August 19, 2026 — A critical safety incident involving an Apple Watch Ultra during a scuba dive has been reported, highlighting potential risks associated with using consumer electronics for life-support critical activities. The device, marketed for recreational scuba use, reportedly malfunctioned at significant depth, leading to the loss of vital dive information and subsequent physical damage consistent with internal battery swelling.
Product Details
Product: Apple Watch Ultra
Incident Overview
On July 4, 2026, a diver was approximately 100 feet deep off Guanacaste, Costa Rica, using an Apple Watch Ultra as their dive computer. The watch was running a specific dive application, which Apple markets for recreational scuba use on the device. While at depth and actively functioning as a dive computer, the watch began to spontaneously and repeatedly reset, displaying the Apple boot logo before restarting. This was followed by a temperature/thermal-warning screen (indicated by a thermometer icon) and a prompt to restore the device, before it powered down completely.
Upon surfacing, the diver observed that the front glass of the Apple Watch Ultra was visibly raised above its protective titanium bezel, protruding outward. This deformation is consistent with internal lithium-ion battery swelling, a known issue that can occur in electronic devices. Although the glass has since receded into the housing, the device has not powered on since the incident and is permanently inoperable. The diver, an Advanced Open Water certified individual, managed the situation without harm despite the distraction and loss of critical information. The device has been preserved unaltered, with no attempts made to open, charge, or repair it.
Safety Concerns
This incident raises several serious safety concerns for consumers, particularly for those who rely on the Apple Watch Ultra for scuba diving:
- Immediate Life-Threatening Danger for Divers: A dive computer provides essential real-time information such as depth, elapsed bottom time, and ascent rate. Losing access to this data at 100 feet (approximately 30 meters) depth, especially in an environment with marine predators, creates an extreme risk of decompression sickness (DCS), arterial gas embolism, or other serious dive-related injuries, which can be fatal. Less experienced divers could panic, leading to uncontrolled ascents or other dangerous behaviors.
- Thermal and Burn Hazard: The visible swelling of the internal lithium-ion battery and the thermal warning screen indicate a significant internal heat event. Batteries experiencing such issues can generate extreme heat, vent gases, or even catch fire or explode. While worn on the body, this presents an independent and immediate burn hazard to the user.
- Reliability for Critical Applications: The failure of a device marketed and sold for recreational scuba use, particularly at depth, calls into question its reliability for safety-critical applications where equipment malfunction can have severe consequences.
- Risk of Unforeseen Failure: The spontaneous nature of the failure, occurring during intended use and within what is understood to be the device’s operational limits, suggests a potential underlying defect that could affect other units.
- Property Damage: The device itself was rendered permanently inoperable, representing a significant financial loss. There is also potential for damage to other equipment or the surrounding environment if a thermal event escalates beyond the device itself.
What Consumers Should Do
Consumers who own an Apple Watch Ultra, especially those who use it for scuba diving, should take the following precautions:
- Exercise Extreme Caution for Diving: If you use your Apple Watch Ultra as a dive computer, consider it a secondary device or a backup only. Never rely solely on a smart device for critical life-support information during a dive. Always use a dedicated, reliable primary dive computer.
- Monitor Device Performance: Pay close attention to any unusual behavior from your Apple Watch Ultra, especially after water exposure or during strenuous activities. This includes unexpected resets, performance issues, excessive heating, or any physical changes to the device (e.g., screen lifting, unusual swelling).
- Do Not Charge or Use a Damaged Device: If your Apple Watch Ultra exhibits similar symptoms (spontaneous resetting, thermal warnings, or physical signs of battery swelling like a raised screen), power it down immediately. Do not attempt to charge, open, or repair the device yourself. Store it in a safe, non-flammable location away from combustibles.
- Identify Your Product: This incident specifically involves the Apple Watch Ultra model. Users of other Apple Watch models should also be aware of general battery safety, but this report focuses on the Ultra due to its marketing for diving.
- Report Incidents: If you experience a similar incident or any safety-related issue with your Apple Watch Ultra or any other consumer product, report it immediately to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) at www.SaferProducts.gov and to Apple Inc. directly.
Manufacturer’s Response
According to the incident report, the consumer reported this issue to Apple. After review, Apple reportedly offered only standard paid out-of-warranty service and did not treat the matter as a safety concern.
Legal Help Available
If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective product or suffered property damage due to a product malfunction, you may be entitled to compensation. The experienced product liability attorneys at Farzan Law understand the complexities of defective product cases and can help you navigate the legal process. Farzan Law is a California based Personal Injury law firm focusing on protecting the rights of those wrongfully injured.
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Note: This information is based on incident reports provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. If you find information that is incorrect, please contact us immediately so we can correct the post to reflect accurate information.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this post is not intended to be legal or medical advice. This article is based on publicly available incident reports. The incidents mentioned have not necessarily been independently verified or adjudicated.