Mine is a couple versions old but you have to lock the watch to seal out water before you go in the ocean, so I don’t know how you would even interact with the watch out there. I wouldn’t want the version that has its own cell connection without being tethered to the phone. I do need a watch when I surf (almost always 30-60min during the workday) and usually wear my old gshock. There’s really only one spot I surf that has a cam, and then it is kinda fun to use the Surfline feature and be able to look at your rides later (I rarely remember to do this). But again, it’s nothing that you do on the watch in the water. The screen is locked on the watch face out there, until you unlock the watch back on land and it beeps and kinda tries to eject any water from the ports/speaker. Seems to work pretty well. I’ve even forgot to water lock it a few times (under a wetsuit sleeve) and it’s held up fine for 2years+.
Never heard of the dawn patrol app.