Pool freediving on
Apple Watch Ultra
Dynamic apnea training, counted on the wrist. Pool mode in FreeDive Ultra counts every rep, times every rest and taps you when it is time to go again.
The set is the unit of pool training. The watch counts it.
Pool freediving is dynamic apnea, and dynamic apnea is trained in sets. 8 x 25m with a short rest, 6 x 50m with equal rest, 25m on the minute twenty times. Whatever the plan, the numbers are the same: how far, how long, how much rest, how many reps.
Pool mode on Apple Watch Ultra keeps those numbers for you. Every push-off to surfacing is a rep, counted on its own. The rest timer starts the moment you are up. Dial the distance on the Crown, set a rest target, and the watch taps you when it is time to go again.
Pick Pool on the home screen and tap Start Pool, or let Auto Launch start the session the moment you pass the start depth. From there the Crown and the Action Button are the only controls, and the session ends when you end it.
Three settings, once
All three live in Training Settings on the watch and on iPhone. Whichever you use, the other stays in sync.
Pool length
25 m, 33.3 m, 50 m, 25 yd or 50 yd, or a custom length for the hotel pool. The distance dial pre-fills to it on every rep.
Start depth
0.8 m by default, adjustable from 0.6 m to 1.2 m. Set it deeper so a dip at the wall does not count as a rep, shallower for a shallow pool.
Rest target
The rest time you are training towards. When the timer reaches it, the watch taps you and the number turns amber.
Push off. Surface. Dial. Rest. Go again.
The watch below is a true representation of what Pool mode does on a dynamic apnea set. Press the Action Button on it to try the stopwatch underwater and the distance save at the surface.
Underwater and at the wall.
Underwater
Rep time in cyan, with the rep number, depth and heart rate beneath it. The Action Button runs a stopwatch without ending the rep.
Surface
Rest time in cyan, amber once you pass the target. Reps, last rep and heart rate in a row, and the distance dial underneath: Crown to set, Action Button to save.
Every rep, in the log
The session lands on your iPhone the moment you end it.
The set at a glance
Session profile, reps, best distance and longest rep. Tag the session DYN, DYNB or DNF, fins, bifins or no fins, for your lifetime dynamic stats.
The rep list
Every rep with its time, rest, heart rate and distance. Correct a distance, or the pool length, and the totals follow.
One rep at a time
Swipe through the reps: rest time, distance, rep time, and pre-rep and post-rep heart rate.
Lifetime dynamic stats sit under the Training filter in the logbook, and every pool session goes to Apple Fitness as a workout with heart rate and calories.
What pool freedivers ask
Does Apple Watch Ultra count lengths in the pool?
It counts dynamic apnea reps. A rep is one push-off to one surfacing, and a wall turn happens underwater where the watch cannot see it, so a 50 in a 25 metre pool is one rep. The distance is pre-filled to one pool length; turn the Crown to what you swam and press the Action Button to save it.
Which Apple Watch does it work on?
Every Apple Watch Ultra: the original, Ultra 2, Ultra 3 and Ultra 4. The depth sensor is what starts and ends each rep, and only the Ultra has one.
Does it work in a 25 yard pool, or a short hotel pool?
Yes. The presets are 25 m, 33.3 m, 50 m, 25 yd and 50 yd, and a custom length covers anything from 10 to 100 metres or 10 to 110 yards.
Does Auto Launch work in the pool?
Yes. With Pool selected, Auto Launch starts the session the moment you pass your pool start depth, 0.8 metres by default and adjustable from 0.6 to 1.2 metres. Walk in and push off without touching the watch.
Do I need a buddy for pool training?
Yes, every session. Blackouts in the pool happen at the surface and at the wall. Train with a buddy who is watching, not swimming.
Take it to the pool tonight
Free to download. Push off, and let the watch count.