Some Garmin Instinct 3 units behave unexpectedly while recording a session in Surfr. This is a Garmin firmware issue on the watch itself, not something we can fix from the app — but here is exactly where it stands and what helps.
What you may see
The watch reboots mid-session, often after 10–15 minutes
The Surfr app closes and restarts an active session
The session saves on the watch but never syncs to Garmin Connect or Surfr
Why it happens
It is linked to how the Instinct 3 firmware handles the watch's motion sensors. Surfr reads those sensors continuously to track your jumps, and on affected units the sensor system resets — which takes the app, and sometimes the whole watch, down with it.
Because the cause sits in the watch firmware, it affects both Surfr 4 and The Surfr. App - Legacy. Switching between the two does not avoid it.
Current status — August 2026
Garmin's 14.14 firmware resolved the original wave of reports from March 2026, and for many riders that was the end of it. It did not fix it for everyone: we still receive reports on 14.15 and 14.17, and our own testing reproduces mid-session shutdowns on 14.17.
The issue is open with Garmin and we are actively working with them on it.
What you can do
Keep your watch firmware up to date. Check Garmin Connect for the newest Instinct 3 firmware and install it — Garmin has fixed part of this before and further fixes will arrive the same way.
Report it to Garmin. The more riders report it, the higher it climbs on Garmin's list. Mention your exact model, your firmware version, and that the watch reboots or drops the activity mid-recording.
Lost a session? If it saved on the watch, check your activities in Garmin Connect first — it is often still there. If you can see it in Garmin Connect but not in Surfr, contact us and we will recover it for you.
ℹ️ Still losing sessions after updating your firmware? Message us with your watch model, firmware version and the date and time of the session. That detail is what we pass to Garmin.