Surfer swept out to sea is saved by his watch

A surfer who was swept out to sea was saved by the incredible technology in their Apple Watch.

Our oceans and seas may be beautiful, but their sheer power and force are not to be underestimated by anyone.

One Australian body surfer found that out when he was swept out to sea, only managing to survive thanks to some quick thinking and the technology on his wrist.

Rick Shearman, 49, had been out body surfing at Tallow Beach in Byron Bay on a Saturday morning when he became caught in the zone where the waves break, known as the impact zone.

“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,” he told ABC.

But, instead of trying to fight against the waves, Shearman had the wherewithal to allow the current to take him out past the zone, as per the correct riptide protocol.

Without a feasible route back to the beach, Shearman was half a mile out to sea with the current taking him even further away.

Shearman remembered he was wearing an Apple Watch and used the device to contact emergency services.

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

He stayed on the phone for an hour as he explained his location to emergency services. Shearman was eventually located and rescued via helicopter.

The technology has been credited by rescuers for almost certainly saving his life that day.

“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,” Sherman said.

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