Apple watch sports loop strap stretching

Thanks for your reply. I did do this and my first band was (somewhat reluctantly, as stretching is apparently not a designated defect) replaced. However the second band was not. They suggested I try a Nike band instead, as this won't stretch with use in water, and it has more closely spaced holes for better fit. I've been trying it out for my swim workouts for the past week or so, getting it as tight as possible for the hour in the pool, not an easy feat because the end of the band doesn't want to slide between skin and silicon when it's tight. Unfortunately the HR tracks are disappointing. I've managed to get it to work most of the time for straight freestyle, but whenever I use hand paddles for a pull set, it won't pick up a single HR measurement (over a distance of 1000m). I don't have this problem with the velcro strap, maybe because it has a bit of stretch in it. It's incredibly disappointing that Apple promotes the watch as a tool for swim workouts, but doesn't provide a strap that lets it work reliably. I think I'll have to resort to buying cheaper 3rd party sports loop straps and just count on replacing them every 6 months.