When Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Ultra in September, focusing on pro athletes, the company said users could dive up to 40 meters or 130 feet with the watch. While this was possible since day 1 of the release of this product, Apple had promised a partnership with Huish Outdoors to bring a proper app for recreational divers called Oceanic+. This app brings lots of data for those who like scuba diving and is now available.
The announcement was made through a press release. Apple says the Apple Watch Ultra transforms the scuba diving experience by “giving recreational divers a more convenient, accessible device with all the features users already know and love on Apple Watch.”
“There’s now a companion that communicates clear and timely information to divers,” says Andrea Silvestri, Huish Outdoors’ vice president of product development and design, who led the creation of Oceanic+. Silvestri has been testing Oceanic+ on the watch underwater to get the app ready for launch.
Unlike other Apple Watches, the Apple Watch Ultra is certified to WR100 and EN 13319, an internationally recognized standard for dive accessories, including depth gauges. The 49mm titanium case and flat sapphire front crystal reveal the biggest and brightest Apple Watch display available on a smartwatch made by Apple to provide good visibility underwater.
In addition, the Action button can be customized to launch the Oceanic+ app into the predive screen, and during a dive, pressing the Action button will mark a compass bearing.
According to Apple, in the dive planner, users can set their surface time, depth, and gas, and Oceanic+ will calculate their No Deco (no-decompression) time — a metric used to determine a time limit for a diver at a certain depth.
The planner also integrates dive conditions, including tides, water temperature, and even up-to-date information from the community, such as visibility and currents.
Post-dive, users will see data — including GPS entry and exit locations — automatically pop up on Apple Watch Ultra, along with a summary of their dive profile. The summary on the Oceanic+ iPhone app provides additional information, including a map of entry and exit locations, as well as graphs of depth, temperature ascent rate, and no-decompression limit.
The Oceanic+ app also offers complications that bring important information and tools to users at a glance, including no-fly time, surface time, quick access to the dive planner, dive settings, current elevation, maximum elevation allowed, and a quick access button back into the app.
The app requires Apple Watch Ultra running watchOS 9.1 paired with an iPhone 8 or later. For access to decompression tracking, tissue loading, the location planner, and an unlimited logbook capacity, Oceanic+ is $9.99 (US) per month or annually for $79.99 (US). Family Sharing is also available for $129 (US) annually, allowing access for up to five people.
