Apple Watch Series 2 is Fine for Swimming, but Scuba Diving and Waterskiing Not Recommended

One of the key new features of the Apple Watch Series 2 is an improved water resistance rating of up to 50 meters under ISO standard 22810:2010, which by definition means the watch can be used for shallow-water activities such as swimming in a pool or ocean, white water rafting, and fishing without risking water damage.

apple-watch-2-water-resistance
These activities are in addition to the previous IPX7 splash resistance that allows for the Apple Watch, including first-generation models, to be worn while washing your hands or jogging in the rain. Many original Apple Watch owners also routinely shower and swim with the device, although Apple never officially recommended such activities.


However, while the Apple Watch Series 2 has improved water and dust resistance, fine print on Apple's website says the device should not be used while scuba diving, waterskiing, or other activities involving high-velocity water or submersion below shallow depth, presumably including jet skiing and deep water snorkeling.

Apple Watch Series 2 has a water resistance rating of 50 meters under ISO standard 22810:2010. This means that it may be used for shallow-water activities like swimming in a pool or ocean. However, Apple Watch Series 2 should not be used for scuba diving, waterskiing, or other activities involving high-velocity water or submersion below shallow depth.

Apple Watch Series 2 models are priced from $369 and will be available starting Friday, September 16 in the U.S. and select other launch countries.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

streaming black friday 2025

Black Friday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, and More

Monday November 24, 2025 8:03 am PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Have Two Key Upgrades

Sunday November 23, 2025 8:48 am PST by
iOS 27 will reportedly have two major elements: quality improvements and new AI features. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features. Gurman said there is one exception to this rule, though, as he expects...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
General Black Friday Deals 25 Red

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now on AirPods, iPads, Accessories, and More

Friday November 21, 2025 8:48 am PST by
We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like a Huge Upgrade

Friday November 21, 2025 9:10 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the new features and improvements expected to come to next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple's next-generation iPhones are less than ten months away and we already have a good idea about what to expect based on corroborated leaks, rumors,...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
apple news banner

Apple News Loses CNN

Monday November 24, 2025 7:56 am PST by
American multinational news company CNN has abruptly pulled its content from Apple News, Semafor reports. CNN quietly removed its stories from Apple News over the weekend and there is no longer a feed from the network to subscribe to in the app. This effectively ends its distribution agreement with Apple while the two sides negotiate new terms. Discussions are apparently ongoing and CNN's...
amazon black friday

Amazon Kicks Off Black Friday Sale With Major Discounts on Apple Accessories, TVs, and More

Sunday November 23, 2025 7:12 am PST by
Black Friday deals have begun, and Amazon is one of the best places you can find steep discounts on numerous products this week. We've already collected all of the best Apple-related deals you'll find at Amazon (and other retailers) in our Apple Black Friday Deals post, so below you'll find other discounts on devices like Anker accessories, Beats headphones, video games, TVs, and more. Note:...
Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...

Top Rated Comments

Debauch Avatar
120 months ago
50 meters = 164 feet. How is that shallow and who is snorkeling deeper than 50 meters?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hortod1 Avatar
120 months ago
Underwater snorkeling? I didn't realize there was more than one way to do it
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarlJ Avatar
120 months ago
So how does it work?
Meter ratings for water resistance are a simplification (from atmospheres), they mean that the watch (or other device) can withstand pressure equivalent to being/sitting in water that deep. If you gently, gradually lowered it down in water to that depth, it'd probably be fine. But as soon as you start waving your arm around, you're actually increasing the pressure on the watch significantly. So if you swim at 50 meters, the watch dies. Thus, "50M water resistance" doesn't actually mean you should dive to 50 meters with it (thats why they make 100M, 200M, and 300M watches - they don't expect many divers are going nearly 1,000ft down, but they're useful at much shallower depths). This also ties into why they don't recommend water skiing - when you fall off, you don't go very deep, but you can slam into the water pretty hard, generating rather astonishing amounts of water pressure.

In other news, a "2x4" isn't actually 2 inches by 4 inches.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nevaborn Avatar
120 months ago
The Watch is rated to IPX7 I believe that only covers temporary submersion up to max depth of 1M. Scuba diving exceeds that.

Waterskiing... fine in itself but when you go flying across the water like a rag doll it is the equivalent as smashing against the pavement. Why would you do that to your watch ?

This is not so much a shocking revelation as common sense.
[doublepost=1473287485][/doublepost]
But surfing is OK!?

That doesn't really make sense ... I'll pit a double overhead wipeout against falling off a wakeboard any day ...
You come off a board at lower velocity so it is no different than a dive in to a pool really as for as the stresses on the device are concerned.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Loge Avatar
120 months ago
50 meters = 164 feet. How is that shallow and who is snorkeling deeper than 50 meters?
This guy -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Nitsch
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djcerla Avatar
120 months ago
Waterskied all summer with Watch 1.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)