Listening to music during a workout can boost pace, improve rhythm and help take your mind off the effort. While that’s long been true for anyone who enjoys running and cycling, if swimming is your exercise of choice, you won’t always have had the same level of access to your playlist. That’s now changed, thanks to a growing number of the best waterproof headphones, designed specifically for use in water.
I swim at least a couple of times a week, both in the pool and outdoors, and I’ve found that adding music or podcasts into the mix can make a noticeable difference. It helps me settle into a rhythm during longer swims and gives me an extra push on days when motivation is low.
Swimming headphones now come in a range of styles, from bone-conduction designs that sit outside the ear to in-ear options with watertight seals. Comfort varies, especially when goggles and a swimming cap are competing for space.
With prices ranging from less than £30 to more than £150, it can be tricky to know which pair of swimming headphones will be right for you. To help narrow down the options, I tested a range of waterproof headphones to find the ones that deliver on sound quality, comfort and usability in the water.
Read more: Best noise-cancelling headphones, tried and tested
The best waterproof headphones for 2026 are:
- Best overall – Shokz openswim pro: £169, Shokz.com
- Best budget buy – Atopskins bone conduction headphones: £28.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for battery life – Nank runner diver2 pro swimming headphones: £139, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for a secure fit – H2O Audio sonar 2 pro waterproof bone conduction headphones: £111.92, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for voice control – Creative outlier free pro wireless open-ear headphones: £79.99, Amazon.co.uk
Read more: I tested the Shokz openrun pro 2 – the best marathon headphones going
Shokz openswim pro
Best: waterproof headphones overall
Weight: 27.3g
Battery life: 9 hours Bluetooth, 6 hours MP3
Internal storage: 32GB
Material: Silicone, plastic, nickel-titanium alloy
Bluetooth: Yes
Waterproof rating: IP68
Why we love it
- Excellent sound quality
- Voice controls
- Lightweight
- Built-in mic for calls
Take note
- Only two colour options
- Expensive
These bone-conduction headphones sit just outside the ear and transmit sound through your cheekbones, leaving your ears open. Shokz puts a big emphasis on sound quality, which is usually where headphones struggle underwater, but here it holds up impressively well. With earplugs in, audio came through clearly during longer swims, with enough depth to the sound to keep music engaging rather than flat. The buttons are large and easy to use with wet hands, and 32GB of internal storage means fewer compromises when uploading playlists.
The Pro upgrade means there’s Bluetooth alongside MP3 storage, which makes them far more versatile. I could use them in the pool and then straight after on a run. I also tested the internal mic when a work call came in while I was running, and they held up well.
I loved that they feel incredibly lightweight and sit neatly under a swim cap, to the point I often forgot I was wearing them. While they are the most expensive headphones I tested, the quality shines through in terms of audio and comfort, making them well worth the investment.
Buy now £169, Shokz.com
Atopskins bone conduction headphones
Best: budget waterproof headphones
Weight: 25g
Battery life: 5 hours
Internal storage: 32GB
Material: Plastic, silicone
Bluetooth: Yes
Waterproof rating: IPX8
Why we love it
- Lightweight
Take note
- Shorter battery life compared with some other options
Costing less than £30, these waterproof headphones surpassed my expectations. They use bone conduction and offer both Bluetooth and built-in storage, which is impressive for the price.
When I tested them in the pool, sound was clear enough for podcasts and background music, though noticeably flatter than more expensive pairs. They felt lightweight under a swim cap and didn’t shift around during longer sessions.
Battery life was the biggest limitation with just five hours of playback on a full charge. I found myself recharging them more often than others here. Compared with the Shokz openswim pro, the sound lacks depth, but the Atopskins is still a good option if you want to try swimming with headphones without breaking the bank.
Buy now £28.99, Amazon.co.uk
Nank runner diver2 pro swimming headphones
Best: waterproof headphones for battery life
Weight: 32g
Battery life: 10 hours
Internal storage: 32GB
Material: Silicone, plastic
Bluetooth: Yes
Waterproof rating: IP69
Why we love it
- Easy to switch between Bluetooth and MP3 mode
- Can be used in-ear or over-ear
- Suitable for scuba diving
- Noise cancelling
Take note
- No head strap adjustment
- Small buttons are hard to press when wet
If swimming is just one of many ways you like to keep fit, you may prefer headphones that enable you to switch between playing stored songs and streaming songs or podcasts. Nank has made just the pair of headphones for the job in the form of the runner diver2 pro, which has both Bluetooth connectivity and MP3 storage. While they’re quite expensive, they have the highest waterproof rating of all the headphones we tested and are salt-water-proof, so you could snorkel or scuba dive in them. They also have excellent battery life, offering 10 hours of playback on a single charge.
At first glance, they’re very similar to the Shoxz openswim headphones, with a thin black headband and bone conduction pads, but they offer extra flexibility as the ear buds swivel round, giving you the option to wear them over-ear in the water and in-ear on dry land. The in-ear mode offers fantastic noise cancelling, which is a joy for cycling or gym workouts.
For swimming, they come with two silicone earplugs, which I’d recommend using, as these enhance the playback through the bone, making songs sound clearer and louder. The only downside is that there’s no way of adjusting the headband, so those with a smaller head may find they drag a bit in the water, unless they’re locked in place with a swimming cap.
Buy now £139, Amazon.co.uk
H2O Audio sonar 2 pro waterproof bone conduction headphones
Best: waterproof headphones for a secure fit
Weight: 29g
Battery life: 9 hours Bluetooth, 6 hours MP3
Internal storage: 8GB
Material: Plastic
Bluetooth: Yes
Waterproof rating: IPX8
Why we love it
- Stay in place well
- Decent sound quality
- Streamline design
Take note
- No Bluetooth
- Plastic design feels stiff
These are quite different from most swimming headphones, as they clip directly onto your goggle straps rather than sitting on a headband. It’s a simple idea but it completely changes how they feel in the water.
When I tested them, that setup made these headphones feel incredibly secure. Once clipped on, they didn’t shift during turns or push-offs, and I didn’t get that slight movement you sometimes notice with wraparound designs. The sonar 2 pro also sit very close to the head, which makes them feel more streamlined and less bulky overall.
Sound quality held up well for bone conduction, especially with earplugs in, and stayed consistent during longer swims.
The downside is that they’re very swim-specific. Compared with the Shokz openswim pro, I wouldn’t use the sonar 2 pro outside the pool, as they really rely on being attached to goggles to work properly. Paying more than £100 for headphones that I’d only use for a few hours each week feels steep, but keen swimmers may feel it’s worth the splurge for a secure fit.
Buy now £111.92, Amazon.co.uk
Creative outlier free pro wireless open-ear headphones
Best: voice control enabled waterproof headphones
Weight: 31.5g
Battery life: 10 hours
Internal storage: 8GB
Material: Silicone, titanium alloy, plastic
Bluetooth: Yes
Waterproof rating: IPX8
Why we love it
- Decent battery life
- Comfortable ear hooks
- Multi-point Bluetooth connection
- Voice control mode
Take note
- Only 8GB storage
- No head strap adjustment
These open-ear headphones are a solid choice for triathletes or anyone who enjoys a mix of pool, run and cycle sessions. The distinctive ear hook design sits comfortably without needing a head strap, and the multi-point Bluetooth lets you connect to several devices at once, which is perfect if you want to share a playlist with a workout partner. There's 8GB of internal storage for downloaded audio, plus a built-in mic for taking calls.
Switching between pool and dry-land training is seamless. You can control your music hands-free, using voice assistants such as Alexa or Siri, which I found very useful. Like most swimming headphones, they have small buttons positioned near the ear to skip or rewind tracks, which I did use underwater, but I liked being able to stop between swimming sets and tell my headphones what to play next.
However, with only 8GB of storage, I had fewer tracks to choose from compared with the Nank runner diver 2 pro and the Shokz openswim pro, which have 32GB of storage. A solution was to remove songs and load them with new ones but I found that quite time-consuming.
Buy now £79.99, Amazon.co.uk
H2O Audio Store tri 2 pro bone conduction headphones
Best: waterproof headphones for triathletes
Weight: 32g
Battery life: 9 hours Bluetooth, 6 hours MP3
Internal storage: 8GB
Material: Silicone
Bluetooth: Yes
Waterproof rating: IPX8
Why we love it
- Easy to connect to a smart watch
- H2O Audio app simplifies audio-loading
- Soft silicone
Take note
- Short battery life
- Only 8GB storage
These have a premium price point of more than £150, but they do offer a huge plus for audiophiles: you can download any kind of audio onto these. This includes downloads of your favourite podcast, which is useful for super-long training sessions. I also liked that the silicone used in the strap feels softer than that used in some other headphones, giving this design an edge in terms of comfort.
Controls on the side of each ear piece are generously sized, so it’s easy to turn up the volume mid session when a good tune comes on. Battery life is an impressive nine hours, which is likely to appeal to triathletes.
If you’re running, you don’t even need to take a phone with you. These headphones can connect via Bluetooth to a smart watch, so I was able to play music and podcasts on Spotify via my watch. If they had more than 8GB memory, I’d give them a full five stars.
Buy now £167.99, Amazon.co.uk
Sunvito waterproof bone conduction swim headphones
Best: waterproof headphones for ease of use in the pool
Weight: 26g
Battery life: 10 hours
Internal storage: 8GB
Material: Silicone
Bluetooth: Yes
Waterproof rating: IPX8
Why we love it
- Decent sound quality
- Easy to control
- Secure fit
Take note
- Basic design
- Lower quality materials compared with some other options
These headphones are all about simplicity, and when I tested them in the pool, that’s exactly what stood out. The buttons are large, well-spaced and easy to press with wet hands, which meant I could easily change tracks or adjust volume without stopping mid-swim (something that’s not always the case with swimming headphones).
Sound quality is solid for the price, especially with earplugs in, and I found it held up well during steady swims, without the audio dropping in clarity. The headphones stayed secure under a swim cap and didn’t need adjusting once I got going, either.
They don’t feel quite as refined as premium options such as the Shokz openswim pro, and the design is fairly basic, but everything works as it should. Overall, this is a solid mid-priced option that’s easy to use and comfortable to wear in the water.
Buy now £49.99, Amazon.co.uk
Wantek swimming bone conduction headphones
Best: waterproof headphones for taking calls
Weight: 32g
Battery life: 9 hours
Internal storage: 32GB
Material: Silicone, titanium alloy
Bluetooth: Yes
Waterproof rating: IP68
Why we love it
- Lightweight
- Comfortable
- Fast-charging
- Long battery life
Take note
- Feel a little flimsy, compared with some other options
- Need a magnetic charger (not USB compatible)
These stood out for something most swimming headphones overlook completely: call quality. They have a built-in noise-cancelling mic, and when I took calls on walks and runs after swimming, voices came through much more clearly than I expected. The person on the other end of the line could also hear me properly without loads of background noise or wind interference.
In the water, they felt lightweight and unobtrusive under a swim cap – I barely noticed them during longer sessions. For listening to music, sound quality is decent rather than standout, but it was enough to keep me engaged during steady sessions. Internal memory is 32GB, which is excellent value at this price point.
The trade-off is that they don’t feel quite as robust in the water, compared with more expensive models, and the side controls aren’t as intuitive underwater as the Sunvito pair.
Buy now £36.99, Amazon.co.uk
Your questions about waterproof headphones answered
What are the best waterproof headphones?
Lightweight, comfortable and with excellent sound quality, the beauty of the Shokz openswim pro was that I never had to think about them mid-workout. I just hit play and they stayed in place perfectly. For those on a budget, the Atopskins bone conduction headphones do a solid job for less than £30. If you don’t like feeling headphones bouncing about underwater, the H2O Audio sonar pro clip directly to your goggles, for a truly secure fit.
What is an IP rating?
Standing for “ingress protection”, an IP rating indicates how well a device is protected from both solids and liquids. Generally, it’s displayed with two digits – the first of which indicates how well the device is protected from things such as dust, while the second indicates the level of water-resistance. The higher the rating, the better your device will be protected.
Which IP rating is best?
In this roundup, I haven’t included any waterproof headphones with a rating lower than IPX7. This rating indicates a device can withstand being submerged in water up to 1m deep for 30 minutes, which should be fine for your standard lane-swimming session.
However, the best waterproof headphones will have a rating of IPX8. This usually means your device can withstand being submerged for an hour at a depth of about 2m (this can vary between devices, however).
How I tested waterproof headphones
I tested each pair of swimming headphones over at least two weeks, using them across a mix of indoor pool sessions, open-water swims and structured training sets. This included longer 2km swims, interval sessions and drills using flippers and pull buoys, to see how they performed in different conditions. During testing, I considered the following criteria:
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Zoe Griffin has been testing products for IndyBest since 2021 and has reviewed countless types of workout gear, including headphones and earplugs. As a triathlete and keen swimmer, Zoe bases her reviews on real-world testing, providing her honest opinions to help you find the best products.
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