In a remarkable rescue aided by technology, a Mumbai-based 26-year-old tech professional was saved by an Apple Watch Ultra during a scuba diving emergency near Puducherry. Kshitij Zodape was diving when a fault in his equipment underwater placed him in grave danger.
Zodape recalled that the sea conditions were rough, with visibility limited to just five to 10 metres. He had reached a depth of around 36 metres in the Bay of Bengal when his weight belt unexpectedly detached.
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This led to a sudden and rapid ascent to the surface, a rise that might have had deadly consequences.
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“We were around 36 metres down when I suddenly started shooting up towards the surface,” he said as per an NDTV report.
The Apple Watch Ultra on his wrist detected the abrupt upward movement and instantly displayed warnings on its screen, advising him to reduce his speed to prevent severe lung damage from the rapid ascent.
Despite his efforts, Kshitij could not halt his uncontrollable rise. At that moment, the watch activated its emergency alarm. The siren caught the attention of his diving instructor, who promptly returned to help.
By then, Kshitij had ascended approximately 10 metres but continued to be propelled upwards because of the buoyancy from the lost weight belt. Thanks to the alert from the Apple Watch Ultra, a potentially fatal situation was narrowly avoided. Kshitij confessed that he was unaware the watch was equipped with such a feature.
“Before I could even realise, my watch started showing warnings. When I ignored them, it started chiming at full volume. My instructor immediately heard it,” he said.
Kshitij subsequently reached out to Apple CEO Tim Cook to recount his experience. Much to his astonishment, he received a personal reply from Cook: “I'm so glad your instructor heard the alarm and quickly assisted you. Thanks so much for sharing your story with us. Be well.”
Introduced in 2022 as a durable, adventure-focused gadget, the Apple Watch Ultra boasts multiple safety functions, one of which is an emergency siren. This siren produces two alternating high-frequency tones audible up to 180 metres, deliberately engineered to penetrate environmental noise during critical situations.
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