Apple launches Oceanic+ app on Watch Ultra; pricing, features explained [read now]

Apple has launched the new Oceanic+ app to its Watch Ultra, which allows scuba divers to take the watch to previously unreachable depths, including up to 130 feet.

In a blogpost on Monday, Apple said the new app turns the watch into a powerful and easy-to-use dive computer.

The basic plan of Oceanic+ is free which provides basic functions, including depth and time and logging recent dives.

But to access more advanced features, the plan costs Rs 969 per month and annually for Rs 7,700.

Family Sharing is also available for Rs 11,900 yearly, which gives access to up to five people.

Apple collaborated with Huish Outdoors to design the app.

"Oceanic+ on Apple Watch Ultra is one of the biggest innovations to hit the dive industry in a long time. We're creating an accessible, shareable, better diving experience for everybody," said Mike Huish, CEO, Huish Outdoors.

Both the companion iPhone app and the Oceanic+ offer all of the essential functions of an advanced dive computer, robust dive planning, and a comprehensive post-dive experience.

Andrea Silvestri, Huish Outdoors' vice president of product development and design, led the creation of Oceanic+ and has been testing the application on the watch underwater to get the app ready for the launch.

He praises the simplicity of the Watch Ultra, which frees divers from the strain of having to perform complex mental calculations and button presses required by other dive computers. This allows them to remain present and attentive to their surroundings.

Users can enter their surface time, depth and gas in the dive planner, and the app will calculate their No Deco (no-decompression) time -- a measurement used to set a time restriction for a diver at a specific depth.

Dive conditions, such as tides, water temperature, and even recent information from the community, including visibility and currents, are also included in the planner.

"One of the most intuitive features of Oceanic+ on Apple Watch Ultra is the haptic feedback, a design feat of both the hardware and software that enables the watch to tap users on the wrist through a series of vibrations, allowing divers to feel notifications underwater --even through a wetsuit that's 7mm thick," Apple said in the blogpost.

(With inputs from IANS)