Australian swimmer caught in riptides rescued using his Apple Watch

A 49-year-old experienced swimmer in New South Wales used his Apple Watch to call for help after becoming caught in an ocean current that was dragging him further out to sea.

Byron Bay resident Rick Shearman had been out for his usual morning body surf at Tallow Beach when he got deluged by strong breaking waves that were carrying him further away from land. He was eventually carried out a kilometer (0.6 miles) offshore, trying to find a channel to get back to land.

"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 under water there," Shearman later told an ABC North Coast reporter. "It became clear after about 20 minutes that I wasn't going to make it back in and I needed some assistance."

Fatigued by the effort to avoid breaking waves and unable to get back to the beach, Shearman remembered the emergency function of his Apple Watch. While treading water, he located the SOS function on the device and called the Australian emergency number, 0-0-0.

He stayed on the line with emergency services for an hour and updated them as to his approximate location. A rescue helicopter was dispatched, located Shearman, and winched him into the craft to take him back to the beach.

A rescue in progress in New South Wales. (credit: Surf Life Saving NSW)

Shearman, an experienced ocean swimmer, said he had "underestimated" how rough the sea was that day. "I've been caught in rips before, many times over the years, and never panicked - but this wasn't going north or south, it was going straight out to sea."

Jimmy Keogh of Surf Life Saving Far North Coast, which facilitated the rescue, called the Apple Watch "a game changer," given the rough conditions that developed. "The search area for the person in the water with the conditions that we had, it would have been pretty substantial involving multi agencies that could have gone on for days," he said.

Shearman agreed, saying "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. It's amazing that I was able to use that technology to save my life."

NSW resident Rick Shearman after his successful rescue. (credit: Surf Life Saving NSW)

The Apple Watch has been credited time and time again with helping to save lives, including from heart attacks, car crashes, and after hard falls, among other incidents.