Apple Watch lost in the ocean found six months later, still works

April 24 (UPI) -- A California man who lost his Apple Watch while body surfing in the ocean said it was returned to him six months later -- and it still works.

Robert Bainter said he was at Huntington Beach about six months ago when he caught a big wave.

"A huge wave came and you know I was loving it, rode it and then I pick up my arm and like 'Oh my god,' what just happened," Bainter recalled to KTLA-TV of the moment he noticed the Apple Watch was gone.

Bainter said he searched for the watch and used the Find My iPhone app to put the device into Lost Mode.

He said he eventually started to think he would never get the watch back, until he got a call six months later.

"It's this guy saying, 'hey if your name is Rob Bainter and you lost an Apple Watch recently. Give me a call and if you can describe this I'll give this thing to you,'" he said.

The watch was found about 3 miles north of where it was lost.

"He was just walking looking for shells and he found it right there. It was a dream come true, I couldn't believe it!" Bainter said.

He said he was shocked to discover the Apple Watch was still in perfect working order.

"It worked fine, it didn't skip a beat, all the information was there, all the apps were there," he said.

Electronics have survived some unusual ordeals -- New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research found a USB drive that was eaten by a leopard seal and still worked after being extracted from the animal's poop. The institute shared some of the photos and videos from the USB stick.