By The Apple Watch is being praised for saving another life. Rick Shearman from the Byron Bay area in Australia asserts that he used his Apple Watch Ultra to call for help after being swept out to sea.
How the Apple Watch Ultra Rescued Shearman
- Location of the Incident: The event transpired at Tallow Beach in Australia.
- Caught in the Impact Zone: According to a report by Australia’s ABC News, the 49-year-old was caught in the impact zone while attempting to swim to shore.
- Struggling Underwater: “I got hit by a couple of big waves on the head and was held underwater for a while. I started to panic and cramp up,” Shearman recounted to the publication.
- Experienced Swimmer’s Strategy: As an experienced swimmer and surfer, Shearman allowed the current to carry him back beyond the breakers to find a channel to shore. However, he soon realized he needed assistance.
- Calling for Help: “After about 20 minutes, it became evident that I wasn’t going to make it back and needed help,” Shearman told the publication.
That’s when he turned to his smartwatch for help. While treading water, he managed to activate the emergency function on his Apple Watch and dial 000. He soon contacted the emergency team, who located him in about an hour using his directions.
“It was actually quite challenging to use the watch. I had to hold it up to my ear to hear and communicate with the responder,” he explained in the report. He added, “If I hadn’t been able to access that service on my watch, I’d probably still be drifting out somewhere in international waters.”
In related news, Apple’s Find My feature recently helped a man recover his Apple Watch after losing it in the Caribbean over a year ago.
