Apple Watch ad uses real SOS call from man swept out to sea

Apple has released audio from an emergency call made on an Apple Watch in a new ad highlighting the gadget's safety features.

Apr 9, 2025 - 21:15

Apple Watch ad uses real SOS call from man swept out to sea

A close-up of an Apple Watch on the SOS emergency feature, on a person's wrist in the water.

Remember that man who was rescued from the ocean after calling for help on his Apple Watch last year? Apple has released audio from that call in a new ad highlighting the Watch's safety features.

Rick Shearman was swimming off an Australian beach last July when he was caught in a current and dragged approximately one mile from the shore. Fortunately, he was able to call for help using his Apple Watch Ultra's Emergency SOS feature, which put him in touch with local emergency services (000 in Australia). The Watch also kept them updated on Shearman's coordinates, so the rescue helicopter didn't have to spend too much time searching for him in an endless expanse of blue.

The call is an interesting listen, with Shearman sounding much less panicked than most others would be in his situation (which no doubt contributed to his survival). Though he was clearly tired at that point, freaking out would have been a phenomenally poor use of his depleting energy.

It's also clear enough to be comprehensible even without Apple's helpful subtitles, which is quite the feat considering that Shearman was treading water and holding his wrist to his mouth or ear in turns. It's possible that Apple cleaned the audio up a bit for the ad, but even so, it was still apparently clear enough for Australia's emergency services to understand.