Just updated your Garmin and the app looks different? Surfr 4 is our biggest Garmin update yet. Here's what changed, with a link to each feature so you can dive into whatever you're curious about. 👇
🏄 No more wrist flick on most watches
On most watches you no longer need the pre-session wrist flick as the app aligns the sensors for you. Just open Surfr, hit start and ride.
🎯 New session modes: Speed & Downwinder
Speed mode and Downwinder mode join Big Air in the mode selector. On a downwinder (PRO feature), watch your progress live from your wrist with distance covered, distance to the next beach, and how far to your destination.
📊 Build your own watch screen
Choose exactly which stats appear in each of the six on-screen slots. Max height, speed, airtime, jumps and more. Whether you're a height chaser or a speed junkie, build the screen you actually want to look at.
🪁 Your quiver on your wrist
Pick what you're riding directly from your Garmin. Your quiver syncs from Surfr, so every session is logged with the right kite. No editing needed back in the app.
💎 What's free, what's Surfr Plus / PRO
Speed recording needs no subscription, and you get 5 free trial sessions of the full experience. Big Air with live jump heights needs Surfr Plus after that, and Downwinder is a PRO feature. Prefer not to pay? Download The Surfr. App - Legacy. This is the app without the new features.
⌚ Does my watch support everything?
Most watches get the full update. A few older, memory-limited models run an Essentials experience with full recording but not the newest connected features, and the oldest 96KB models (Instinct 2 family, Instinct Crossover, Descent G1) keep riding with the Surfr Legacy app instead. Check where your watch lands and how live jump heights work.
🚀 Getting started: update Surfr in the Connect IQ store, redo the one-time calibration (watch menu, ~1 min), and take it to your next session.