One lucky surfer has told how he was able to use his Apple Watch to call for help while stuck in the sea for an hour during a morning surf.
Rick Sherman was out for his usual morning surfing at Tallow Beach in Byron Bay on Saturday when things got “a bit rough”.
“I jumped in for a quick five-minute swim, I was actually actively looking for some nice waves,” he said on the Today show.
“After I was in the water for about 20 minutes, things started to get a little rough. So I decided to make my way inland, and on my way to shore I came across a lot of huge debris, and I got stuck in the impact zone and was underwater.”
Rick Sherman tells the story of his lucky escape after using his Apple Watch to dial 0 as he was dragged a kilometre out to sea. Photo: Supplied
Mr Sherman said he was out for his usual morning surfing in Byron Bay on Saturday when things got “a bit rough”. Picture: Supplied
Mr Sherman, who was swept a kilometre offshore, can thank his Apple Watch for miraculously saving him at sea. Photo: Supplied
The 49-year-old surfer said he was running out of breath and energy and desperate to “get out of there”.
“I didn’t eat a whole wheat breakfast. Like I said, I had just gotten out of bed, so I was well aware that my energy stores were low and I couldn’t take any more… I needed to get out of there,” he said.
Returning to shore was “impossible” for Mr. Sherman, who had to think outside the box.
“I had to review the next best options. What can I do to get out of this situation? 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 feature on the device. I had no reason to consider that before, but I figured it out quickly and made a call to emergency services.”
Mr. Sherman had to figure out how to use the “on-the-go” calling feature. Photo: Supplied
Alex Carroll, who came to Mr Sherman’s rescue, said the ordeal was a “very critical rescue situation”. Image: Supplied
Sherman told ABC he was at sea for about an hour and told emergency services where he was.
Lifeguard Alex Carroll told the Today programme the ordeal was a “very critical rescue situation” for NSW Lifesaving, which was initially tasked with rescuing a possible missing swimmer.
Mr. Sherman took the opportunity to thank Mr. Carroll for saving him and apologized for not doing so sooner.
“Sorry Alex, I was so stressed the other day when I saw you. I didn’t get a chance to thank you for your efforts, my friend,” he said.
“I am so grateful to you and all the efforts of all the agencies, staff and volunteers involved. It was an incredible effort. It was smooth and efficient and I owe my life to all of you.”
Mr. Sherman added that he was not sure if he could make an emergency call from his watch because he did not have a plan with the watch.
“The fact that I was able to make an emergency call from my watch is amazing… I don’t pay any money for a plan,” he said.
“I really don’t know how it worked, but yeah, it definitely got me out of trouble.”
