Garmin watch recording less distance than you actually swam? Correct it in less than 30 seconds

Why do Garmin watches show shorter distances than you swam?

Garmin watches record pool swim workouts using accelerometers instead of GPS. The accelerometer sensor automatically detects when you start a new length. Small errors can add up over a long workout, under-recording by up to 15% in the worst cases. Why does this happen?

• Open turns - turning at the end of a length without pushing off the wall hard enough can make the sensor think you’re still swimming on the same length. This results in one slow length being recorded when it was actually 2.
• Turning mid-length - not touching the wall at all will easily confuse the sensor. This is common when overtaking slower swimmers. The watch will count 2 lengths as 1, resulting in less distance being recorded.

Making sure that you push off the wall hard at the start of each new length will give your Garmin watch the best chance of detecting a new length correctly. If you still face issues, Swim Blueprint offers a free FIT file editor to help fix your swim data.

How to fix wrong swim distance

Garmin doesn’t provide a way to edit workout (.fit) files. That’s where Swim Blueprint comes in. To fix your swim workout:

1. Export your FIT file from Garmin Connect or another platform (e.g. Strava, Training Peaks)
2. Open the file in Swim Blueprint using the workout editor
3. Review the lap and length chart - each bar represents one pool length
4. If a length is missing, select the bar where the gap occurred and click Split length
5. If there is an extra length, select two adjacent lengths in the same lap and click Merge lengths
6. Click Download corrected FIT to save the fixed file