Garmin Fenix GPS for kayaking

I've been using the Garmin Fenix 2 for sea kayaking for the last two years.  I primarily use it for tracking my progress and also analysising my performance.  Here are my thoughts on the device:

Why the Fenix over other GPS devices
I did quite a bit of research when I was looking for the device and because I wanted a fitness & performance tracker, altimeter (for hiking and alpine climbing) and a navigation device there were only two options on the market, the Garmin Fenix 2 or the Suunto Ambit 2.  If you're not bothered about the altitude or navigation (which as well as routes it will give you an instant grid reference for an emergency), there many cheaper waterproof gps watches out suitable for kayaking.
There were two reasons why I went for the Fenix over the Ambit, firstly the wrist fit and comfort suited me better and secondly I already own a Garmin Edge 810, which I use for cycling, so it made sense to stick with the same online/app interface.

Set up.The Fenix is infinitely versatile when it comes to the setup.  Firstly you can have multiple activity profiles, which lets you can customise all of the data fields on each page which you see during your activities.  For example, I have different profiles for running, sea kayaking, fitness kayaking, hiking and mountain biking, within each profile I have a number of different pages with different information on.

Kayak specific setupFor sea kayaking I like to have screens with a lot of information on them, so at a glance I can quickly see as much information as possible without having to take my hand off the paddle to scroll to another page.  Although I have several screens available on the kayak profile the one I generally use for the main screen has the following - average speed, current speed, distance, time. Another sea kayak specific custom screen I've created is one to tell me my OS map grid reference, this can be changed to different map systems. 



For fitness kayaking average speed and current heart rate are the most important information to me, so I have both these on one page ensuring the key information is easy to see at a glance.  The benefit of kayak training to a heart rate is that you can maintain a consistent effort regardless of the weather/sea conditions.



In terms of positioning because I'm mostly paddling a closed cockpit sea kayak, so I either attach it to the bungee lines on my spray deck or occasionally just to the strap of my buoyancy aid.

Glitches, updates & software
Like any computer you need to regularly update the Fenix, some of the updates have caused problems, however it's run flawlessly over the last year. I purchased it fairly soon after it came out some I'm putting the teething problems down to being an early adopter.  The current iOS app is working well and seamlessly syncs with the Fenix via Bluetooth.

Overview
I'm really please within the Fenix 2 it's tough and very well made. As well as the benefits of having a super accurate watch for the mountains, I've really enjoyed being able to analyse by rides, runs and kayak trips.  Although there's a Fenix 3 I'm going to wait, the 2 has more than enough features and the Fenix 4 will no doubt have a built in heart rate monitor.