Live location while freediving and spearfishing on Apple Watch Ultra

Try it

One press at the surface, and it is on their page

Your watch sends through your iPhone’s mobile connection.

Action Button

Press the Action Button to open your messages.

Live Share works on any Open Water session, freediving or spearfishing. Part of FreeDive Ultra Pro.

How it works

Start it, send it, go diving PRO

What they see

A live page, in any browser

Where you are on a map, with the route you have swum
Dives so far and your last dive, time and depth
Deepest dive and your longest apnea
Distance and water temperature
Watch battery and heart rate, and how the update was sent
Your messages newest first, with the time sent

Ready until your first session
Live while you dive
Paused between sessions
Ended when you stop the share
Expired when the link stops working

Messages

Your messages, your words

Five to choose from

“Heading back to shore.” and “Staying out longer.” are always there. Add up to 3 of your own, 35 characters each: Settings, Open Water, Live Share, Live Share Messages.

Pending, then Sent

The watch shows Pending until it goes out, then Sent with a green tick. Sent means it reached the page. Send another before the first goes out and the new one replaces it.

Messages are not monitored and nobody is alerted when one arrives. Live Share is not an emergency service.

Connection

With your iPhone

Updates go out over your iPhone’s mobile connection, so keep your iPhone within range of your watch.

PHONE

iPhone with you

On the boat or in a dry bag, your iPhone sends the updates. The watch shows PHONE, with its battery and signal.

SURFACE

Lift your wrist

GPS and signal do not reach you underwater. Hold your wrist clear for 10 to 20 seconds at the surface and the page catches up.

The link lasts 24 hours from the start of your last session, so one link can cover a whole trip. End it any time on your iPhone. If the watch shows Phone out of range or No internet in amber, updates are waiting for a connection.

Live Share is not a safety device. It raises no alarm and cannot call for help, and updates can stop or arrive late: no reception, the watch out of range, a GPS error, a flat battery. Messages are not monitored and nobody is alerted when one arrives. Live Share is not an emergency service. Always dive with a buddy.

Afterwards, the whole route is on your iPhoneYour route on the map, the distance swum, and where you went in and came out, alongside every dive. A shared session always records its route, and it reaches your iPad through iCloud and app.freediveultra.com.See the route →

Questions

Live location, answered

Can I share my live location while freediving?

Yes. On Apple Watch Ultra with FreeDive Ultra, start Live Share on your iPhone and send the link. During an Open Water session the page shows where you are on a map and how the session is going, updated each time you surface.

Can I share my live location while spearfishing?

Yes. Live Share works the same on a spearfishing session. Anyone with the link can see where you are on the water, how many dives you have done and how deep you went, and you can send a short message from your watch, such as “Heading back to shore.”

How can I track someone freediving or spearfishing?

Ask them to send you their Live Share link. If they dive with FreeDive Ultra on Apple Watch Ultra, the link opens in your browser and shows where they are on the water, how many dives they have done and how deep they went, updated each time they surface. There is nothing to install.

Does GPS work underwater?

No. GPS signals do not reach you underwater, so your position updates when you surface. Lift your wrist clear of the water for 10 to 20 seconds and the page catches up. It always shows how long ago the last update arrived.

Does the person following need the app?

No. It is a web link that opens in any browser, on a phone or a computer, from anywhere with internet. There is nothing to download and no account to make.

Can I send a message from the water?

Yes, at the surface. On the Live Share screen, press the Action Button, turn the Crown to pick a message, and press again to send it. It appears on the page. Messages are not monitored and nobody is alerted when one arrives.

Does it need phone signal?

It needs a connection. Updates go out over your iPhone’s mobile connection, so keep your iPhone within range of your watch. With no signal on your iPhone, updates stop or arrive late, and the page shows how long ago the last one arrived.

Can Live Share work without my iPhone?

Not yet. Live Share sends through your iPhone, so keep it within range of your watch. If the watch loses your iPhone, it keeps everything and sends it as soon as your iPhone is back in range.

How long does the link last?

The link stops working 24 hours after your last session starts. Start another session before then and it keeps going, so one link can cover a whole trip. You can end it any time from your iPhone.

Can I send the link to more than one person?

Yes. There is one link per share, and you can send it to as many people as you want, one at a time or to a group.

Is Live Share free?

Live Share is part of FreeDive Ultra Pro, with a 7-day free trial. The person following needs nothing: the link opens in any browser.

Can I start Live Share from my iPad?

No. Live Share starts from the iPhone paired with your Apple Watch Ultra, and an iPad cannot pair with the watch. Once the session ends, it reaches your iPad through iCloud with the rest of your logbook.

Which Apple Watch does it work on?

Every Apple Watch Ultra: the original, Ultra 2, Ultra 3 and Ultra 4, paired with your iPhone. FreeDive Ultra is for Apple Watch Ultra only.

Does it replace a buddy?

No. Live Share is not a safety device. It raises no alarm and cannot call for help, and updates can stop or arrive late. Messages are not monitored and nobody is alerted when one arrives. Live Share is not an emergency service. Always dive with a buddy.

This guide came out of a thread on r/Spearfishing about sharing your live location on the water.

More guides

Spearfishing on Apple Watch Ultra: GPS pins and navigationSave a spot without touching the screen, navigate back to it next trip, see your route and lock a heading.Read the guide → How to set up FreeDive Ultra on Apple Watch UltraFive steps, two minutes: install, permissions, Watch Setup, Auto Launch and your first session.Read the guide → Pool freediving on Apple Watch Ultra: DYN, DYNB, DNF, STAEvery rep and rest counted on the wrist, with one pool length saved per rep.Read the guide → Dry apnea training: CO2 and O2 tables on Apple Watch UltraFind your max breath hold and see the table it builds, then run it on iPhone or your watch.Read the guide → Is the Apple Watch Ultra good for freediving?What it measures underwater, real battery life over a 7 hour session, and what to know before you rely on it.Read the guide → All guidesEverything written so far, in one place.Browse →

Get started

Let them follow along

Free to download. Live Share is part of Pro, with a 7-day free trial. Start it on your iPhone before your next Open Water session.