Man swept out to sea calls emergency services on his Apple Watch

An Australian man has used his Apple Watch Ultra to successfully call for help after being swept out to sea. Though a morning at the beach can be great for disconnecting from technology, this may make you rethink leaving your smartwatch behind. 

Australia’s ABC News reports that Rick Shearman, 49, was body surfing at a Byron Bay beach on Saturday morning when he found himself in trouble. Though an experienced surfer who regularly enjoys weekend trips to the beach, this time he got caught in the impact zone, the part of the water where waves are most likely to break. 

Repeatedly dunked by the waves and beginning to cramp up, Shearman followed safety advice and allowed the current to drag him out to sea rather than exhaust himself in a futile fight against it. Typically, beachgoers who are caught in a current are instructed to remain calm and float with it until they can swim parallel to the shore and escape. Shearman noted that he had extracted himself from similar situations before.

However, in this particular case he soon found himself approximately half a mile from the beach and unable to find a way back. Shearman then recalled that he could use his Apple Watch Ultra to call for emergency services and swiftly did so, staying on the line for an hour until he was fished out by an emergency helicopter. 

“At this point I was a long way out to sea, I was being buffeted by wind and big swells, it was actually quite difficult to utilise [the Apple Watch Ultra],” Shearman told ABC News, explaining that he had to hold the smartwatch to his ear to hear the emergency operator. 

Even so, it seems Shearman was more than happy to accept some minor difficulty in operation in exchange for the Watch’s literally lifesaving benefits. If he hadn’t been able to contact emergency services it would have been much longer before the alarm was raised, and the operation could have taken days. It would also no doubt have had a much more tragic ending.

“If it wasn’t for being able to access that service in my Watch I’d probably be bobbing out somewhere in international waters by now,” he said. “It’s amazing that I was able to use that technology to save my life.”

Initially released in 2022, the Apple Watch Ultra was specifically designed for outdoor activities and is water resistant to a depth of 100m — though fortunately Shearman didn’t end up diving that deep. It can also contact emergency services in several countries such as Australia and the U.S. without first being set up for mobile phone service, a feature found in Apple Watches from Series 5 onward.

How to call 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 straightforward process.

1. First, press and hold the side button on the right of your watch, right beneath the Digital Crown dial. This will cause several sliders to appear.

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

Alternatively, you can simply press and hold the side button. This will cause your Apple Watch to call emergency services after a brief countdown.