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Do headphones for swimming actually work?

Erin Christie

Updated September 23, 2025 - 6.37am

9PR: Swimming headphones — 9Product Reviews

Most of us can't exercise without some kind of mental stimulation. If you're anything like me, you need to drown out your desire to stop (especially during cardio).

For a long time, swimming seemed to be an exception, a type of exercise where you were forced to be alone with your thoughts. However, did you know there are now headphones you can use in the water?

Sadly, you can't use any old pair of Bluetooth headphones, given that Bluetooth isn't designed to work underwater, as it disrupts the 2.4GHz radio frequency used by Bluetooth devices. Thankfully, bone conduction headphones are a great way to listen to music or your favourite podcasts while you swim laps.

Here's how it works.

NOTE: Prices are accurate at time of publishing.

9PR: Shokz OpenSwim Pro — 9Product Reviews

Get the Shokz OpenSwim Pro

What are bone conduction headphones?

Bone conduction headphones work by transmitting sound vibrations through your skull and into the inner ear, rather than relying on the ear canal. They are worn over the ears and remain connected to each other via a band that wraps around the back of your head, with two pads sitting flush beneath your temples, rather than in or on the ears. So, unfortunately, underwater-safe headphones won't stop you from getting water stuck in your ears. However, they will allow you to hear your favourite music while you swim.

Bone conduction headphones are popular with runners who want to remain situationally aware of their surroundings. You can check out our review of a bone conduction pair, the Shokz Open Run Pro 2, here.

How do they work underwater?

Waterproofing

You'll notice most headphones, whether 'swim-proof' or not, will have an IP rating. It's those two letters followed by two digits. The 'IP' stands for ingress protection, which means how resistant the headphones are to external elements like dust, sweat, or water. The first digit will range from zero to six and represents protection against solid particles. The second ranges from zero to eight, and represents protection against water and moisture. A higher number means a higher level of protection, and level seven means the headphones can be submerged in a metre of water, while level eight means they can withstand a deeper submersion.

It's worth noting that one digit might be represented by an 'X', which means the headphones haven't been tested for that specific metric.

Music

Since Bluetooth isn't designed for underwater use, most bone conduction swimming headphones play music via MP3, which seems like the only major annoyance with their design. For example, the Shokz OpenSwim Pro Headphones have 32GB of MP3 storage, which means they can hold up to 8000 songs. However, I personally haven't interacted with an MP3 file since 2014, and I was late to the streaming game. You can get them via Apple Music, but that's an added cost. You're best to physically download CDs to your computer and then onto the headphones, which feels straight-up retro these days.

However, most of the pairs on the market also have Bluetooth connectivity, so you can use them as you would use regular Bluetooth headphones when you're not in the pool. This could be great if you're also a runner, or just looking for a pair that you can wear without drowning out all the noise around you.

Worth a try?

Despite the MP3 file aspect, these headphones are a really interesting piece of technology. And if you want something else to focus on other than your fatigue as you push through laps of the pool, they seem like a real game-changer.

Check out some options below: