A surfer has reported his miraculous rescue after using his Apple Watch to call for help after being pulled a kilometer out to sea.
Rick Shearman was out bodysurfing at Tallow Beach in Byron Bay on Saturday morning when things got “a little dicey.”
“I jumped in for a quick five-minute swim and was actively looking for some nice waves,” he told the Today show.
“And after being in the water for about 20 minutes, things started to get a little tricky. So I decided to make my way into the water. On the way to shore, I encountered a lot of big dumpers and got caught in the impact zone and pushed under the water.”
The 49-year-old surfer said he had lost breath and energy and desperately needed to “get out of there.”
“I hadn’t eaten my Wheaties that morning. Like I said, I had just gotten out of bed, so I knew my energy levels were low and I couldn’t go on… I had to get out of there,” he said.
For Mr Shearman, it was “impossible” to return to shore. He had to think outside the box.
“I had to think about what the next best options were. What could I do to get out of this situation? And honestly, I was stuck, and that’s when I realized I was wearing this Apple Watch,” he said.
“I thought there must be some kind of SOS function. I had no reason to look at it before, but I found out spontaneously and triggered an emergency call.”
Mr Shearman told ABC he had been at sea for about an hour and had told emergency services where he was.
Rescuer Alex Caroll told the Today show that the ordeal was a “very critical rescue situation” for Lifesaving NSW, which was originally tasked with rescuing a possibly missing swimmer.
Mr Shearman took the opportunity to thank Mr Caroll for his rescue and apologized for not doing so sooner.
“Sorry Alex, I was pretty busy the other day when I saw you. I didn’t get a chance to properly thank you for your efforts, buddy,” he said.
“I am eternally grateful to you and all the agencies, staff and volunteers involved for your efforts. It was an incredible, incredible achievement. It ran smoothly and efficiently and I owe you my life.”
Mr Shearman added that he was not sure whether the emergency call would be made by his watch as he had no plan for the watch.
“The fact that I was able to make this emergency call from my watch is amazing… I’m not paying any money for a plan,” he said.
“I really don’t know how it worked, but yeah, it definitely got me out of trouble.”