Technology Saves Lives: A surfer swept away by waves in Australia was saved by an Apple Watch

Apple Watch and Sea Waves (Representative Image - Canva)

An Australian surfer named Rick Shearman age 49 got saved by the Apple watch as he got swept by waves while he was surfing, he was enjoying his morning surfing session at Tallow Beach in Byron Bay on Saturday.

Sherman is an experienced surfer, who has previously also gone through this situation. He allowed himself to get carried away by the waves beyond the breaking point where he was caught in the impact area, a point where the waves break.

It was a life-threatening situation for him but the technology saved his life, the impact area made it harder for him to return back to the shore. That is where the Apple Watch Ultra played a role in saving the life of the surfer.

According to ABC News Australia, Shearman shared his life-threatening experience and said, "I copped a couple of big ones on the head and was held under for a while. I started to panic a bit and cramp up underwater there."

Shearman continued to struggle in the sea waves for around 20 minutes, he needed immediate help. The companion who came with him thought he left the beach and his companion left.

Luckily Shearman was wearing his Apple Watch Ultra, which made him connect with Australian emergency services directly from the sea when he sent a help call to them. This feature proved to be very important and enabled him to call.

Shearman added "At this point, I was a long way out to sea, being buffeted by wind and big swells. It was quite difficult to utilise the watch. I had to hold it up to my ear to hear what was going on and speak to the respondent."

Waiting for help to come and save him took time and till then fighting with waves was tough for him, he continued to stay on the line for an hour. Apple products are known for their performance and rugged design with additional features of water resistance up to 100 meters that made the surfer survive.

The Apple Watch is a certified waterproof product since Series 2 and has seen quality improvements over time. This incident underscores the crucial role technological advancements can play in enhancing personal safety and emergency response.