What are the best waterproof swimming headphones in 2026? We’ve tested six fully submergible options

If you’re someone who likes to workout to a particular playlist, or needs an audiobook to see them through the longer training days, it may be time to invest in some waterproof swimming headphones that can keep you company while you swim.

Whether you prefer a pair of dangling headphones for your indoor laps, or a robust headset that can handle open water, we’ve tested some of the best headphone for swimming so you don’t have to.

So if you’re looking to tune out the rest of the world during your next water workout, put waterproof headphones on your essentials list alongside your trust swimming goggles – trust us, this will completely revolutionise your swim sessions!

Best swimming headphones in 2026

1. H20 Audio Tri 2 Pro Multi-sport 

The Audio Tri Pro 2 Multisport over-ear bone conduction variety from H20 Audio outshine similar swimming headphones to win the ‘best overall’ category. Here you get a hard case, the headphones, a pair of earplugs and a charging cable plus leash to attach the headphones to your goggles (in case you’re worried about losing them!). For an extra $50/£47 you can also buy a case that charges during storage. So far so good.

But what I really love about these headphones is how easy it is to transfer music onto them. You can use Bluetooth on land but not in water. Various methods of adding tunes for swimming includes the brand’s Playlist+ function, where the headphones listen to music playing on your phone and ‘record’ it, a bit like taping music off the radio. For any other dinosaurs like me is a dream of simplicity. Three buttons are easy to operate even in the water. The unit can be submerged to 12ft for unlimited time (some on the market have a limit). 

On land sound quality was superb. I happily used these to listen to music and podcasts. Once swimming the sound was naturally a little less clear due to water sounds and bubbling when breathing (ok, I’m a noisy swimmer!). It was still clear enough to motivate my swims. I’ll be adding these to my kit bag for this season’s long swims!

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2. Suunto Aqua

The Suunto Aqua are a set of waterproof bone conduction headphones that feel premium straight out of the box. They are operated via three buttons which have a satisfying ‘click’ and can also be operated via the Suunto app.

Unusually, you can also use these headphones to track your training and they will upload your distance, SWOLF, lap times and more to the Suunto app after each swim. This is a nice touch, especially if you don’t already use a swim watch.

Sound quality was great. There are three sound options (underwater, outdoors and general) which allow you to adjust the tone of audio to suit your surroundings. I also liked these for running, making them a versatile all-rounder, plus you can take and answer calls on them.

Inside the box is the headphones, a charging pod (which can give up to 20 hours extra charge), the cable, a set of earplugs and a soft cloth bag for storage.

You will need to add offline music to these for swimming and it needs to be a file transferred across via your computer, so that can be a problem if you only stream music. If you have an online account such as iTunes or access to CDs it shouldn’t prove a problem though and I found it very straightforward to set these up and add music.

The only niggle for me is the loops on the top of the headphones that sit on your ears were a bit uncomfortable for me when swimming longer than an hour, but I found this with all the headphones of this style on test. To read more, check out my full review of the Suunto Aqua.

3. Zygo Z2

The Zygo Z2 swimming headphones enable you to listen to music and audio streaming services during your swim training by transmitting a signal from your phone to the device. Usually, this isn’t possible because Bluetooth doesn’t work in water.

Zygo supplies these comfortable, waterproof headphones with a transmitter case that connects to your phone then to your headset. Therefore, you don’t have to download your favourite audio on to them.

To work, your phone has to be within 30m of the transmitter (bear in mind that it’s only splash-proof) and the range between you and the case is 50m.

Sound quality is impressive, fit is readily adjustable and battery life is 2-3 hours subject to volume. The Zygo app also has training features (you can listen to workout instructions on-the-go) and a walkie-talkie function. The signal strength stayed strong except during the odd tumble-turn. Read my full Zygo Z2 review for more detail.

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4. Shokz Openswim Pro

Shokz, formerly AfterShokz, is arguably the most recognisable name in bone-conduction audio. Since introducing its first model in 2011, the brand has refined the tech and built a broad line-up for swimmers, runners and everyday users.

The OpenSwim Pro leads its swim range, adding Bluetooth and a generous 32GB of storage to the standard OpenSwim’s MP3-only 4GB — more capacity than most people will ever need, but impressive nonetheless. Battery life is excellent: around nine hours in Bluetooth mode, six in MP3, and a 10-minute charge delivers roughly three hours of playback.

Sound is crisp, even underwater, and the controls are intuitive once memorised. The secure charging cable is a welcome upgrade over fiddly magnetic versions. Rated IP68 waterproof (up to two metres for two hours), they proved reliable in testing. Comfortable overall, though ear pressure can build on longer swims under a tight cap.

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5. H20 Audio Sonar 2 Pro

The H20 Audio Sonar 2 Pro again works by bone conduction, but the ‘headphones’ are two units that clip onto your gogg…