Swimmer Trapped In Sea Currents! Congratulations To The Advanced Apple Watch!

Rick Shearman, a resident of Byron Bay, was saved thanks to Apple Watch (photo: dock. Surf Life Saving Far North Coast)

JAKARTA - A 49-year-old experienced swimmer in New South Wales, Australia, managed to use his Apple Watch to call for help after being swept away by the ocean currents that brought him further from the coast.

Rick Shearman, a resident of Byron Bay, was carrying out a body surf activity in the morning at Tallow Beach when he was hit by a strong big wave. The waves threw him further from the mainland. Shearman was finally carried about one kilometer (0.6 miles) from the beach and kept trying to find a channel to return to the mainland.

"I was hit by several big waves in the head and was stuck underwater, I started to panic and experience cramps down there," Shearman told an ABC North Coast reporter. "After about 20 minutes, it became clear that I would not make it back and I needed help."

Tired of trying to avoid the waves and unable to return to the beach, Shearman recalled the emergency function on his Apple Watch. While floating in the water, he found the SOS function on the device and called the Australian emergency number, 0-0-0.

He remained connected to emergency services for an hour and provided information about his estimated location. A rescue helicopter was then deployed, which eventually found Shearman, and lifted him into a helicopter to be brought back to the beach.

Jimmy Keogh of Surf Life Saving Far North Coast, who facilitated the rescue, called Apple Watch a "game changer," given the harsh conditions that occurred. "The search area for people in the water with the conditions we have, it will be quite extensive involving many agents who can last for days," he said.

Shearman also agreed, with that statement. "If it weren't for access to service on my watch, I'd probably have been adrift somewhere in international waters now. It's amazing that I could use that technology to save my life," he said.

Apple Watch has been praised for saving lives, including from heart attacks, car accidents, and after falling hard, and several other incidents.