The Apple Watch Ultra lacks advanced dive software, but third-party apps can provide dive planning and decompression calculations. Developers seek expanded sensor access.

The Apple Watch Ultra has depth limits, but lacks advanced dive software. Third-party apps are needed for dive planning and decompression calculations. Developers seek access to depth sensor data, but current APIs limit functionality. The watch shows promise as a backup dive computer, though its capabilities trail dedicated devices. The community hopes for expanded dive features in future updates.

The Apple Watch Ultra has a depth limit of 40m/132ft due to software restrictions. While it includes a basic bottom timer app, more advanced dive planning and decompression calculations require third-party apps. The community is eager to see what dive-related software may emerge, including open-source apps and features like dive planning and underwater compasses. However, the Apple developer APIs currently do not provide public access to the depth sensor data, limiting independent developers. Some users have found ways to export dive log data recorded by the watch's HealthKit framework. Overall, the Apple Watch Ultra shows promise as a backup dive computer, but its dive computer functionality is limited compared to dedicated devices. The community hopes Apple will expand the watch's capabilities in the future.

The Apple Watch Ultra has a depth limit of 40m/132ft due to software restrictions in the operating system. This means that the watch's depth sensor and dive software are unable to record or display data for dives deeper than that limit. There is speculation that a future version of the Apple Watch Ultra (Ultra v2) may address this limitation, but it remains to be seen if Apple will update the software to allow for deeper depth tracking.

The Apple Watch Ultra does come with a basic bottom timer app pre-installed, which could be useful as a backup dive computer for recreational dives. However, for more advanced dive planning and decompression calculations, users would need to rely on third-party dive apps like the Huish Outdoors app, which can be rented for a single dive.

The community is curious about what other dive-related software and applications might be in development for the Apple Watch Ultra. There is interest in seeing if any open-source dive apps will emerge, as well as applications for dive planning, underwater compasses, and other dive-specific features.

One key limitation is that the Apple developer APIs do not currently expose the depth sensor data publicly. This means that independent developers would need special access and permissions from Apple to create their own dive apps that can access the real-time depth and water pressure data. The Oceanic+ app, developed by Huish Outdoors, is one of the few that has been granted this access so far.

Some users have explored ways to export dive log data recorded by the Apple Watch Ultra's HealthKit framework, which stores depth and temperature measurements even if no dive app is running. An open-source project called "AWU2UDDF" has been released to allow users to export this data in the UDDF format for use with other dive logging software.

Overall, the Apple Watch Ultra shows promise as a potential backup dive computer, but the current software limitations and access restrictions mean that the dive computer functionality is somewhat limited compared to dedicated dive computers like the Shearwater Teric. The community is hopeful that Apple will continue to expand the capabilities of the watch's depth tracking and open up the necessary APIs to enable a wider range of dive-focused applications in the future.