How a watch helped me overcome my biggest fear

Some people are afraid of heights, snakes, flying, needles or public speaking. For me, it’s the ocean. I’m a big wuss when it comes to waves. 

I wasn’t always scared of the sea. In fact, I’d never swam in the ocean until moving to the coast for university. But that’s when my fear began. On the first day of orientation week, we were taken to the beach and let loose. I had no idea what to expect and in an attempt to be cool, I followed what the other dorky first-year students were doing. 

You can probably guess what happened. As a newbie to the ocean, I got dumped and rolled by the waves, swallowed a stomach full of sea water, lost my bikini top and came up from the crushing waves splattering and heaving for air. My left hip and pride were bruised and most of all, I was sh*t-scared of it happening again. 

That was nearly two decades ago and in the years since, I’ve managed to discreetly disguise my fear of the ocean by offering thinly-veiled excuses like ‘it’s too cold to swim’ or if push comes to shove, wading in just up to my waist.

All that changed last week, when I plunged head-first into learning to surf and stand up paddle-board (SUP). As someone who’s always on the lookout for a challenge, I figured I shouldn’t let my fear of the ocean stop me from learning and experiencing new things. Knowing that I’d be taught how to surf and SUP by qualified and experienced instructors went some way to quelling my fears, but what got me over the line was my watch.

My Apple Watch’s Emergency SOS function, which when activated, dials emergency services and your predetermined emergency contact or next-of-kin – even without an iPhone nearby – gave me the confidence to know that if I got in trouble I could call for help. 

It’s features like this that make it easy to see why the Apple Watch has been the market leader in the smartwatch category for many years now. Besides it’s life-saving ability, the Apple Watch is the ultimate device for the Australian lifestyle. Worn on your wrist, it’s the most accessible and convenient device for all-day activity tracking, staying connected and health. 

I’ve worn an Apple Watch for several years and I know my way around its buttons, dials and apps. Cycling, yoga, swimming, high-intensity interval training. You name it, Apple Watch measures it. I record and analyse my runs, yoga workouts and pram walks through the Activity or Strava apps, and if necessary, I’ll punch out a few minutes worth of squats or go for a brisk walk around the block to ‘close my activity rings’. But it’s the watch’s  lesser-known activity tracking capabilities that have impressed me lately. 

When I went surfing for the first time, the watch through the Dawn Patrol app, recorded how many waves I managed to ride (yes, I did stand up!) including the distance and speed travelled. On my iPhone after the workout, I could see exactly where I surfed as well as my longest ride. 

To provide users with this level of data, developers are taking advantage of the built-in GPS, compass, gyroscope and accelerometer in the latest Series 5 watch, which enable tracking of specialised metrics.

Another example is the clever GoSUP app. It’s the perfect companion for stand up paddle-boarding. During my workout, the app gave me detailed information including duration, distance, pace, number of strokes, heart rate and more. Because of my fear of open water, I was comforted to know that with the watch’s in-built compass I’d be able to see the direction and distance from my starting point – should I go off course. 

Being water-resistant to 50-metres, Apple Watch is ideal for water sports, including pool and open water swimming. The Pool Swim workout automatically records splits and sets, and can actually recognise your stroke. And the Open Water Swim workout visualises your route on a map, while precisely tracking active calories burned, distance and overall pace. It’s a stroke of genius. 

If water sports aren’t your thing and like me, you prefer land than sea, then you’ll be stoked with the ways Apple Watch can take your running further. My favourite feature of the Outdoor Run workout is when pace alerts give me a gentle tap on the wrist to let you know if you’re behind or ahead of where I want to be. Cadence lets me see my steps per minute and helps me to improve my running technique, and rolling pace constantly updates, allowing me to see my split for the preceding kilometre at any time.

These fitness tracking features and more really do inspire a healthier life. By surfing out of my comfort zone, I’ve learned there’s still a lot more to discover with the Apple Watch on my wrist. Features I thought I’d never need have quickly become part of my life, like the Breathe app, which throughout the day reminds me to stop, relax and practice mindfulness or the Noise app that senses when noise levels may pose a risk to my hearing. It really is the first watch that watches out for you.