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Reviews about this item

Review Summary

2024-03-01T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Excellent Service

My watch was 4 years old and was beginning to not operate fully, i contacted the customer support team and Crystal explained the process of returns and repairing versus replacement, within a few days of posting i had received a replacement watch!

Yvonne

2024-02-28T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Manual en castellano

Buenos días!!! Por favor, me podrian enviar el manual en castellano. Gracias SAludos

Marcelo R.

2023-10-29T20:00:00

Rated 2 out of 5

Having a difficult time to download the manual,

I can not fully use the features as it is hard without the full manual

abebaby2

2023-10-28T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Totally Impressed!

I am a Garmin fan and own several other products. I am also an avid canoeist/kayaker/fish/hunt etc. This watch has so many features I can't begin to explain how useful it's become, but tracking, back tracking, acreage, navigation, health, it does it all and extremely well. I can also pair it with my InReach and using it with Garmin Connect & Explorer just rounds it all off! The battery life is amazing. Anyone who spends time in the outdoors should own one of these and if you spend more that seven days out camping, trekking etc I definitely recommend the "solar" version.

Redrider48

2023-08-20T20:00:00

Rated 2 out of 5

Inaccurate Surf Watch

I have three instinct solar surf watches, two for the wife, one for me and they are not accurate for surfing. Speed, distance, wave count all not correctly measured. Longest wave on the map, a dot. 25 mph on a 2ft wave east coast Florida. 5 waves when I had over 20. I have adjusted the settings, and nothing really works. Every once in a while it's close but not accurate. Garmin, the world leader in navigation builds a surf specific watch that doesn't measure surf correctly. The only reason I gave it two stars is the other features it has are nice and I use but, it's a SURF WATCH! Hope my boat electronics work better.

Capt B.

2023-06-09T20:00:00

Rated 1 out of 5

Instinct failures

This watch worked fine for the first 16 months, now heart rate feature gives bad data while exercising, and the altitude tracking feature is incredibly inaccurate as well.

PS2023

2023-03-09T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Everything your favorite Casio was times 10!

I've been a Casio watch guy since 1985. As a serial hobbyist and avid outdoor/water person the Casio always fit my lifestyle. The Garmin Instinct picks up where the Casio leaves off. Fitness tracking with steps and heart data encourages me to move. Altitude and barometer so cool. The compass comes in handy on my Sunfish sailboat where I don't bring my phone. And the best part; I don't have to charge it for weeks at a time! Band is super comfortable to boot.

Sailonsailor65

2023-01-14T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Loving it overall

It is a powerhouse of features. Love the data I can get for runs, hiking, walking, water sports. It is super helpful to get tide information on my wrist instead of looking it up. With so many features, definitely takes a bit of time to learn how to use, personalize (still working on that), and make things easier. A bit large for my wrist, I sometimes have to force tide information update, and even with personalization options, so e basic things I want to see on a screen are lacking.

Heath101

2023-01-04T19:00:00

Rated 2 out of 5

Instinct Solar Surf

Good watch didn't know it doesn't allow different watch faces?? Would have gotten a different model.

Edge1

2022-12-18T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Good but not great

Overall not disappointed for price...I got on sale now that new model is out. Losses tide data if on the beach with poor cellular coverage-which is a lot of beaches in San Diego. The tide data should be stored onboard like most tide traditional watches. Otherwise pretty cool (my first smart watch). Also, it didn't come with instructions so you gotta hunt them down online.

Bigshackattack

2022-12-14T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great watch

I bought this watch as a Christmas present for myself and really enjoy all the info it provides. Also Garmin has first class customer support. I called and talked to a rep in Olathe, Kansas who was unbelievably patient and helpful. Highly recommend this company and product!

RBM3

2022-06-23T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

I love everything about Garmin!

I love Garmin products and customer service! The best!

TnT2

2022-05-29T20:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Love this watch

I'm super happy with the fitness trackers on this watch as well as the tide feature.

Kj84

2022-05-04T20:00:00

Rated 3 out of 5

Solid watch price a little steep

Love the watch lots of positives. Price is high compared to galaxy/apple watches. The display isn't colored but I scuba 5 days a week and this watch display works the best out in the sunlight. I just wish the price wasn't so high. I feel that they are a little over priced.

Jp305

2022-03-19T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great GPS smart watch

Biggest plus: the batter lasts forever! It is comfortable and I like all the sleep feedback. It was a little wonky getting the treadmill distance calibrated, but after 4 runs, it is working properly now, it plays nicely with my iPhone. Downside: I miss the color display of the applewatch and Apple Pay. I have not had the opportunity to use it backpacking yet..the main reason for the purchase.

Wyoming g.

2022-03-13T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great device

I got a bit frustrated when bike packing for 8 hours a day and my gps watch that I used to record my ride went flat after 6 hours. Haven't tried it bike packing yet but the battery currently shows as 24 days and I have been wearing it for 4 days. The Sola charging appears to be working very well. I don't expect to have any issues with the watch going flat.

Euan

2022-03-01T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great battery power

I bought this a month ago, to avoid having to charge my smart watch every day. I have worn it for a week since I fully charged it. Still has 15 days left on it. It does everything I need from a smart watch. The watch is also comfortable to wear. Thank you Garmin

Garmin s.

2022-02-25T19:00:00

Rated 3 out of 5

Not a Good Surf Watch

The app used to sync with Surfline sessions and provide way too many wave counts. Now my 1.5 hour sessions are only registering 2-5 waves. Also, the tide data is inaccurate based on GPS location of nearest data point.

Instinct S.

2022-02-23T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Instinct Solar Surfin' like a Boss!

Stoked! My trusty Forerunner XT720 used daily since 2016 finally died?. Aiiiyaaa! So I got this, and I am happy as!!! I'm a paddler. Quite a serious one. And a Skier. Quite a serious one. And a Geologist. Rather serious about that, too. This does everything I need. And it has ZERO golf settings!!!!

MetamorphicJess

2022-02-04T19:00:00

Rated 1 out of 5

No great features

I bought this to use for windsurfing. Find out non of the apps on Garmin IQ support this model.

Malp

2022-01-30T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Wow...does this thing do a lot!

I love this device. It does everything I wanted it to do. The only down side is it is a bit complicated to operate. Thank God for YouTube

Bikedude2

2022-01-23T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Solid Watch

Bought this about a month ago and it's been one of the best watches I've owned in a while , it has my local tides and logs many everyday physical activities! Good job Garmin !!

jonnyx3

2022-01-20T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Instinct solar surf

Christmas 2021 gift. Went Snow Skiing 3x early January. Should have taken the time to read entire manual. Not intuitive for old sock like me. Never got results from watch as intended. Yes I made too many rookie mistakes in setting up and concluding the activity. I still have high expectations for using tide info when fishing this summer. For what ever it's worth, I gave my two sons a instinct solar each, Trust their more technically minded and will not experience the road bump too.

Mr T.

2022-01-19T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Really nice watch.

My daughter got this watch for me as a Christmas gift. Very cool watch. Love the surfing feature as well as the tide monitor. Plus all the other things that it can do. Only downside I've encountered is that I have to be at a specific beach in order to get the tides for that beach. It utilizes the GPS to obtain the tides. Would be nice to be able to get the tides for a location that I am going to. But, it does do all the tracking of activities as well as pace, steps, calories etc. Solar charging is a bonus.

Bull 4.

2022-01-16T19:00:00

Rated 1 out of 5

Difficult to set up

The instructions that come with the watch are awful. I found some Utube videos but still had trouble setting up the watch. It froze on me. Would have loved to have tried it but sent it back. If Apple can make user friendly watches, why can't Garmin.

photogman

2022-01-07T19:00:00

Rated 1 out of 5

Not the best

Lots of functions, a few of which are useful and user friendly

Sorry

2021-12-26T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Perfect!

Needed a watch to track heart rate and exercise activities and this watch fits the bill!

Jiro353

2021-12-21T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Pretty good

Have used for a couple months. HR monitor not so good when compared to chest strap HR, but better while surfing. Can't use IQ store at all, even after following on-line Connect removal, forget and reinstall. The watch is nice, plenty of features, like the tides, and Connect is ok as well.

SurfSF

2021-11-29T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Great watch, but surf feature doesn't work

Love this watch, highly recommend the Garmin instinct solar, but I wouldn't get the surf version again. I'm an avid surfer, but the surf function doesn't work. It's too sensitive. It'll do stuff like add getting hit by a wave during the paddle out as catching a wave. If you're a surfer you're better off getting a regular instinct solar and using the open swim function. That's what I use for surfing on this watch because distance paddled is a more useful metric than an inaccurate wave count. That being said Garmin makes a quality product and for every other activity I use it for, lap swimming, cycling, running, etc it works flawlessly.

Deepseamax

2021-10-18T20:00:00

Rated 1 out of 5

Worst watch ever!

I had before a Foreunner735XT and I loved it so I bought this one specific to track my surf sessions... I just received this Surf watch to realize I cant' even see my local break tide cause the phone App "is not available in my region", I mean, I'm in Costa Rica, is not Afganistan nor Cuba. So I have this surf "smart" watch that does not track tides and I can't even upload any data from/to my phone, so its a ~$400 useless piece of plastic. So disappointing, now I can see why people is going away from Garmin, you are making your customers

Jonathan S.

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Garmin Instinct Solar Surf Specifications

  • Color

    Pipeline

  • Lens Material

    Power Glass

  • Bezel Material

    Fiber-reinforced polymer

  • Case Material

    Fiber-reinforced polymer

  • Quickfit Watch Band Compatible

    Yes (22mm)

  • Strap Material

    Silicone

  • Display Size

    Custom, two-window design: 0.9 x 0.9" (23 x 23mm)

  • Display Resolution

    128 x 128 pixels

  • Display Type

    Monochrome, sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP)

  • Battery Life

    Smartwatch: Up to 24 days/54 days with solar
    Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 56 days/Unlimited with solar
    GPS: Up to 30 hours/38 hours with solar
    Max Battery GPS Mode: Up to 70 hours/145 hours with solar
    Expedition GPS Activity: Up to 28 days/68 days with solar

  • Water Rating

    10 ATM

  • Memory/History

    16MB

  • Dimensions

    1.77 x 1.77 x 0.60" (45 x 45 x 15.3mm)
    Fits wrists with a circumference of 132-224 mm

  • Weight

    1.87 oz (53g)

  • UPC Code

    753759258825

About Garmin Instinct Solar Surf

FEATURED REVIEWS

Excellent Service

By Yvonne

My watch was 4 years old and was beginning to not operate fully, i contacted the customer support team and Crystal explained the process of returns and repairing versus replacement, within a few days of posting i had received a replacement watch!

Totally Impressed!

By Redrider48

I am a Garmin fan and own several other products. I am also an avid canoeist/kayaker/fish/hunt etc. This watch has so many features I can't begin to explain how useful it's become, but tracking, back tracking, acreage, navigation, health, it does it all and extremely well. I can also pair it with my InReach and using it with Garmin Connect & Explorer just rounds it all off! The battery life is amazing. Anyone who spends time in the outdoors should own one of these and if you spend more that s...

View full Review

Chase the Wave - Longer
Outlast the tides with dedicated surf features, incredible battery life, and solar charging.

• Experience unprecedented battery life with solar charging
• Make the most of every wave with tide data and dedicated surfing activity
• GPS, GLONASS and Galileo. Your 3 best friends in the wild
• Train smarter with built-in sports apps right on your wrist
• Get notifications straight from your phone to your wrist
• Do more. Charge less. Get up to 54 days in smartwatch mode

Engineered for Endurance
Water resistant up to 100 meters, fiber-reinforced polymer case, scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla glass and a battery powered by the sun creates a device that's built to endure.

Designed to Be Daring
Bold colors, high contrast displays and purpose-built design bring to life a non-traditional smartwatch that turns heads at every glance.

Break the mold.

Solar Battery
Variable based on sun-exposure, the Instinct Solar GPS smartwatch can provide unprecedented battery life to those that explore under the sun.

Military Standard 810
Instinct is built to the U.S. military standard 810 for thermal, shock and water resistance (rated to 100 meters).

Power Manager
View how various settings and sensors impact your watch's battery life, so you can make battery-extending changes on the fly.

Tide Data
Simply by looking at your wrist, stay up to date on ocean conditions to help catch the perfect wave.

Surf Activity
Record the number of waves surfed, maximum speed reached and distance traveled by using the surf activity profile.

Surfline Sessions
Get ready to catch some waves. Instinct Solar - Surf Edition works with Surfline Sessions, which creates a video of every wave you ride in front a Surfline camera, so you can watch them later and see how you did.

Train smarter.

Sports Apps
Use preloaded activity profiles for surfing, swimming, running, biking, hiking, rowing, strength and more.

Wrist-Based Heart Rate
Get heart rate data along with alerts if your heart rate stays too high or too low while you're at rest. Gauge how hard your heart is working during activities, even underwater.

Pulse OX
For altitude acclimation or sleep monitoring, a Pulse Ox sensor uses light beams at your wrist to gauge how well your body is absorbing oxygen.

Stress Tracking
Heart rate variability is used to calculate your stress level score, so you can see if you're having a calm, balanced or stressful day.

Body Battery Energy Monitor
Optimize your body's energy reserves, using heart rate variability, stress, sleep and other data to gauge when you're ready to be active or when you may need to rest.

Trust your Instincts. But also confirm them

Multi-GNSS Support
Access multiple global navigation satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) to track in more challenging environments than GPS alone.

ABC Sensors
Navigate your next trail with ABC sensors, including an altimeter for elevation data, barometer to monitor weather and three-axis electronic compass.

Tracback Routing
Take the guesswork out of your return journey by using this feature to navigate the same route back to your starting point.

Stay connected.

Smart Notifications
Receive emails, texts and alerts right on your watch when paired with a compatible device.

Pair for Satellite Communication
Pair Instinct with an inReach device (sold separately; active satellite subscription required) to view and send messages, get weather alerts on your wrist and trigger an SOS to the GEOS 24/7 emergency response team.

Calendar View
Easily see your plans for the day with a dedicated calendar screen.

Garmin Instinct Solar Surf Features

  • Clock Features
  • Time/Date
  • Gps Time Sync
  • Automatic Daylight Saving Time
  • Alarm Clock
  • Timer
  • Stopwatch
  • Sunrise/Sunset Times
  • Health Monitoring Features
  • Wrist-Based Heart Rate (Constant, Every Second)
  • Daily Resting Heart Rate
  • Abnormal Heart Rate Alerts (yes, high and low)
  • Body Battery Energy Monitor
  • All-Day Stress Tracking
  • Relaxation Breathing Timer
  • Sleep
  • Hydration (Yes, in Garmin Connect)
  • Menstrual Cycle (Yes, in Garmin Connect)
  • Sensors Features
  • Gps
  • Glonass
  • Galileo
  • Garmin Elevate Wrist Heart Rate Monitor
  • Barometric Altimeter
  • Compass
  • Accelerometer
  • Thermometer
  • Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor
  • Daily Smart Features
  • Connectivity Bluetooth, ANT+
  • Smart Notifications
  • Text Response/Reject Phone Call With Text (Android Only)
  • Calendar
  • Weather
  • Battery Saver - Customizable Low Power Watch
  • Controls Smartphone Music
  • Find My Phone
  • Find My Watch
  • Virb Remote
  • Smartphone Compatibility iPhone, Android
  • Pairs With Garmin Connect Mobile
  • Safety And Tracking Features
  • Livetrack
  • Tactical Features
  • Dual Grid Coordinates
  • Activity Tracking Features
  • Step Counter
  • Move Bar (Displays On Device After A Period Of Inactivity; Walk For A Couple Of Minutes To Reset It)
  • Auto Goal (Learns Your Activity Level And Assigns A Daily Step Goal)
  • Calories Burned
  • Floors Climbed
  • Distance Traveled
  • Intensity Minutes
  • Trueup
  • Move Iq
  • Gym & Fitness Equipment Features
  • Available Gym Activity Profiles Strength, Cardio and Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Rowing, Pilates and Yoga
  • Cardio Workouts
  • Strength Workouts
  • Automatic Rep Counting
  • Training, Planning And Analysis Features
  • HR Zones
  • HR Alerts
  • HR Calories
  • % HR Max
  • % HRR
  • Auto Max HR
  • HR Broadcast (Broadcasts HR Data Over Ant+ to Paired Devices)
  • Respiration Rate (During Exercise) (Yes, with compatible accessory)
  • Gps Speed And Distance
  • Customizable Data Pages
  • Customizable Activity Profiles
  • Auto Pause
  • Interval Training
  • Advanced Workouts
  • Downloadable Training Plans
  • Power Modes - Customizable In-Activity Battery Settings
  • Auto Lap
  • Manual Lap
  • Configurable Lap Alerts
  • Custom Alerts
  • Audio Prompts
  • Finish Time
  • Virtual Partner
  • Race An Activity
  • Course Guidance
  • Touch And/Or Button Lock
  • Hot Keys
  • Auto Scroll
  • Activity History On Watch
  • Physio Trueup
  • Running Features
  • Available Run Profiles Running, Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running, Trail Running
  • Gps-Based Distance, Time And Pace
  • Cadence (Provides Real-Time Number Of Steps Per Minute)
  • Run Workouts
  • Foot Pod Capable
  • Outdoor Recreation Features
  • Available Outdoor Recreation Profiles (Surfing, Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Kayaking, Hiking, Climbing, Mountain Biking, Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Skiing, Fishing, Hunting, Tactical)
  • Point-To-Point Navigation
  • Bread Crumb Trail In Real Time
  • Back To Start
  • Tracback
  • Ultratrac Mode
  • Elevation Profile
  • Distance To Destination
  • Barometric Trend Indicator With Storm Alert
  • Trail Run Auto Climb
  • Vertical Speed
  • Total Ascent/Descent
  • Future Elevation Plot
  • Compatible With Basecamp
  • Gps Coordinates
  • Sight 'N Go
  • Area Calculation
  • Projected Waypoint
  • Sun And Moon Information
  • Xero Locations
  • Expedition Gps Activity
  • Tides
  • Cycling Features
  • Alerts (Triggers Alarm When You Reach Goals Including Time, Distance, Heart Rate Or Calories)
  • Courses
  • Available Cycling Profiles (Biking, Indoor Biking, Mountain Biking, Triathlon)
  • Race An Activity
  • Speed And Cadence Sensor Support (Yes, Ant+ and Bluetooth Smart Sensors)
  • Swimming Features
  • Available Swim Profiles (Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming)
  • Open-Water Swim Metrics (Distance, Pace, Stroke Count/Rate, Stroke Distance, Swim Efficiency (Swolf), Calories)
  • Pool Swim Metrics (Lengths, Distance, Pace, Stroke Count, Swim Efficiency (Swolf), Calories)
  • Stroke Type Detection (Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly) (Pool Swim Only)
  • Drill Logging (Pool Swim Only)
  • Basic Rest Timer (Up From 0) (Pool Swim Only)
  • "Repeat On" Rest Timer (Pool Swim Only)
  • Time and Distance Alerts
  • Pool Swim Workouts
  • Underwater Wrist-Based Heart Rate

Key Features

  • Engineered for Endurance
  • Designed to Be Daring
  • Solar Battery
  • Military Standard 810
  • Power Manager
  • Tide Data

What's in the box:

  • Instinct Solar Surf Edition GPS Smartwatch (Surf Pipeline)
  • Charging/Data Cable
  • User Manual
  • Garmin 1 Year Limited Warranty