Surfer retrieves working Apple Watch six months after losing it in the ocean
A man from Huntington Beach, Calif. has recovered an Apple Watch he lost surfing in the Pacific Ocean six months ago, still in working order.
"This thing has been my good luck charm. I would use it quite often to show the surf and how fast you were going. It would even show you where you were on the beach," Robert Bainter told KTLA. One day, however, he was riding a large wave only to discover the Watch had been pulled off his wrist.
"A huge wave came and you know I was loving it, rode it and then I pick up my arm and like 'Oh My God,' what just happened," said Bainter.
Though he spent an hour searching and used Find My iPhone to turn on Lost Mode, the Watch remained missing until he eventually received a call from a man who found it 3 miles north and was able to retrieve Bainter's contact info.
"He was just walking looking for shells and he found it right there," Bainter said.
By that point Bainter had already bought a replacement Watch, but the original was fully functional, the only difference being a haze on the display, likely caused by the saltwater.
"It worked fine, it didn't skip a beat, all the information was there, all the apps were there," said Bainter. "I'm a big Apple fan."
Lost Mode automatically locks an Apple device, and lets users assign a phone number and onscreen message for anyone who finds it. If it's recovered, an owner can unlock it again using the Web or iOS versions of Find My iPhone.
"This thing has been my good luck charm. I would use it quite often to show the surf and how fast you were going. It would even show you where you were on the beach," Robert Bainter told KTLA. One day, however, he was riding a large wave only to discover the Watch had been pulled off his wrist.
"A huge wave came and you know I was loving it, rode it and then I pick up my arm and like 'Oh My God,' what just happened," said Bainter.
Though he spent an hour searching and used Find My iPhone to turn on Lost Mode, the Watch remained missing until he eventually received a call from a man who found it 3 miles north and was able to retrieve Bainter's contact info.
"He was just walking looking for shells and he found it right there," Bainter said.
By that point Bainter had already bought a replacement Watch, but the original was fully functional, the only difference being a haze on the display, likely caused by the saltwater.
"It worked fine, it didn't skip a beat, all the information was there, all the apps were there," said Bainter. "I'm a big Apple fan."
Lost Mode automatically locks an Apple device, and lets users assign a phone number and onscreen message for anyone who finds it. If it's recovered, an owner can unlock it again using the Web or iOS versions of Find My iPhone.
Comments
I'd be interested what series of watch he had
Edit: I just tested lost mode with my watch and it does indeed put your phone number and a customizable message on the watch screen. I guess the watch must have connected to a public hotspot when the guy found it, otherwise I don’t know how it would have gotten lost mode turned on. Presumably if he had the cellular version it would have been deactivated on his cell phone plan and it appears the lost mode has to be turned on via a connection to the internet, not a Bluetooth connection to the phone.
An Apple Watch battery only lasts for 3 days or something.
How could the watch connect to the internet after 6 months?
I misplaced my Apple Pencil a while back, and I even bought an App to help locate it, but 3 months had already passed since it went missing and I guess the batteries were all out so it didn't give out any signal which would've helped me to locate it. I did eventually find the pencil, it was just lying around in some box I had stored someplace, so everything worked out well in the end, but I do not intend to misplace it again, that I can tell you.
If the pencil battery can't last 3 months, how can the watch battery last 6 months?
Did the person who found it charge it or something? That might explain how it was able to connect.
A lot more durable than I ever expected although I often used my Series 0 while swimming without issue.