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Apple Watch Ultra saves life of 26-year-old Mumbai techie after scuba diving accident
The robust health and environment tracking in devices like Apple Watch can prove to be life-saving. As the Apple Watch Ultra recently did in the case of Kshitij Zodape, a Mumbai resident who was scuba diving in Puducherry a few months ago.
This is not the first time it has happened. A wearable smart device, in this case the Apple Watch Ultra, has yet again saved the life of its user after sensing an emergency. A 26-year-old Mumbai techie, who works in an e-commerce company, was scuba diving this summer near Puducherry when he met with an accident. The techie, Kshitij Zodape, sensed the danger while he was under the water but found himself incapable of managing it. This prompted an Apple Watch Ultra feature to kick in, which eventually saved his life.
A few months ago, Kshitij had dived around 36 metres underwater in the Bay of Bengal and was descending further. This is when his weight belt came unstuck. It not only arrested his dive but even propelled him upwards. While he sensed the danger, he was unable to control the ascent or call for help. This was when his Watch Ultra started blaring a siren.
Kshitij, who has been diving since 2020, recalls the incident vividly: “The water was very choppy and visibility was poor, we could see only 5 to 10 metres. We were about 36 metres down when I suddenly started shooting up towards the surface,” he tells India Today Tech.
The ascent in water was so sudden that Khitij was unable to figure out what was happening. However, his Apple Watch Ultra, which can measure the dive depth, sensed the rapid vertical ascent. It automatically sent him an emergency notification.
“Before I could even realise, my watch started showing warnings. It told me that I needed to slow down because my ascent was too quick and it could cause injury,” says Kshitij. While he understood the warnings, he said, “I couldn’t control it, I was still rising rapidly.”
The problem was with the weight belt, which had come unstuck and had made Kshitij buoyant, propelling him towards the surface. The watch sensed his unusual ascent and when the rate of ascent did not change after its warning message, the device activated its siren. It was this siren that drew the attention of the instructor who was with Kshitij.
“When I ignored the warnings, the Watch started chiming at full volume. The siren was distinct. My instructor, who was ahead of me, immediately heard it and swam back. By then, I had already ascended 10 metres and was still rising uncontrollably,” he recalled.
If it were not for the emergency alarm on the Watch Ultra, Kshitij would have been at risk of lung over-expansion. Underwater, the body is compressed due to pressure, and ascending too quickly can cause the lungs to expand like a balloon and potentially rupture. In short, it could have been fatal for Kshitij. “I didn’t even know it had that siren feature,” he says.
Apple Watch Ultra Siren
Later, Kshitij even thanked Apple and wrote to CEO Tim Cook, sharing the incident. To his surprise, the Apple boss replied to him. “I’m so glad your instructor heard the alarm and quickly assisted you. Thanks so much for sharing your story with us. Be well,” Cook wrote in his email.
How the Apple Watch Ultra’s Emergency Siren works
Apple launched its rugged and adventure-ready Apple Watch Ultra in 2022. The watch includes safety features such as the emergency siren, designed for emergencies. In Kshitij’s case, the watch sensed the rapid ascent and activated the siren when it detected no response from the user. The Watch Ultra emits two alternating, high-pitched sounds that can be heard from up to 180 metres away. According to Apple, the sirens are engineered to stand out from natural or environmental sounds, making them easier to detect in chaotic conditions.
The siren continues until it is turned off or the watch runs out of battery. Apple notes that while the loudness of the siren may reduce slightly if the watch is wet it regains full volume once dry.
