A new Apple video shows how the Emergency SOS feature of the Apple Watch saved a man in Australia.
The Apple Watch has saved countless lives over the years, and a new Apple video explains how it helped rescue a man swept out to sea in Australia.
On Wednesday, Apple released a promotional video titled “Rick’s Rescue,” which highlights the impact the Emergency SOS feature of the Apple Watch can have on people’s lives. It does so by telling the story of Rick Shearman, who was caught in an ocean current that dragged him out to sea.
He was only rescued thanks to the Apple Watch, as he initiated a call to emergency services in July 2024, while still in the water.
Shearman, an experienced swimmer from New South Wales, was bodysurfing in rough seas when strong waves drove him further and further away from shore. The current carried him about a mile, to the point where he could no longer even see the beach. After trying to swim back to shore for around 20 minutes, Shearman realized he needed help, and he knew exactly what to do.
Fatigued by the effort to avoid breaking waves and unable to get back to the beach, Shearman remembered the Emergency SOS function of his Apple Watch. While treading water, he located the feature on the device and called emergency services.
A rescue helicopter was dispatched, located Shearman, and winched him into the craft to take him back to the beach.
All of this was depicted in the “Rick’s Rescue” video, albeit through a dramatization with computer-generated imagery rather than actual video footage. The advertisement does contain Shearman’s voice, though, as the audio from his call to emergency services was used.
The Emergency SOS feature depicted in the video was introduced with the watchOS 3 update, which was released back in 2016. It was also featured in an ad for the Apple Watch Series 7, published in 2022.
More importantly, however, the Emergency SOS feature of the Apple Watch has saved countless lives over the years. In January 2024, it helped rescue a woman after a near-fatal experience with carbon monoxide poisoning. In 2025, was used in the rescue of skiers who fell 1,000 feet down a mountain, and in 2018 it helped save a woman and her child after a collision.
The feature has also caused problemsfor police on a few occasions, mainly through accidental calls to emergency services. Emergency SOS on the Apple Watch is easy to enable and customize, so much so that even kids have used it.
How to activate Emergency SOS on the Apple Watch
By default, your Apple Watch can call emergency services by holding the Side Button down for 5 seconds.
Holding the button will reveal a menu, and then a timer will start counting down. Emergency SOS will contact emergency services, like 911 in the United States. It also sends a message to all of your registered emergency contacts.
