When the Apple Watch Ultra was announced in September, Apple spent a big portion of its slick introduction video focusing on its ability to be a dive buddy: part dive computer, part dive planner, this Apple Watch could survive depths far greater than the standard model and could make life a lot simpler for scuba divers. There was only one catch: all those features would come with the introduction of a new app from a third-party development partner later in the year.
On Monday, Apple made good on its promise by announcing the release of the Oceanic+ app, a partnership between Apple and Huish Outdoors. Available on the App Store today, Oceanic+ gives you simple dive-planning tools on your iPhone and dive companion tools on your Apple Watch Ultra.
The dive planner lets users set their surface time, their depth, and their gas, and Oceanic+ will calculate their No Deco (no-decompression) time. The planner also integrates dive conditions including tides, water temperature, and information from the community such as visibility and currents. Post-dive, users will see data automatically pop up on Apple Watch Ultra, along with a summary of their dive profile.
Apple
On the watch, you’ll get large, simple information–like a dive computer, but easier to understand with big arrows showing simple directions such as “Go up,” “Go down,” or “Stop.” Haptics will help you understand when you’re being alerted, even through a wetsuit up to 7mm thick. And new diving watch face complications for divers can show how much time they need to wait before they fly, current elevation, surface time, and more.
The basic Oceanic+ plan is free and includes many common dive functions, including depth and time, as well as logging the most recent dives. For access to decompression tracking, tissue loading, the location planner, and an unlimited logbook capacity, Oceanic+ costs $9.99 per month, or $79.99 a year. Family Sharing is also available for $129 a year for up to five people.
Author: Jason Cross, Senior Editor, Macworld
Jason has written about technology for more than 25 years - first in the gaming press, then focusing on enthusiast PCs and general technology. He enjoys learning how complicated technology works and explaining it in a way anyone can understand.