Does anyone here use the Apple Watch SE for gps tracking of Wingfoil? If so, how well does it work? It's very reasonably priced right now!
It works well. Battery will be near dead by end of day after a long tracking session with Water Speed App.
Ultra model is much better. Battery life is twice the older models and it comes with a watch band suitable for endless crashes without worry of it coming undone.
I have the Apple Watch with water speed app, really like the app but a little unsure as to how accurate the tracked speeds are. One other really annoying thing is that it's hard to operate the screen with wet hands.
I've used waterspeed.app with apple watch 6 and 8 works great. i find it to read pretty much identical to the GoPro GPS when I have both going. occasionally you'll get a crazy 1 or 2 second spike, so good to just ignore those. a good way to judge overall speed for the day or when comparing different equipment is the ave of 5 top 10sec readings.
I once felt my watch buzzing for a new high speed while flagged out on a swell... spurious 32kt reading lol.
Also, if you want to feel faster, have the app output in mph or kph.
I also have the Apple SE. I use the WorkOutDoors app and prefer it to Waterspeed.
www.workoutdoors.net/
As UkWinger notes, wet fingers can make it difficult to operate in the water.
Hoolan is a really useful app. Free.. tracks well, and gives you a transition successful percentage. To stop the application, you just press both apple watch buttons.
Apple watch has been a good tool to relive a good session. I also like Dawn Patrol app for surfing. Apple SE will need a recharge after a session as the GPS is a high battery user.
Hoolan is a really useful app. Free.. tracks well, and gives you a transition successful percentage. To stop the application, you just press both apple watch buttons.
Apple watch has been a good tool to relive a good session. I also like Dawn Patrol app for surfing. Apple SE will need a recharge after a session as the GPS is a high battery user.
Also of note, the Ultra touch screen works better than the other Apple watch screens. Maybe the bigger screen provides bigger finger targets? Not sure why, but definitely less frustration when wet, than smaller models.
I was using Dawn Patrol with an Apple watch but started using Hoolan last summer and prefer it. Sure, you can't generally trust the instantaneous top speeds with an Apple watch but with Hoolan you at least get a 100 and 500 meter average speed from which you can tell if the peak speed is realistic. Being able to stop a session with the buttons is also helpful.
I had the Apple Watch 6 and now have an Ultra. I use the Waterspeed and App and more recently Hoolan. They are both great apps, but I personally prefer Waterspeed as it displays the data I'm most interested in, allows export to gpx and more recently have added the live tracking feature. My wife likes me to use this so she can see when I'm safely back to shore ( it does drain the battery more quickly). I've encountered a few speed spikes ( more an Apple Watch problem?), but it's fairly easy to trim them out with the Waterspeed app. When speedsailing windsurfing I also have a mini Motion gps in use and I find that my 2s peak on my Mini correlates well with what is reported as my Max on my watch when using Waterspeed.
Btw, it's not longer currently possible to buy the latest watches direct from Apple in the US (except the SE), due to some pending patent infringement litigation. May still be able to get them at re-sellers until sold out though.
Select to expand quoteStretchy said..
...When speedsailing windsurfing I also have a mini Motion gps in use and I find that my 2s peak on my Mini correlates well with what is reported as my Max on my watch when using Waterspeed.
That is good to know. It seems like most of my obviously incorrect speed spikes are associated with a crash...
and possibly when watch is underwater too long. That's my suspicion anyway
my spikes only seem to show up when I upload my gpx to ka72
Awesome tip on the KA72 site, thanks! I had some .gpx files I wanted a closer look at and was always too lazy download software. No speed records but this was an interesting trip...
www.ka72.com/Track/t/520543
Select to expand quote. No speed records but this was an interesting trip...
www.ka72.com/Track/t/520543
Nice track! 
Just bringing up this old thread to ask a question. Has anyone had their non-Ultra Apple Watch fail from long term foiling use? Apple states that all Apple Watch models except the Ultra models, should not be use for high impact water activities. They give waterskiing as an example, and state that the water resistance will degrade over time from repeated high speed impacts.
After 2 years of winging with my SE (2nd gen) and Waterspeed, I'm starting to have issues beyond the finicky "wet touch screen". Watch will intermittently stop responding even when dry. I'm guessing this might have something to do with water resistance degradation.
Figuring I might have to buy an Ultra or get another SE and wear it under something like a wrist cuff to protect from water impacts. Any thoughts?
Dspace, no problems with my Ultra. It's more than 12mths old, no added protection and I crash frequently! 
a wrist cuff will likely interfere with your gps
My wife had the older style Apple watch do some weird things and need replacing. Never knew why. The real reason for her going to the Ultra, was battery life. The older style would die before end of day when using waterspeed app.
I have a series 6 and it's fine although it's cold here so usually under my wetsuit
Short answer, get the Apple Ultra. The sapphire glass is very tough. The battery life is very good.
One tip, it's easy for the back of your hand to press the button that unlocks the screen then anything can happen. The solution to that is to push the watch further up your wrist and tighten the strap by 2-3 holes. It's still comfortable to wear like that.
I am on/in the water almost every day. The Apple Ultra works fine.
I don't love the apps available for the Apple. I've used Hoolan and Waterspeed. They work ok, but they limit you to doing what those apps do, and Waterspeed costs money.
With a Garmin you can display anything you want on the screen in pretty much any size (they have templates for every possible size/combination of fields that will fit). It auto-uploads to the Garmin Connect web site and from there you can look at it, analyse it, export it any way you want.
I went through 3 standard Apple watches. Two died just for no apparent reason, the third died when the screen smashed from the slightest touch to a wall as I walked by.
Add to that the terrible battery life.
I went back to my trusty old Garmin Fenix 3 and that worked fine. The buttons would clog with salt but a rinse in warm water would fix that ... until it didn't. Even when it was old the battery life was still better than the Apple.
I traded it in on a Garmin Fenix Solar Sapphire 7X. It was great but the buttons clagged out in a few weeks. They sent a new one and the same thing happened so they gave me a refund.
battery life on the SE is outrageously bad. I use one but don't trust it. Better to spend a bit more i recon. Also the stupid thing loses signal all the time. Hence i carry my phone as well.
Thanks for the input. I think I'll end up getting an Ultra for next season. I know Garmin has a great reputation (I had an original Instinct) but I'm pretty entrenched in the Apple eco system these days. Just seems like it will have the best water durability of the Apple models. I'll probably get the cell service to go with it for safety insurance
I still use the Ultra 1 and am happy with it. Did not feel it was worth an upgrade to the Ultra 2. Am using the Hoolan App which I like best so far apps.apple.com/us/app/hoolan-kite-wing-windsurf/id1639913635
Select to expand quoteeppo said..hilly said..
Ultra 2 is better
why?
Longer battery faster processor.
www.macrumors.com/guide/apple-watch-ultra-vs-ultra-2/
Select to expand quote
Good to know. Seems like most of the new Ultra 1's are mostly sold out here in the US with refurbished units being the primary option. Ultra 2's are a year old now and more discounts are occasionally appearing. Keeping an eye out for some decent Black Friday sales
Select to expand quotehilly said..eppo said..hilly said..
Ultra 2 is better
why?
Longer battery faster processor.
www.macrumors.com/guide/apple-watch-ultra-vs-ultra-2/
I don't see anything about longer battery life in that link you sent. But have you found that with real world use ?
Select to expand quoteeppo said..hilly said..eppo said..hilly said..
Ultra 2 is better
why?
Longer battery faster processor.
www.macrumors.com/guide/apple-watch-ultra-vs-ultra-2/
I don't see anything about longer battery life in that link you sent. But have you found that with real world use ?
Yep. I had an ultra and it had a few issues. Died at 40% battery amongst others. Traded on Ultra 2 much better experience.
Select to expand quotehilly said..
Ultra 2 is better
And Ultra 1 is better than SE no doubt.
However, I have had an SE for a couple of years now though and don't have any real issues.
Battery life may be an issue on really long sessions.
I don't sleep with a watch on so it is charged every night.
I mainly downwind paddle so am usually not much more than an hour or so most sessions and so it is not a problem for me
Select to expand quotetightlines said..hilly said..
Ultra 2 is better
And Ultra 1 is better than SE no doubt.
However, I have had an SE for a couple of years now though and don't have any real issues.
Battery life may be an issue on really long sessions.
I don't sleep with a watch on so it is charged every night.
I mainly downwind paddle so am usually not much more than an hour or so most sessions and so it is not a problem for me
I can get up to 6 hours tracking using Strava app on the Ultra 2. Same do not wear at night so charging is a non issue.
