Apple and Huish devise clever pricing model for divers with Oceanic+ app

Apple pulled a surprise new watch out of its hat, the Apple Watch Ultra, when it held its fall event in September. The watch is rated for recreational scuba diving and can be taken underwater to 40 meters or 130 feet.

A Depth app is pre-installed on the watch and shows a number of things. You need more than that when you're a scuba diver. You need a dive computer that records how long you stay at certain depths. A dive computer is made up of instruments that measure and log depth and time. It makes sense that Apple would partner with an external supplier because of the specialized nature of this product.

I reviewed the app and watch combo but wanted to talk about the pricing model and how it's a game-changer for scuba divers.

If the computer was used by another diver the day before, their dive profile might influence yours. The worst thing that can happen is that the computer thinks you don't have as much time as you actually do. You might have to do shorter dives.

Some divers have their own dive computers because of this. These are often laid around for long periods of time. It's frightening for many of my fellow divers and myself to discover that the battery in my dive computer is low when I'm about to dive. When that happens, you end up scrambling to get a replacement battery, as the dive computer needs to be re-sealed, and not everyone has the right tools to do that, or rent a dive computer and bring that with you as a backup.

A scuba diver observes that the alarm has been reached.

There are a lot of features for free in the app.

• Snorkeling
• Gauges
• Depth meter
• Max depth tracking
• Last dive time
• Maximum elapsed time
• Total activity time
• GPS location for an actiity
• Logbook
• Cumulative lifetime dive time
• Total number of dives
• Deepest dive
• Longest dive
• Dive ratings (you can rate your dive and specifics about the dive)
• Sharing activities to social networks
• Storing pictures

You have to subscribe to get the advanced features. Things start getting clever here. Renting a dive computer from a dive shop can cost anywhere from $5 to $30 per day, and most divers wouldn't choose to go without.

They did something clever here. Instead of only having long-term subscription plans, the app makers came up with shorter plans that are more suited to divers.

• $4.99 per day
• $9.99 per month
• $79.99 per year
• $129 per year for “family share” up to five people.

You can subscribe to the app for a single day, a month, or a year.

It's a no-brainer if you already have an Apple watch. If you have an existing Apple Watch, you can use it as a dive computer. Most dive trips last less than a month, so for $10 you can dive as much as you want. If you plan on taking more than one dive trip in a year, you can pay a little more.

Features that are added when you subscribe are only needed when you are diving. The free app will allow you to refer back to your previous dives once you are safely back at home.

There are features added to the paid app.

• Tissue loading – the bit you need to avoid decompression sickness
• Decompression info – that’s the part you need to stay safe as you are in the water, and calculates the surface intervals, and the time it takes before you can safely fly in an airplane after you’ve been diving
• Community dive conditions – water temperature, visibility, and currents, etc.
• Local 3-day weather forecast for your dive sites
• Local 3-day temperature forecast for your dive sites
• UV index

For people who used the diving feature on the Apple Watch, the days of having to use a rented dive computer may be taken into account. You would be crazy to spend more than you have to on a watch if you can afford it.