Professional surfers will soon start using the Apple Watch during competitions.
The World Surf League (WSL) has designated the wearable as the official wearable.
The organization says this is the first time the Apple Watch has been “used as an official competitive device in a professional sports environment.”
Before each race, every Championship Tour surfer will receive an Apple Watch pre-installed with the new WSL Surfer app.
Watch Series
They can use it to track scores, wave priority and times. The app, which works on the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra, syncs with the WSL ranking system in real time.
WSL says the Apple Watch is suitable because of its durability, mobile data connectivity and large, bright screen.
“Wind and wave noise can sometimes make it impossible to hear the announcers during the competition, and that means you miss important information,” Ítalo Ferreira, WSL 2019 winner and Olympic gold medalist, said in a statement.
“Cruel conditions can make it difficult to see the beach and the priority penalty can cost you heat.
So don’t count on seeing the beach or the WSL hasn’t said which Apple Watch model the competitors will be using.
The Ultra does It has the largest display of any Apple Watch to to date and is the most durable version the company has produced.
GPS
Apple says the Ultra has more accurate GPS and water resistance than its other models.
The 2023 WSL Championship Tour begins this weekend in Oahu, Hawaii.
If you’re interested in how the Apple Watch is being used in professional sports, you can watch the event on YouTube, the WSL app or the organization’s website.
Meanwhile, the second season of the docuseries Make or Break, which follows competitors on the Championship Tour, will hit Apple TV+ in February.
Smartwatches
Thanks to the announcers, it makes a huge difference and prevents guesswork.” Many surfers wear sports watches to track the waves, and while other smartwatches might fit the bill.
The WSL cited the Apple Watch’s “large bright display, durable design and cellular connectivity” as reasons why ultimately won out.
While the Apple Watch has been rated as safe for swimming for several generations, the Ultra kicked it up a notch by being designed to be fully waterproof for a variety of water sports.
The WSL also noted that several of its World Championship athletes tested the app WSL Surfer over the last two seasons.
Those who didn’t get the chance will be trained on how to use the app before the start of this season. The first WSL competition with Apple Watch will be held this Sunday at the Billabong Pro Pipeline on Oahu.
Athletes are among the most ardent fans of wearable technology. For example, the NBA used Oura Ring as part of its covid-19 prevention plans.
Meanwhile, Manchester City Football Club is developing its own smart scarf for fans and recently launched its own wearable performance tracker.
Many professional athletes and Olympians are also unofficially using wearable technology to optimize their training.
The WSL’s official adoption of the Apple Watch is interesting in that it’s not performance-related.
It’s a means of relaying information to athletes in real-time, using the Apple Watch’s cellular capabilities. Another is that the WSL is adopting a popular consumer wearable as an official device at a time when the role of wearable technology in the sport is hotly debated.
Technical doping, or the unfair advantage provided by wearable data, is a growing problem and the leagues are not always on the same page.
For example, while the Football Association and MLB allow players to use certain wearable devices during games.
The NBA once banned players from wearing a Whoop tracker during games and also banned wearable data from contract negotiations.