Good morning and happy Monday.
I spent the last week in Bonaire and used my new Apple Watch Ultra throughout the trip. Of course, I don't have the Oceanic dive computer software yet, but wanted to post my thoughts with the watch.
Outside of dive capabilities, I like the watch. Big screen, but doesn't feel as big on my wrist as I thought it would. I did have a strange issue with charging the watch. I had two different magnetic chargers for it, including the original Apple charger. Neither worked when connected to a power adapter plugged directly into the wall. It would show charging briefly, then stop. Had no problems on the same power bricks charging my iPhone or other items. I was able to use a battery brick and the watch charged without a problem. I don't know if it had anything to do with Bonaire power (50 Hz) or if I did something strange that first night, but I didn't spend much time messing with it. I simply charged my battery during the day and used it to charge my watch at night.
While I am talking about charging, I started most days with a full charge and was able to do four dives a day, about an hour each, and still had around 40-50% charge at the end of the day. The first day of diving, since the watch had not charged overnight, I did hit the lower battery warning on the second dive. When the charge hit 30%, it displayed on the watch and continued to show on the dive screen as it dropped a few more percentage points during the dive.
Underwater, the screen was bright and easy to read. The time and depth were consistent with my Shearwater Perdix. Most of the time, I put the watch into "dive mode", but the few times I forgot, it switched automatically and was consistent on the readings. The band was comfortable on my wrist. I did not push the watch - no dives to 130+ feet.
Overall, I like it. I want to try the software when it is released to have it as a backup. I am not crazy about the subscription model, but since I don't dive all the time, being able to activate it when I need it, it won't cost much. But it is a hassle having to activate it when going on trips.
One item to note. The Apple Watch Ultra has the capability to connect to cellular directly without the phone. This did NOT work in Bonaire. My cell phone worked without a problem (AT&T with International Day Pass), but when the phone was off or I was away from the phone, the watch was not connected. I would assume the Bonaire wireless network is older tech (was connecting at 3G) and isn't compatible.
I spent the last week in Bonaire and used my new Apple Watch Ultra throughout the trip. Of course, I don't have the Oceanic dive computer software yet, but wanted to post my thoughts with the watch.
Outside of dive capabilities, I like the watch. Big screen, but doesn't feel as big on my wrist as I thought it would. I did have a strange issue with charging the watch. I had two different magnetic chargers for it, including the original Apple charger. Neither worked when connected to a power adapter plugged directly into the wall. It would show charging briefly, then stop. Had no problems on the same power bricks charging my iPhone or other items. I was able to use a battery brick and the watch charged without a problem. I don't know if it had anything to do with Bonaire power (50 Hz) or if I did something strange that first night, but I didn't spend much time messing with it. I simply charged my battery during the day and used it to charge my watch at night.
While I am talking about charging, I started most days with a full charge and was able to do four dives a day, about an hour each, and still had around 40-50% charge at the end of the day. The first day of diving, since the watch had not charged overnight, I did hit the lower battery warning on the second dive. When the charge hit 30%, it displayed on the watch and continued to show on the dive screen as it dropped a few more percentage points during the dive.
Underwater, the screen was bright and easy to read. The time and depth were consistent with my Shearwater Perdix. Most of the time, I put the watch into "dive mode", but the few times I forgot, it switched automatically and was consistent on the readings. The band was comfortable on my wrist. I did not push the watch - no dives to 130+ feet.
Overall, I like it. I want to try the software when it is released to have it as a backup. I am not crazy about the subscription model, but since I don't dive all the time, being able to activate it when I need it, it won't cost much. But it is a hassle having to activate it when going on trips.
One item to note. The Apple Watch Ultra has the capability to connect to cellular directly without the phone. This did NOT work in Bonaire. My cell phone worked without a problem (AT&T with International Day Pass), but when the phone was off or I was away from the phone, the watch was not connected. I would assume the Bonaire wireless network is older tech (was connecting at 3G) and isn't compatible.
You got it in one.
