Surfing · Saltwater · Phone Recovery

Phone Got Wet Surfing in a "Waterproof" Case? What to Do

Once seawater gets past the case seal, the next hour matters more than the marketing claim on the case.

Published October 19, 2026Water SportsApprox. 5 min read

The useful answer

Get the phone out of the case, follow your phone maker’s guidance for rinsing away salt, wipe it dry, leave it in moving air and do not charge it until it is dry. Skip rice, external heat and the urge to keep testing the phone while water may still be in the port.

The first-hour priority

Stop trapping saltwater against the phone.

A case that let water in can keep that water sitting against the device. Recovery starts with getting the phone into open air and following the instructions for your exact phone.

Apple, Samsung and Google do not give identical instructions, but they share the same general direction: remove water, avoid heat, allow time to dry and delay charging.

01 / Six steps, in order

Do the boring things first.

Get the phone out of the case.

Open the case on a towel, away from wind and sand.

Why: drying guidance assumes the phone itself is exposed to air rather than sealed against trapped water.

Follow your maker’s power-off guidance.

Google tells Pixel owners to lift the phone out of water and turn it off. Samsung gives more specific power-off instructions for devices that are not water-resistant. Apple focuses primarily on drying and avoiding charging.

Remove salt the way your maker describes.

Samsung tells owners of water-resistant Galaxy phones to rinse with clean water to remove salt and residue. Apple says to rinse the affected area with tap water if a liquid other than water splashes on an iPhone.

Wipe it, then clear excess water from the port.

Apple recommends a soft lint-free cloth and gently tapping the phone with the connector facing down. Google and Samsung also recommend a soft cloth.

Let it dry in moving air.

Apple recommends a dry area with airflow. Google says a flat surface at room temperature. Samsung also points to a cool, ventilated place rather than heat.

Wait before charging.

Apple says to allow at least five hours before charging after exposure and notes that a liquid-detection alert can take much longer to clear. Samsung says not to connect a charger until the device is fully dry.

02 / What the manufacturers say

The overlap matters more than the tiny differences.

Question	Apple	Samsung	Google
Rinse?	Tap water if a liquid other than water got on the iPhone	Clean water for water-resistant Galaxy models exposed to salt/residue	Check current device-specific guidance
Dry?	Lint-free cloth, connector down, airflow	Soft clean cloth; dry completely	Soft cloth; flat surface at room temperature
Heat?	No external heat or compressed air	No hair dryer or heat source	Room temperature
Rice?	Explicitly says not to use rice	Not the recommended method in the cited guidance	Not the recommended method in the cited guidance
Charge?	Wait; Apple gives timing guidance	Not until fully dry	Follow current device guidance

03 / Skip these “fixes”

Fast is not the same as safe.

Do notBury it in rice.

Apple specifically warns against rice because particles can damage the connector. Open air is the better direction.

Do notUse a hair dryer or hot dashboard.

Apple and Samsung both tell users to avoid external heat.

Do notSwab or blast the port.

Apple says not to insert foreign objects into the connector or use compressed air.

Do notPlug it in “just to test.”

Charging is the step the manufacturers consistently tell you to delay until the device is dry.

Why surfing is differentStill-water ratings do not recreate a wipeout.

Surfing adds moving water, pressure, sand and repeated impact to the closure problem.

Apple tells owners of rated iPhones to avoid pressurized or high-velocity water and specifically names surfing among those exposures. Apple and Google also note that water resistance is not permanent and can decrease with normal wear.

GoPro’s housing guidance makes the closure lesson concrete: even a hair or grain of sand can compromise a seal. That same basic principle applies to any case gasket or waterproof closure.

04 / Before trusting the case again

Inspect the thing that failed.

Practical check: rinse and dry the case, inspect the seal for sand or damage, and use the case maker’s recommended leak-test procedure before putting the phone back inside. If the maker allows an empty test, use a dry tissue or paper inside rather than using the phone as the test object.

05 / Related guides

Keep the next session simpler.

For the next surf session

The simplest way to keep the phone dry is not taking it into the lineup.

The SKÖ Waterproof Crossbody is intended for small essentials such as a phone, wallet and keys on the beach or during wet travel. It is not designed to be worn while surfing.

See the Waterproof Crossbody →

Sources

SKÖ

Written and maintained by the SKÖ Team

This guide organizes manufacturer recovery guidance into a practical order for saltwater exposure. Device-specific instructions should always take priority when they differ.