Fitbit Versa Swimming Review: Is It Accurate in the Pool?

Updated August 2026: I originally wrote this review in 2019 after buying the original Fitbit Versa primarily for swimming. The Versa is now an older model, but people still find this post while looking for information about Fitbit swim tracking and inaccurate lap counting. So, I’m keeping my original experience here for anyone wondering how the Versa performed in the pool.

Short answer: Was my Fitbit Versa accurate for swimming?

No. In my experience, the original Fitbit Versa regularly undercounted my 50 lengths by around four to six laps and was sometimes as many as ten laps out. It worked perfectly well in the water and was useful for timing my swims, but I couldn’t rely on it for accurate lap counting.

Here’s my original experience…

Why I Bought a Fitbit Versa

What I’ve always liked most about Fitbits is that they motivate me to get moving on an hourly and daily basis.

I’m one of those crazy people you hear about who finds themselves jogging on the spot at 11:45 p.m. just to reach 10,000 steps for the day.

In fact, I originally “wrote” much of this post by dictating into my phone while pacing around my living room to get more steps.

Yes, I’m a weirdo sometimes.

I’m certainly no Michael Phelps, but at the time I was swimming around three times a week for just over thirty minutes, non-stop, doing breaststroke the whole time.

I wanted a wearable device that could measure my laps, my time per lap and my overall time for the 50 lengths I usually swam.

That was really the main reason I wanted one.

So you can imagine my delight when Fitbit launched devices that could track swimming, including the Ionic and Versa.

Finally, I thought!

Unfortunately, all was not quite golden.

Buying My Fitbit Versa

In the week before Christmas 2018, while I was in California, I kept watching the price, reading reviews and debating whether to buy one.

Then my father died on 23 December, and understandably my Fitbit research took a back seat until I returned to the UK.

After Christmas, the US price had gone back up to around $200, plus tax, and I didn’t want to spend that much.

After yet more deliberating and review reading, I eventually bought the Fitbit Versa from Amazon UK in January 2019 as a belated Christmas present to myself.

After using it for more than five weeks, particularly in the swimming pool, I decided to share my experience.

Did the Fitbit Versa Count Swimming Laps Accurately?

Unfortunately, no.

During those first five weeks, the Fitbit accurately measured my swimming laps only twice.

At its worst, it was ten lengths out. I would swim 50 and it would report only 40.

More commonly, it would undercount my swim by around four to six lengths.

It was incredibly frustrating because accurate lap counting was the main reason I’d bought the Versa in the first place.

Did My Fitbit Versa Work in the Water?

Yes.

Before buying it, I’d read several reviews from people claiming their Fitbit had stopped working after swimming. Understandably, that made me slightly apprehensive about taking mine into the pool.

Thankfully, despite the inaccurate lap counting, my Versa continued to work perfectly well in the water.

Or, perhaps more accurately, it didn’t die on me.

It was also useful for timing my 50 lengths, so it wasn’t completely useless as a swimming companion.

What About Step Counting?

I wasn’t convinced that the Versa counted my everyday steps as accurately as my previous Fitbit Charge 2 either.

Then again, perhaps it was the Charge 2 that was inaccurate. Who knows?

One thing that particularly puzzled me was that on swimming days, my activity in the pool appeared to contribute towards my steps.

As a result, I always ended up with an impressively high step count after swimming.

I suppose there are worse problems to have.

I could swipe up on the Versa to see my total steps and hourly activity, but it required more effort than simply tapping my old Fitbit or turning my wrist for a quick glance.

Would I Recommend the Original Fitbit Versa for Swimming?

If you’re considering an original Fitbit Versa primarily for swimming, based on my experience I wouldn’t recommend buying one specifically for accurate lap counting.

The watch survived regular swimming without any problems and was useful for timing workouts, but its lap counting simply wasn’t reliable enough for me.

Given how inaccurate it was in the pool, I probably should have returned it.

My friend John certainly thought I was bonkers for keeping it.

The truth is, I couldn’t be bothered returning it and then starting the hunt for something else all over again.

Fitbit Versa Swimming Review: My Verdict

For everyday motivation, step tracking and encouraging me to get off my backside, I enjoyed having a Fitbit.

For swimming, however, my original Versa didn’t deliver what I’d bought it for.

The good: It survived regular swimming, timed my workouts and continued to motivate me to stay active.

The bad: Its lap counting was frequently inaccurate, sometimes by as many as ten lengths during a 50-length swim.

Technology has moved on considerably since I first wrote this review in 2019, and newer Fitbit devices may perform differently. This post reflects my personal experience with the original Fitbit Versa rather than Fitbit’s current range.

If you’ve used a Fitbit for swimming, I’d still love to hear about your experience. Did yours count your laps accurately? And if you’ve found a wearable that’s particularly good in the pool, let me know in the comments.