As surfers, all of us experience the liberation of being in the ocean with nothing but a wetsuit (board shorts if you are lucky) and a surfboard, but when out of the water there are lots of things we rely on to make sure we get our fix of waves. There was a time when finding out if the surf was pumping relied on going to check it at the beach or listening to shipping forecasts. All that has changed, and now the wealth of information at our fingertips is astounding. Smartphone apps for surfers have made our lives easier, and here are four that you should already be using if you do not already.
Stormrider Surf Guide
Surfing and exploring go hand in hand, unless you are happy riding waves at your local spot your entire life. Finding quiet spots with sick waves brings its own reward, but when you are on a surf trip with precious little time, you would be wise to take along a surf guide with you. It really does not get much better than the Stormrider Surf Guide app, an indispensable source of surf spot wisdom that should make sure you surf the best waves whatever the conditions anywhere in the world. All the guide information is contained within the app, so no internet access required, perfect for when you are off the beaten track. Another great feature is GPS spot location showing you the closest surf spots wherever you are in world. At the moment the app contains details of almost 2000 surf spots across the planet, and is growing to include the total 5000 surf spots found in the entire collection of Stormrider books. At $7.99 it is a steal, and the price will get higher as more spots are added, so buy in now!
Magicseaweed
Surf forecasting has come a long way in recent years, and while everyone has a favorite, it is hard to deny that Magicseaweed has covered pretty much every base with its surf forecast app. A fresh design makes it easy to read the data, and it pulls together data from live wave buoy and wind station data to give a very accurate 7 day surf forecast. It is customisable too, allowing you to change measurements between feet and meters, log favourite spots, and also upload your surf photos for other users to see. There are regular features to read, the latest surf videos to watch, and a local business directory for surf breaks (which is actually pretty useful if you need to rent a board or pick up some wax). Magicseaweed does have a free version of the app available, and there are also paid versions for those of you that want the extra features.
SwellTell
Surf forecasts are great but nothing really beats having an eyeball report, someone in front of the break saying how it is and, even better, who has just been in for a surf! The SwellTell app attempts to provide this, by allowing you to upload a photo, then add specifics like wave height, wave condition and number of surfers in the water. Details like the surf spot name, the tide and wind direction are automatically added. You can then share this report with other users of SwellTell through the app’s live feed, and also text it direct to all of your surfing pals so they get the most up-to-date report! There is nothing like showing off a photo of a spot going off to lure some of friends into the water with you. Even if you are not sharing a report, you can check out the latest user uploaded reports of a surf spot using the live feed to find the best wave that day. A great free app that every surfer should start using!
ShralpTide
This app has to be one of the quickest and easiest ways to check the tide times, and it is especially useful for this because you do not need an internet connection. Almost all online surf forecasts will give you the tide times, but what about when you are offline? Well this is when ShralpTide comes into its own. The clean graphical layout lets you see low and high tide for that day, and for the next four days too. Also, switch your phone to landscape and you’ll see the familiar curve of a tide graph. Tap the graph anywhere along the line and the height of the tide at that particular time is displayed. The one down side to this app is that it does not cover the entire world, but the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan all have excellent coverage. The original app is free, although ShralpTide2 has recently been released, and for the 99 cents it is worth it.