How to open a GPX or FIT file and see your speed, route and sessions
Open a GPX or FIT file from your watch or GPS and see speed, route and best runs: import into Waterspeed's web or mobile app, or use Strava or a GPX viewer, and what each one shows.
By the Waterspeed team
To see the speed and route of a watersports session from a file, import it into Waterspeed: FIT files in the web app at go.waterspeedapp.com, GPX files in the iPhone or Android app. Strava and free online GPX viewers also open these files, but they are not built for sailing, windsurf, wing or kite stats.
What are GPX and FIT files?
GPX is a common text format for GPS tracks: points with position and time, and sometimes speed and heart rate. FIT (“Flexible and Interoperable Data Transfer”) is the format Garmin defines for data from sport, fitness and health devices; FIT files are binary, so you need an app to read them. Garmin Connect lets you export any activity as a FIT file.
How do I open a FIT file from my Garmin watch and see my speed?
- Get the FIT file. In Garmin Connect on the web, open the activity, click the gear icon and export the original FIT file. Step by step: How to export a FIT file from Garmin Connect.
- Go to go.waterspeedapp.com and sign in with the same login you use in the mobile app.
- Import the FIT file with the button on the left.
- Open the activity, choose Edit and set the sport type, comments and equipment.
The session then syncs to the mobile app. On Android you can also import a FIT file from the menu on the Diary page. FIT import is also the way in for watches Waterspeed does not connect to directly, such as Amazfit.
Often you can skip the file. Connect your Garmin account in Waterspeed (Settings) and every new watersport activity syncs automatically, including those recorded with Garmin’s own activity profiles. You can download up to 18 months of past activities when you connect. Only activities recorded as a water sport sync; if you changed the sport type after recording, import the FIT file instead. Coros and Suunto sync the same way. Syncing is free.
How do I open a GPX file of a sailing or windsurf session?
In the Waterspeed app on iPhone or Android, open the Diary and use the three-dot menu at the top right to import a GPX file. Waterspeed reads many kinds of GPX file, so you can add sessions from other apps and devices.
To import several GPX files at once on iPhone, save them in iCloud Drive, in the Waterspeed folder, inside Waterspeed-sync. The app imports them the next time you open it (app version 6.23 or later).
Vakaros Atlas files (.vkx) import the same way as FIT: in the web app or the Android app.
What do you see once the session is in Waterspeed?
The imported file becomes an activity in your Diary. Set the right sport first, because some stats depend on it: foiling statistics are calculated for wind sports, and tack and gybe detection for sports with a sail. Then you can:
- See speed on the map. The activity graph shows speed or heart rate; tap a point to jump to it on the map.
- Replay the session at up to 4x speed.
- Check best speeds over set times and distances, and alpha speeds over 250 m, 500 m and 1 km for windsurf, wing and similar sports (web and Android).
- See foiling time, with a minimum foiling speed you set.
- Review each tack and gybe: entry and exit speed, angle, and whether it was made.
- Get average speed, distance and max speed for one stretch between two points.
- Compare two activities by overlaying their tracks.
- With Ultra, see VMG, true wind angle, upwind and downwind legs and a polar chart.
What other tools can open GPX and FIT files?
| Tool | Files it opens | What you see | Built for watersports? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterspeed | GPX (iPhone, Android), FIT and VKX (web, Android) | Speed, best speeds, foiling time, tacks and gybes | Yes |
| Strava | FIT, TCX, GPX, up to 25 MB each | Route, distance, speed | General fitness |
| gpx.studio | GPX | Route; speed, heart rate and other data on the profile when the file has them | General GPX editor |
| Garmin Connect | Activities synced from your Garmin | Your Garmin activities; FIT export | General fitness |
Strava. On strava.com, click the orange plus icon at the top right, then Upload Activity and File. Strava accepts .TCX, .FIT and .GPX files of 25 MB or smaller. Subscribers can upload up to 25 files at a time, others 15. For what Strava shows for a session on the water, and what it leaves out, see Waterspeed vs Strava.
gpx.studio. gpx.studio is a free, open-source online GPX editor. Open a file from your computer or drag it into the window. If the file includes speed, heart rate, cadence, temperature or power, you can show them on the elevation profile. It works well for a quick look at a GPX track.
Garmin Connect. If you recorded on a Garmin, the activity is already in Garmin Connect. It is also where you export the FIT file to use elsewhere.
How do I export a session from Waterspeed?
From the sharing button of the activity page, Waterspeed exports a GPX file (Topografix standard, with Garmin extensions for speed, accuracy, heart rate and course) or a CSV file for Excel. It can also upload to Strava automatically after each session and send sessions to GPS-Speedsurfing.
Which of this is free?
Garmin, Coros and Suunto sync is free for all users. The help centre lists the web app, GPX import and export, best speeds, replay and foiling, tack and gybe statistics among Pro features; VMG, polar chart and leg analysis need Ultra.
