Open-water swimmers do not have lane lines to keep them on course. Wind, current, glare, chop, and an uneven breathing pattern can all turn a small heading error into extra distance. Checking a watch or lifting your head too often can also interrupt your rhythm.

HoloSwim 3 Pro brings route and heading information into your line of sight. Built as GPS smart swim goggles for open water, it combines a heads-up display, dual-frequency multi-mode GNSS, compass guidance, waypoint navigation, and post-swim syncing. The goal is not to replace sighting or swimmer judgment, but to give you a live reference while you train.

What are smart GPS swim goggles?

Smart GPS swim goggles combine swim eyewear with embedded sensors and an in-goggle display. In open water, they can record your route, show directional cues, and help you follow a planned course. After the session, you can review your swim data in the companion app.

The key difference from a standard pair of racing goggles is when the information becomes useful. A post-swim GPS map shows where you went. In-goggle navigation gives you information during the swim, when you can still adjust your heading.

How GPS, compass guidance, and route navigation work together

Open-water navigation is not a single feature. GPS, the compass, waypoints, and visual sighting each play a different role.

GPS tracking records your position

HoloSwim 3 Pro uses dual-frequency, multi-mode GNSS with support for GPS, BeiDou, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS. It records your movement across open water so you can follow route progress during the session and review your swim path afterward.

Compass guidance shows your heading

The compass provides a directional reference while you are moving. If wind, current, or your stroke pattern starts to turn you away from the active waypoint, the display helps you recognize the change and make a measured correction.

Waypoints turn a course into manageable targets

Before entering the water, create a multi-waypoint route in the HoloSport app. During the swim, HoloSwim 3 Pro guides you toward the active waypoint. When you reach it, the target advances automatically to the next point. If you move off course, the direction cue helps you bring the target line back toward 12 o'clock.

Visual sighting keeps you aware of the real environment

Navigation technology cannot identify every boat, swimmer, wave, or changing weather condition around you. Continue to practice open-water sighting and safety skills, confirm landmarks regularly, and make conservative decisions about where and when to swim.

What changes when guidance is in your line of sight?

The practical benefit is faster feedback. Instead of waiting until a wide drift becomes obvious, you can notice a heading change earlier and make a smaller correction. This can be useful when a buoy is difficult to see, a shoreline landmark disappears behind chop, or surrounding swimmers make it harder to hold your chosen line.

• Stay oriented: See the direction of the active waypoint while you swim.
• Protect your rhythm: Use in-goggle cues as an additional reference between visual checks.
• Train with structure: Build repeatable loops, point-to-point swims, or buoy-to-buoy sessions before entering the water.
• Review afterward: Sync the session to the HoloSport app to examine your route and training data.

Open water remains dynamic, so no navigation device can promise a perfectly straight line in every condition. HoloSwim 3 Pro is designed to support awareness and course discipline, not remove the need for sound technique and judgment.

HoloSwim 3 Pro navigation features

Plan and sync your route before you swim

Route Navigation is now available on HoloSwim 3 Pro. In the HoloSport App, create a route with multiple waypoints, save a public route, or generate a route from a previous open-water swim. Sync your chosen route to the goggles before entering the water; HoloSwim 3 Pro can store up to five routes.

Planning in advance gives you time to consider entry and exit points, visible landmarks, water conditions, and backup exits. During the swim, the goggles guide you toward the active waypoint and advance to the next segment when you reach its arrival area.

Update the HoloSport App and your goggles’ firmware before getting started. Calibrate the compass while wearing the goggles and wait for the GPS-ready check mark before starting your session.

Read the open-water GPS and Route Navigation setup guide.

Swim without a phone connection

Once the route is prepared, you do not need a phone connection in the water. Start the session with the goggles, follow the in-goggle guidance, and sync your data back to the app after the swim.

Move through waypoints automatically

The goggles display guidance for the current waypoint and advance to the next target when you arrive. This keeps the route moving without requiring manual input during the session.

Use a display built for swimming

The vertical 30-degree heads-up display keeps selected information visible without requiring you to handle another device. HoloSwim 3 Pro weighs 73 g, carries an IP68 waterproof rating, and provides up to five hours of battery life in open-water GPS mode.

Add heart rate to your training feedback

Navigation tells you where to go. Heart rate gives you another reference for the effort you are putting into the swim.

HoloSwim 3 Pro now supports real-time heart-rate display from a paired HandPlus B2. Connect your goggles to the HoloSport App, open External device → HandPlus, and add your monitor. Once paired and worn correctly, B2 sends heart-rate readings to the goggle display while you swim.

HandPlus B2 is a separate monitor. Wear it on the same side as the goggle display, with the sensor against your skin.

Learn how to pair HandPlus B2 with HoloSwim goggles.

HoloSwim 3 Pro vs HoloSwim 2 Pro

Both models bring swim data into your field of view, but they handle open-water GPS differently. HoloSwim 3 Pro has built-in GPS and can provide GPS data, compass guidance, and route navigation without relying on a watch. HoloSwim 2 Pro does not have a built-in GPS chip; in open water, it relies on a compatible Apple Watch or Garmin watch to supply data such as GPS position, distance, pace, and heart rate.

Capability	HoloSwim 3 Pro	HoloSwim 2 Pro
Built-in GPS	Yes	No; relies on a compatible GPS watch
View GPS, distance, and pace data	Available through the goggles' built-in GPS system	Available when paired with a compatible Apple Watch or Garmin watch
Compass guidance	Yes	No
Multi-waypoint GPS navigation	Yes	No
Best suited to	Pool training, open-water tracking, and guided route navigation	Structured swim training and in-goggle data from compatible sensors or watches

Choose HoloSwim 3 Pro for independent open-water navigation

Choose HoloSwim 3 Pro when you want GPS tracking, compass guidance, and multi-waypoint routes built into the goggles. You can view navigation information during the swim without using a watch as the GPS data source.

Choose HoloSwim 2 Pro for connected training data

Choose HoloSwim 2 Pro when your priority is structured training feedback and you are comfortable pairing the goggles with other devices. In open water, connect a supported Apple Watch or one of the compatible Garmin watch models to display supported GPS and workout data in the goggles. Watch compatibility varies by model, so confirm your device before buying.

For real-time heart rate in your field of view, HoloSwim 2 Pro can also pair with the HandPlus B2 Heart Rate Monitor. This makes the 2 Pro and B2 combination a useful option for swimmers who want to manage training intensity without turning HoloSwim 2 Pro into a GPS navigation device.

Smart goggles and swimming watches solve different problems

A swimming watch is useful for recording workouts, storing multisport data, and reviewing a GPS track after training. With HoloSwim 2 Pro, a compatible watch can also act as the source for supported open-water data shown inside the goggles.

HoloSwim 3 Pro changes that relationship because its built-in GPS supports tracking and navigation without a paired watch. A watch can still be useful for multisport recording, but it is optional rather than the source of the goggles' GPS guidance. When comparing smart goggles vs a swimming watch, decide whether you want connected data display, independent in-goggle navigation, or both.

From open-water routes to pool workouts

For swimmers who train in both environments, HoloSwim 3 Pro now also supports pool Training Plans. Create a workout with warm-up, main set and cool-down stages, or save a public plan in the HoloSport App. Sync it to the goggles before swimming, then follow your repeats, distance, timing and rest countdowns in the display.

Learn how to create and use pool Training Plans.

If you need distance correction, custom prescription goggles are also available with separate left- and right-eye powers from −2.00D to −6.00D. These require a new custom pair of goggles.

See all HoloSwim 3 Pro October updates.

Who are GPS swim goggles for?

HoloSwim 3 Pro is designed for open-water swimmers, triathletes, distance swimmers, and performance-focused athletes who want more structure during outdoor sessions. It can support familiar training loops, point-to-point routes, buoy practice, and pre-race course preparation.

Triathletes should also consider fit, comfort, visibility, and how the goggles work with the rest of their race setup. This guide can help you choose swim goggles for triathlon based on the conditions and feedback you need.

Checklist for your first guided open-water swim

1. Charge HoloSwim 3 Pro before leaving for the water.
2. Update the HoloSport App and the goggles’ firmware, then sync your chosen route to the goggles.
   
3. Create a short, simple route in the HoloSport app.
4. Review the entry point, exit point, and backup exit options.
5. Check weather, water temperature, visibility, traffic, and local rules.
   
6. Calibrate the compass while wearing the goggles and wait for the GPS-ready check mark before starting.
7. Fit the goggles and confirm that the display is comfortable and readable.
8. Begin in familiar water with obvious visual landmarks.
9. Continue sighting at regular intervals while guidance is active.
10. Sync the session afterward and compare the recorded path with your planned route.

A short out-and-back or compact loop is a better first test than a long or unfamiliar course. Learn how the display, compass, and waypoint transitions behave before relying on them in more demanding conditions.

Safety limits to respect

HoloSwim 3 Pro is a training and navigation aid. It cannot replace local knowledge, a suitable swim partner, lifeguard supervision, visual awareness, or your own decisions. Do not use route guidance as a reason to swim beyond your ability or ignore changing conditions.

Remain alert to boats, other swimmers, currents, weather, water temperature, and your distance from shore. If the environment or the guidance does not feel right, stop, reassess, or exit the water.

Common questions

Can I use HoloSwim 3 Pro without my phone in the water?

Yes. Create and load the route in the HoloSport app before swimming. The goggles can then provide route guidance without an active phone connection in the water, and you can sync the session afterward.

Do GPS swim goggles replace visual sighting?

No. Directional guidance provides another reference, but swimmers still need to look for buoys, landmarks, boats, other people, and changing conditions.

Are HoloSwim 3 Pro goggles only for triathletes?

No. They are also suited to distance swimmers, open-water fitness swimmers, and other athletes who want planned-route guidance and post-swim data.

How long does the battery last in open water?

HoloSwim 3 Pro provides up to five hours of battery life in open-water GPS mode. Actual runtime can vary with settings, usage, and conditions, so start longer sessions with a full charge.

Bring route guidance into your open-water training

HoloSwim 3 Pro combines GPS positioning, compass guidance, multi-waypoint routes, and an in-goggle display in one swim-ready device. It gives open-water athletes a live directional reference during the session and a recorded route to review afterward.

Explore HoloSwim 3 Pro with a 30-day free swim trial, a two-year warranty, no subscription fees, and free global shipping.