Gone are the days when you need a phone to call for help; something as small as a watch can now save lives. Such a heroic feat has been proven once again by the Apple Watch SOS feature where two stranded kayakers managed to call for help. The two have since been rescued by the US Coast Guard where the rescuers even credited the Apple Watch as being instrumental for the rescue.
Two unnamed men reportedly went kayaking off to Ocean Park Beach in San Juan, Puerto just recently. However, hazardous water conditions and a higher than usual surf-level overturned and sank their kayaks. This forced both to swim in the rough waters for several hours. By luck, one of them was wearing an Apple Watch which had an emergency SOS feature.
He contacted the emergency services through the Apple Watch SOS and Coast Guard and local police were able to locate the stranded kayakers. The Coast Guard rescued the kayakers with an aircraft basket and a rescue swimmer; the two were safely hoisted up and recovered from the water with none of the rescuers getting injured in the process.
“The kayakers are very fortunate to have survived. The survivors were able to use a smartwatch to communicate with 911 and Coast Guard watchstanders. After their kayaks sank, they were treading water in unfavorable sea conditions due to not having lifejackets. We commend our Sector San Juan watchstanders and the Puerto Rico Police aircrew, who did an excellent job assisting our crew with the rescue effort,” recalls Petty Officer 3rd Class Austin Hornbruch, an Air Station Borinquen aviation survival technician.
This wasn’t the first time that an Apple Watch SOS has saved someone; just last year, a woman was able to quickly call 911 via her Apple Watch after being struck by a drunk driver.
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