Yes, I have used my Polar HR monitor for a couple of races with no problems. Also a few swim workouts too.

Only under a wetsuit/top during a race (Polar 625).

Never tried it in chlorine. Go for it and report back on how good it works, and the looks you get.

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Note to self: increase training load.

No matter how tight you have the strap on without a wetsuit it slides down.

I use my 725 from time to time in the local pool - works fine.

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Another IM in 2016 - hopefully..

I have the 610i and use it a few times a year in training (works better with tri top on and real tight). I always use it in races...no problems in 3+ years. Lately I have been picking up a HR while swimming (w/o the strap) in the 40-50 range...strange.

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Well I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Soze

I have been wearing my Polar HRM in the pool for about 5 years now. Never had a problem, but one piece of advice, make sure you don't push any buttons on the receiver (wrist) while underwater. AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

last year, during Florida 70.3, used my Polar HRM for the race. As it was not wetsuit legal, i slid the hrm and my tri-top under the top of my tri-shorts - at the end of the swim, pulled up the chest strap and the tri-top and was good to go. Have never tried keeping it up around the chest during a swim unless I have a wetsuit on.

So, basically I can use my HRM with the chest strap and so long as I am not pushing buttons it should read and record my training load just fine?

You are correct sir.

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Another IM in 2016 - hopefully..

I've never had an issue. I start the HRM at the start of the session, stop it at the end. If you want to play with it/change settings etc., do it at the wall, when you stand up and rest. Make sure that it's above water. If you read the Polar product documentation (or check their website), they talk about the water resistance of the specific models. IIRC, virtually all Polars are water proof to 50m or something like that. Don't wear it diving. ;-) AP

http://www.polarca.com/...0sd.asp?cat=consumer

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

I use my 625 all the time in the pool. Make sure you hit the buttons when your watch is out of the water though. I lost a Nike watch when I hit the button underwater.

The only negative thing I noticed with my Polar is that the chlorine started turning the watch band white

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Thanks all for your feedback, this is good stuff.

And, if chlorine or sweat turns anything white, etc, that means I'm using it rather than posing...

Bob

Last month, I was at my gym in an 8 lane pool all by myself at 8:30pm. After 30 minutes still swimming alone, a woman jumps in the lane next to me with a HRM and starts doing drills and swimming.

It was 5 time Olympic medalist Natalie Coughlin and no I did not think she was strange for wearing a HRM.

Natalie Coughlin jumps into the pool and all you noticed was her HRM? Man, we gotta talk about priorities....

RV

While the 800 SD is water resistant I dont believe the signal picks up in the water. I just got the 800 series for xmas but have yet to take it out of the box becuase Im not sure I want it if it wont pick up during the swim portions of races. I have used the 625x and have had no issues with underwater transmission, but Im not too sure on the 800 series.

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I used to but gave up. I think guys, naturally, will have a tougher time wearing the strap because it slides down your chest as you push off and swim. If I wore a top, it certainly wouldn't be as much of a problem since it would keep the strap from slipping as much. Would rather not wear my tri race top or wetsuit just to hold the hrm down since both would be affected by prolonged exposure to chlorine.

I just wear the watch sans hrm strap in the pool.

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Roadie to Trigeek convert

Good point, I have boobies and a top to help contain the strap. Maybe you could just grow more chest hair? AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

I don't wear the strap, because it always slides down. However, I use the watch. (model S210) Unlike the other posters, I've used the buttons underwater for every swim workout I've done the past two years without any problems. This is true even after I had changed the watch battery myself.

You can use it in the pool just fine. I never had a problem with it under a wetsuit either. My guess is that if it slides under your wetsuit, then your wetsuit is too big!

One thing I would caution you about though is to make sure you wipe off the monitor after you use it. I never did that and my battery died quicker than Normann's response to the finger thread.

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"I really wish you would post more often. You always have some good stuff to say. I copied it below just in case someone missed it." BarryP to Chainpin on 10/21/06

I have pushed the lap button and other buttons under water for 3 years now...no problems...YMMV but that is something like 2000+ times. I have heard not to push buttons under water...but I'm just letting you know I have do it and never had a problem with it. I would also think that Polar would repair/replace if it did flood...isn't it waterproof????

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Well I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Soze

Same here. I just figured they put the bit about not pushing the buttons to protect themselves. I do it all the time. Only thing is that just recently I notice I've had to hit the red button a little harder to start/stop. But its useful to time the workouts and splits and difficult to avoid hitting the button underwater if you want to do that.

I've tried with the HRM and would really like to use it regularly. Its fine just swimming, put pushing off the walls is a problem. It just slides down everytime. Maybe addidas will find a neat way way to integrate the belt into some piece of swimwear. The way triathlon is going, seeing a bunch of guys in the pool with pink planet x swim trunks, matching bikini top/HRM support all with clean shaven chest and legs is going to be an all too common sight.

The other interesting thing is that the altitude recordings have highlighted that my local swimming pool is not level. I've written a strong letter to the municiple council about it. There I was doing great times in training and I found out that it's because I've been swimming downhill for the last 6 months. You think these Frenchies would have been smart enough to stick the same amount of water in each end of the pool when they fill it up. In the meantime I've upped the training by swimming in the uphill direction, exiting and walking back round again. If only they had swim/run duathlons I'd be in prime condition.

I'll send slowman's 700c bike rep techie to sort the problem out. There's a conversation I'd love to listen in on.

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TriRaceBook.com
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Hawaii Qualification Analysis

I am pretty sure the new 800 polar does not transmit under water - it uses a different frequency to the older S series. For those of you pushing buttons under water - consider yourselves lucky. I have seen plenty of water resistant polar watches that failed to resist water. When sending them back to Polar - the first question - "did they press the buttons under water??"...

Well, using the 800 SD during swim training this morning didn't work. Looks like I need to use/try my old HRM now.

Bob

The RS800 will not work under water due to the new WIND Wear Link. The is pretty awesome as is the new RS400, both using the new Port Trainer 5 software