tide and sunrise/sunset data for 150 locations, and timer, stop-watch, and chronograph functions, with hydro-push buttons that function underwater.
Backlighting makes visibility clear in low-light situations and it also has a dual-time function.
Pricing is low making this a great surf watch for a beginner.
- Available in 48mm case diameter
- Plastic case, mineral dial window
- Japanese quartz movement
- Negative LCD screen with backlighting
- Hydro-pusher buttons (function underwater)
- Includes timer, stop-watch, and chronograph
- Dual-time function for home and destination
- 150 pre-programmed locations with tide, date, sunrise, and sunset info
- Silicone strap with steel buckle
- Currently available in black
- Smart Device Compatible: no
- Battery provided (no details available)
- Water-resistance Depth: 100 meters
- Rating: 4.2
- Price: $
Vestal Brig Tide and Train Surf Watch
The Vestal Brig Tide and Train Surf Watch, designed by super-surfer Jordy Smith, is pre-programmed to track tides at over 200 beaches worldwide for the next 20 years and has a custom training mode, “Suffer and Recover” for interval timing, as well as several other features especially useful for surfers.
The comfortable PU strap with the patent-pending OKTOLOCK system that has a breathable pattern with decreased skin contact is a nice feature.
Available in 12 colors, some of them quite bright, pricing is reasonable.
- Available in 44mm case diameter
- ABS with a polyurethane-wrapped case, stainless steel case back, hardened polycarbonate crystal
- Japanese quartz movement
- Backlight
- 200 pre-programmed locations with tide tracking for the next 20 years, and tide graphs
- Includes “Suffer and Recover” training mode, a heat mode, an alarm mode, and a future tide mode
- T1 and T2 tracking
- Polyurethane strap with a steel buckle with the OKTOLOCK system
- Comfortable OKTOGRIP raised pattern on the strap underside
- Available in 12 colors
- Smart Device Compatible: no
- Battery provided (CR2430)
- Water-resistance Depth: 100 meters
- Rating: 4.3
- Price: $
Garmin Instinct Solar Surf Watch
The Garmin Instinct Solar Surf Watch is solar-powered with impressive battery life and is very capable as a smartwatch.
It comes with multiple global navigation systems, a 3-axis compass, and a barometric altimeter.
There are many versions of this model but this one is set up to include tide data, surf tracking, and graphic displays of surfing activities.
It has auto data uploads and alerts in conjunction with your smartphone and tracks physical activities, heart rate, and stress.
Great for surfing and for a wide range of sporting activities, it is durably constructed to military standards.
The pricing is moderate considering all the features.
- 1.2-inch display
- Solar battery powered
- Built to military standards for thermal, shock, and water-resistance
- Durable fiber-reinforced polymer case
- Chemically strengthened scratch-resistant high-contrast display
- Comfortable vented silicone strap with 2 removable keeper loops
- Dedicated surf features include tide data and surfing features
- Includes a barometric altimeter, 3-axis compass, and multiple global navigation satellite systems
- Automatic data uploads and smart notifications (with a compatible smartphone)
- TracBack® feature to navigate back to your starting point
- Heart rate, activity, and stress monitors
- Available in 4 colors
- Smart Device Compatible: yes
- Battery Life (solar): 14 days in smartwatch mode, 16 hours in GPS mode, 40 hours in UltraTrac™ battery saver mode
- Water-resistance Depth: 100 meters
- Rating: 4.6
- Price: $$
The Casio GLX5600 Surf Watch is a basic digital surf watch with an old tested design providing essential tidal and moon data.
It has basic auto-calendar, stopwatch, timer, and alarm functions in a durable resin case with a mineral crystal display that is water-resistant to 200 meters.
The resin band has a high-gloss finish on the top that gives it a classy look and electro-luminescent backlighting provides crisp visibility in low light conditions.
Pricing is the lowest of those reviewed here.
- 46.7×43.2×12.7mm case dimensions
- Resin case, band, and bezel, mineral crystal
- Electro-luminescent backlight, auto-light switch, afterglow
- Auto-calendar, stopwatch, countdown timer, and alarms
- Moon data and tide graph
- Thermometer
- Smart Device Compatible: no
- Battery Life: 7 years (CR2025)
- Water-resistance Depth: 200 meters
- Rating: 4.1
- Price: $
Surfing Watch Buying Guide
Water Resistance
Obviously, a watch used in surfing will get wet and require a degree of water resistance to remain functional. A basic rule of thumb is that a surf watch should be water-resistant to at least 50 meters (164 feet). If the watch is to serve for scuba diving then it is a good idea to look for water resistance to 100 meters (328 feet) or more. Watches reviewed here have a water resistance of at least 50 meters with some rated at 100 meters and even 200 meters.
Functions
Most surf watches offer timing functions that can be fairly simple or quite elaborate with capabilities that may include dual time, world time, calendars, timers, alarms, and stopwatches.
Other sensors for temperature, altitude, wind speed, direction, or depth may also be incorporated.
What surfers find most attractive is the capability to present tidal graphs, moon phases, and real-time surf data, tracking, and record-keeping.
Many of the best surf watches are smart and have wireless connectivity, GPS, and fitness or health features.
You can find a surf watch with some or all of these functions. Check the details carefully to know just what you are getting.
Durability and Construction
A surf watch has exposure to the sun, water, salt, sand, and the strong possibility of bumps and scrapes. For that reason, quality construction techniques and durable materials are a necessity.
A variety of materials qualify. You want shatterproof lenses that can be of plastic or glass and sturdy lightweight materials in the casing that can include, aluminum, stainless steel, polycarbonate, polyurethane, and other plastics, as well as titanium, even. Straps should be of materials in a configuration that will be comfortable over an extended wearing time in the wet environment. Plastics, silicone, polyurethane, and fabrics are choices. Drainage is important to avoid water build-up. Fabric straps tend to get waterlogged, thereby heavier.
For other reviews of watches, surfboards, and accessories, please check out these popular posts:
Soft Top Surfboards Surfboards for Kids Beginner Surfboards Surfboards Surfboard Car Racks Surf Booties Surfing Wetsuits Surfboard Travel Bags Men’s Rash Guards Women’s Rash Guards Dive Watches Dive Watches for Women Freediving Watches
Comments and Feedback
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