US Diver Recovers Hundreds Of Apple Watches, Warns About Watch Bands

Darick Langos makes a living using his metal detector to recover lost items from the water.

A diver from Illinois, Darick Langos, has a warning for Apple Watch users: be cautious with the original bands. Mr Langos, who retrieves lost items in Indiana’s Chain O’ Lakes through his Scuba Bear Diving Recovery Service, has recovered a staggering 200 Apple Watches from underwater. He noticed that most of these watches had their original bands, which he believes can slip off during water activities.

“The ones with the sports bands … they do not stay on in the water,” Mr Langos told Shaw Local.

Mr Langos not only looks for watches hired by clients but also discovers lost items during his dives. Importantly, he makes it a point to return all recovered items to their owners and has never sold anything, including a valuable white gold ring.

While Apple Watches are his most common finds, Mr Langos also retrieves smartphones, jewellery, and prescription glasses during his underwater adventures. His message is clear: Apple Watch owners should be wary of the original bands when engaging in water activities.

He’s built those two passions-scuba diving and metal detecting-into a business, Scuba Bear Diving Recovery Service. For a fee, and depending on what was lost and where, Mr Langos will search for lost property.

“It is a good paying gig, but super niche,” Mr Langos said, adding, “I am the cheapest guy I know of. I don’t charge if I can’t find it.”

As per the news outlet, as far as Apple Watches go, most still take a charge, but because they are locked, it’s difficult to get them back to their owners. If he can send a “call this number” message to the watch that forwards to a cellphone, then he has been able to return it. Cellphone companies have mostly shown disinterest in getting the device back to owners.

Mr Langos is upfront about his capacity to find items lost in the lake, he said. If the owner is 99% certain of where the lost property may be, he can go look for it. If the property is “somewhere out in the middle of the lake,” he’s less likely to find it.