Imagine this: you are on your honeymoon, enjoying beautiful Vietnam with your partner on a boat, in the middle of nowhere – only to realise that your phone has slipped into the water. It’s one of those heart-stopping moments everyone dreads. And, exactly what a Delhi-based couple went through during their recent visit to Hoi An. What followed, however, was anything but ordinary. Not only did they recover the phone (iPhone 16 Pro), but also found it in a working condition.
SurveyFresh off their wedding celebrations on February 22, Delhi-based Harsh Renick and Sasha Aery landed in Vietnam to begin their dreamy post-wedding escape. Their first stop was Da Nang, followed by the charming lantern-lit town of Hoi An.
“Hoi An, with its glowing lanterns and vibrant nightlife, felt like stepping into another world. We strolled through the lively streets, enjoyed amazing food, and soaked in the atmosphere,” Sasha told Digit.
After a romantic dinner and an evening walk, a sweet local woman offered them a boat ride along the canal. Eager to capture the moment, Sasha placed her iPhone 16 Pro on the deck to film a timelapse. As the boat glided along the canal, the excitement of the evening made her briefly forget about the phone. Luckily, it was still there when the ride ended.
But just as they were stepping off at the dock, disaster struck. The iPhone slipped from her hand and vanished into the canal.
The mood shifted instantly. The couple thought they would never get the phone back and returned to their hotel. Sasha’s husband offered comfort but also told her that even if they recover it, the phone might not actually work. “He asked me to research if anyone had ever recovered a phone after 15 hours underwater,” she said.
She then scoured the internet and stumbled upon a Reddit post where someone claimed to have revived an older iPhone after a similar experience. That tiny glimmer of hope was enough to kick-start their rescue mission. With help from a kind local woman and a diver, they launched a recovery operation that cost them around Rs 10,000. Miraculously, the diver found the phone.
Now, comes the bigger challenge: will the phone work? Skeptical of the age-old and not recommended, “put it in rice” method, the couple opted for a more professional approach: silica gel. But tracking it down in Hoi An proved tricky. Eventually, they found a supplier in Da Nang who insisted on selling it only in 1 kg packs.
“We went ahead and got it,” Sasha shared, determined to give the phone the best shot at survival.
They placed the iPhone in silica gel and waited for 30 to 48 hours. And then, something incredible happened. The iPhone 16 Pro turned on. Everything was working. It was as if it had never taken that dive into the canal.
Also read: Apple to make all US iPhones in India by 2026: report
“It truly felt like a miracle and a testament to the quality of Apple’s products. Now, I can confidently say that miracles do happen, even in the form of a resurrected iPhone,” she said. “Maybe this little adventure will catch the eye of the wonderful folks at Apple, after all, it’s not every day that a phone survives a Vietnamese canal adventure.”
This heartwarming story highlights the importance of taking a step back and staying calm in the face of disaster. While dropping a phone into the water can seem like the end of the world, the couple’s quick thinking and determination turned a seemingly hopeless situation into a remarkable recovery.
Also read: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max price drop by Rs 12,000 on Amazon: How to grab this deal
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Ayushi Jain
Tech news writer by day, BGMI player by night. Combining my passion for tech and gaming to bring you the latest in both worlds. View Full Profile
