An Australian man owes his life to his Apple Watch after getting into trouble in rough seas near Byron Bay and using the device to make an emergency SOS call and sharing his precise location.
Rick Shearman had been body surfing at Broken Head Beach off the NSW North Coast near Byron Bay on July 13, 2024 when he was dragged out 1.6km into rough seas by a rip.
Shearman was caught in the growing swell with waves crashing on him one after the other. He was treading water to keep his head above water but he was cramping up badly.
Shearman was wearing the Apple Watch Ultra and remembered he could make an Emergency SOS call.
By pressing and holding the Apple Watch’s side button, Shearman was able to call 000 and speak to the emergency dispatchers who then called Surf Life Saving NSW who in turn requested help from the Gold Coast-based Westpac Lifesaver Rescue helicopter.
Despite the crashing waves and noise, he was able to hear the dispatchers and they could hear him.
But it was another feature that saved Shearman’s life – sharing his precise location which occurs automatically whenever you call Emergency SOS.
Paul Gibson – the chief pilot of the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Service says the hardest thing for rescuers is finding the person in distress – a task that could take days without knowing the precise location.
In Shearman’s case, emergency services were able to find him within seconds of arriving on site because his Apple Watch was continually sharing his location.
A minute after spotting him, Shearman was aboard the Westpac Rescue helicopter and 30 seconds later he was back on the beach.
Shearman says his Apple Watch saved his life and without it he might never have made it back to shore.
Emergency SOS requires a mobile connection or wi-fi calling with an internet connection from your Apple Watch or nearby iPhone.
In Shearman’s case he was wearing the Apple Watch Ultra with cellular.
Other health and safety features on Apple Watch Fall Detection which can react if you’ve had a fall and wait for you to respond.
If there is no response for a minute it will automatically call emergency services and share your exact location.
Crash Detection, much like Fall Detection, can recognise if you’ve been in a car crash and call emergency services if you are non-responsive and share your location.
