The Garmin Instinct 2S Solar Surf Edition. Photo: Rebecca Parsons/The Inertia
I love knowing the ins, outs, and finer details of my activities. Ever since I got my first GPS running watch in high school, I have been obsessed with keeping track of my stats. For a long time, GPS watches only worked on land (and weren’t very waterproof) so they were mainly useful for running or hiking. One time, I remember temping fate and wearing my GPS running watch while standup paddling to figure out how far I was going (being extremely careful not to fall in). But tracking a surf session was strictly out of the question.
In the past decade or so, wearable technology has improved in leaps and bounds and the surf watches that are on the market nowadays are pretty incredible. Garmin has been my go-to for running watches for years, so when I heard that they were making a surf watch, I had to get my hands on it.
I’ve had the Garmin Instinct 2S Solar Surf Edition (the sized-down version of the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar Surf) for a little over a year now, and it’s safe to say that it’s a top-tier option for anyone looking to keep track of their stats while surfing, as well as other activities in and out of the water. Here’s my take. To see how it stacks up against other surf watches on the market, check out our guide to the best surf watches.
What’s the Difference Between The Instinct 2 and the Instinct 2S?
The watch I tested is the Garmin Instinct 2S Solar Surf Edition. That’s the smaller version of the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar Surf, with the 2S clocking in with a 40mm case, and the 2 having a size of 45mm. As a result, the 2S is lighter, and the 2 has a slightly higher resolution display – 176×176 pixels opposed to the 2S’ 156×156 display – as well as a slightly longer battery life (28 days on smartwatch mode vs. 21 days for the 2S).
Garmin Instinct 2S Solar Surf: First Impressions
| Pros | Cons |
| Lightweight and comfortable | Watch face is a little small for the overall size |
| Capable of tracking tons of different sports (in addition to surfing) | Battery life is shorter than advertised |
| Easy to use | Wave count/speed aren’t completely accurate |
Let me start off by saying that I am not tech savvy. So, the idea of a GPS smart watch definitely intimidated me, and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to work the watch. On top of not being technologically inclined, I really don’t like reading directions. When I purchase something, I want to be able to take it out of the box, charge it if necessary, and be good to go.
Thankfully, the Garmin Instinct 2S Solar Surf is surprisingly user-friendly. I’ve had Garmin watches in the past so I may have a leg up on someone without that experience, but trust me – if I can figure out how to use this watch, you can too.
My other thoughts upon first acquiring the Instinct 2S Solar Surf was that it was slim and comfortable. In my experience, most GPS/smart watches are on the bulkier side, but the Instinct 2S fits like a regular watch. As someone with very small wrists, I really appreciate that Garmin offers this watch in a smaller size as well as the regular Instinct 2 Solar Surf.
Notable Features of the Garmin Instinct 2S Solar Surf
Battery Life: 21 days in smartwatch mode, up to 51 days with solar charging
Water Rating: 100 meters
Display Type: Monochrome, sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP)
Size: 40 x 40 x 13.3 mm
Weight: 43 g
Despite the size, the Instinct 2S Solar Surf really packs a punch. This watch does everything. Not only is it capable of tracking surf sessions, but it works for pretty much any other activity you can think of: running, hiking, cycling, swimming, wind surfing, strength training, indoor climbing, golf, yoga, standup paddling, kiteboarding, and more. I mainly use my watch for surfing, running, hiking, standup paddling, and strength training, but I love that it works for nearly any sport and I’m excited to test out additional sports as I engage in them.
Because this watch was specifically designed for the surf it has a few cool, surf-worthy features. Once you pair the watch with your smartphone, it offers tide data, which is super helpful, especially if your go-to spot is tide dependent. It tracks each surf session and afterwards shows a summary of the number of waves surfed, your maximum speed, and distance traveled. Finally, when paired with your phone you can get Surfline data and use the Surfline Sessions feature, which creates videos of every wave you ride (you must have a Surfline membership to use this feature).
Other fun features on offer include smart notifications from your phone (while connected via bluetooth), Garmin Pay contactless payments, a calendar view, safety and tracking features, a wrist-based heart rate monitor, stress tracking, sleep score and advanced sleep monitoring, daily workout suggestions, a VO2 max reader, and so much more. I probably don’t utilize as many of the features as I could, but it’s so cool that they’re there.
Testing the Instinct 2S Solar Surf in Fiji. Photo: Rebecca Parsons/The Inertia
As someone who struggles with sleep, that is the feature that I use the most (aside from tracking my workouts). The watch tells me what time I fell asleep and woke up, the quality of my sleep, and the amount of time I spend awake throughout the night. Hard to know if it is 100% accurate, but I do think it’s fairly accurate and it has been really helpful with figuring out a healthy sleep routine to maximize my performance both on and off the water.
Finally, Garmin has a compatible app where you can store and access all of your data. At the end of each day, I sync my watch with my phone and am able to view all of the day’s workouts, my step count, sleep score, heart rate, and more. You are also able to befriend fellow Garmin users and view their workouts as well.
Surf stats on the Garmin Instinct 2S Solar Surf. Photo: Rebecca Parsons/The Inertia
Drawbacks
I love that this watch is on the small side, but the only drawback of this is that the watch face can be hard to see at times. For example, when I’m running, my overall time is larger but I have to hold the watch close to see my pace. There are options for different watch faces, though, so you can set your watch so that whatever feature you look at the most can be the largest.
The other downside of this watch is that I found that the projected amount of use per charge isn’t the most accurate. When fully charged and using all of the features the watch allows in “smartwatch mode,” Garmin says the watch should be good for 21 days. I found this to be accurate if you’re simply wearing the watch, but if you’re actively using features and running sessions, it drains the battery a lot quicker. They do tell you battery life times when using the GPS on their site, but the 21 days can be misleading. Also, figuring out how to switch to the smartwatch mode and rely on the solar charging proved to be challenging.
The Garmin Instinct Solar 2 works great for running and other activities as well. Photo: Rebecca Parsons/The Inertia
As far as surfing goes, the Instinct 2S Solar Surf relays your wave count and maximum wave speed, but I haven’t found it to be incredibly accurate. Most times, the wave count is close but sometimes it picks up when I’m just paddling. I’ve also seen it say that my maximum wave speed was 50 mph (I’d love to say that’s true but it’s definitely not).
When I surf the same region consistently, however it seems to do pretty well and be fairly accurate, but when I travel it seems to throw it out of whack and the numbers are less consistent. I’ve tried a number of other surf watches and have found a similar problem with those as well. Hopefully more accurate tracking is something surf watches overall will improve on with time.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a GPS surf watch that does it all, the Garmin Instinct 2S Solar Surf Edition is a great pick. It’s Surfline compatible and tracks your surf sessions, offering data like total wave count, maximum speed, and distance travelled. In addition to surfing, it works for dozens of other sports and activities and has other health features like a wrist-based heart rate monitor, sleep monitor, VO2 max score, and so much more. Where once I wore a watch just while running, I now wear this watch every day and am constantly up to date on my fitness, performance, surfing, and every little detail in between.
Check Price on Amazon Check Price on GarminEditor’s Note: If you’re interested in how the Garmin Instinct 2S Solar Surf compares to other surf watches, take a look at our review on The Best Surf Watches of 2023. For more gear reviews and features on The Inertia, click here.
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