Man swept away by sea calls emergency services on his Apple Watch

An Australian used his Apple Watch Ultra to successfully call for help after being swept out to sea. While a morning at the beach might be great for disconnecting from technology, it might make you reconsider leaving your smartwatch behind.

Australian newspaper ABC News reports Rick Shearman, 49, was body surfing on a Byron Bay beach on Saturday morning when he got into trouble. Although he is an experienced surfer who regularly enjoys weekends at the beach, this time he found himself stuck in the impact zone, the part of the water where waves are most likely to break.

Repeatedly overwhelmed by the waves and beginning to cramp, Shearman followed safety advice and let the current carry him out to sea rather than exhausting themselves in a futile struggle against it. Typically, swimmers caught in a current are instructed to stay calm and float with it until they can swim parallel to shore and escape. Shearman noted that he has gotten out of similar situations before.

But in this case, he quickly found himself about a mile from the beach and unable to find his way back. Shearman then remembered that he could use his Apple Watch Ultra to call emergency services and quickly did so, staying on the line for an hour until he was rescued by an emergency helicopter.

“At that point, I was way out at sea, buffeted by wind and big waves, it was actually quite difficult to use (the Apple Watch Ultra),” Shearman told ABC News, explaining that he had to hold the smartwatch to his ear to hear the emergency operator.

Still, Shearman seems to have happily accepted some minor difficulties in the operation of the Watch in exchange for the advantages that literally saved his life. Had he not been able to contact the emergency services, the alarm would have been raised for much longer and the operation could have lasted for days. It would probably have had a much more tragic ending.

“If I didn’t have this service on my Watch, I’d probably be sailing somewhere in international waters right now,” he said. “It’s incredible that I was able to use this technology to save my life.”

Originally published in 2022The Apple Watch Ultra was specifically designed for outdoor activities and is water-resistant to a depth of 100m – although thankfully Shearman didn’t end up diving that deep. It can also contact emergency services in multiple countries like Australia and the United States without first setting up cellular service, a feature found in Apple Watches from Series 5 onwards.

How to ask for help on your Apple Watch

If you ever find yourself in a similar dilemma, calling emergency services via your Apple Watch is a relatively simple process.

1. First, press and hold the side button on the right side of your watch, just below the Digital Crown dial. Several sliders will appear.

2. Slide the Emergency Call slider to the right to initiate the call immediately.

You can also press and hold the side button. Your Apple Watch will then call emergency services after a short countdown.