Garmin Fenix 6 Pro just got a free update that surfers will love

New Garmin Surfline widget delivers key local surf info direct to your wrist

Garmin watch showing new Surfline widget, with person surfing in the background
(Image credit: Garmin)
Ruth Hamilton's avatar
By
published
in News

Garmin has launched a new Surfline Widget designed to deliver useful information to surfers, at a glance, via a compatible smartwatch. For watersports fans, it could be the new feature that helps justify the not-insignificant cost of a Garmin Fenix 6 Pro (for our money, one of the very best outdoor watches around). 

The free widget determines the five closest beaches to the watch-wearer (it's available globally), then pulls in information such as surf quality, tide times, wave height and wind, to help them decide whether to head out and where the gnarliest waves are at, man.  

You will, of course, need a compatible Garmin smartwatch to use the widget – alongside the many Fenix 6 Pro models, it'll also work with a bunch of others including the Forerunner range. Although we're surprised to see that it's not available for the Garmin Instinct Solar, even though that has a dedicated Surf edition. 

The data is pulled in from Surfline, which means you could of course just access it via the browser, but this seems much quicker and cleaner, and we're all for that. Garmin has put some effort into delivering the info in an easy to understand manner, with clear visual representations that can be accessed at the touch of a button. 

"We know how important it is for surfers to have up-to-date surf conditions so they can pick the best break to surf," says Garmin's Dan Bartel. "Being able to glance at their wrist and quickly scroll through various surf conditions at a moment’s notice is a feature we believe surfers will find convenient and helpful."

While it's fairly obviously marketed at surfers, we reckon it could be useful for beach lovers of all kinds, especially if you want to go paddle boarding along the coast or check the conditions for swimming. 

The Garmin Surfline Widget is available globally, and free to download now from the Garmin Connect IQ store. On that link you'll also find info to help you install the widget, as well as a list of compatible devices.

Ruth Hamilton
Ruth Hamilton

Ruth is a lifestyle journalist specialising in sleep and wellbeing. She has tested more mattresses than her small flat can handle and will talk at length about them to anyone who shows even a passing interest, and has had to implement a one-in-one-out pillow policy for fear of getting smothered in the night. As well as following all the industry trends and advancements in the mattress and bedding world, she regularly speaks to certified experts to delve into the science behind a great night's sleep, and offer you advice to help you get there. She's currently Sleep Editor on Tom's Guide and TechRadar, and prior to that ran the Outdoors and Wellness channels on T3 (now covered by Matt Kollat and Beth Girdler-Maslen respectively).