Author Topic: What apps for your phone do you use?  (Read 3459 times)

Wingadinga

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What apps for your phone do you use?
« on: January 09, 2021, 02:26:30 AM »
Looking for best wind app!

I’m using Waterspeed app on my watch to track my course but need better windfo

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/waterspeed-sail-paddle-surf/id1234093389

Fuzzy Boy

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Re: What apps for your phone do you use?
« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2021, 07:16:06 AM »
Old mans (Sano) app is pretty cool for local surf forecasting.  I know that they have expanded areas as well.
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Wetstuff

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Re: What apps for your phone do you use?
« Reply #2 on: January 09, 2021, 07:18:44 AM »
Dinga..  I have always been attracted to 'free', so these are my current favorites

https://wisuki.com

https://myradar.com

https://www.ventusky.com/?p=36.4;-78.5;5&l=gust

...on a crappy, cold day I fill my tank with

https://www.tamarindodiria.com/costa-rica-vacations/tamarindo-beach/webcam/

Cheers.   Jim
Atlantis Mistress .. Blue Planet MultiTasker ..   Atlantis Venom

Wingadinga

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Re: What apps for your phone do you use?
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2021, 10:20:12 AM »

...on a crappy, cold day I fill my tank with

https://www.tamarindodiria.com/costa-rica-vacations/tamarindo-beach/webcam/

Cheers.   Jim

Oh wow that webcam brings back memories from when I went on church trip there 25 years ago. They didn’t know it was nude beach but they said we could go surf so the only way us kids could go to beach is if we were out in ocean surfing. It was crazy out there - we were building Methodist Church nextdoor to a beer factory and I would speak perfect Spanish but no locals could understand me when I got lost - haha!

Surfside

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Re: What apps for your phone do you use?
« Reply #4 on: January 09, 2021, 01:40:31 PM »
Igetwind
android only at this time but you can view via a web browser
6 different models
local input with the micro term HRRR
« Last Edit: January 09, 2021, 01:42:38 PM by Surfside »

Wingadinga

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Re: What apps for your phone do you use?
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2021, 02:12:51 AM »
Planning day around weather and water.

Tide Graph Pro:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tide-graph-pro/id721000562

surfcowboy

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Re: What apps for your phone do you use?
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2021, 07:58:39 AM »
I’m on iKitesurf and Windy but iK has my spots.

Califoilia

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Re: What apps for your phone do you use?
« Reply #7 on: January 10, 2021, 11:44:22 AM »
https://www.ventusky.com
I've loaded and deleted a bunch. So far the above has been pretty dang accurate when comparing apps at the beach live. But I also pay the $2.99 a year for the couple of other things not in the phone app for free (Wind (13 levels), Wind gusts, Cloud cover, Wave forecast...), so far it's been well worth it.
Me: 6'1"/185...(2) 5'1" Kings Foil/Wing Boards...7'10 Kings DW Board...9'6" Bob Pearson "Laird Noserider"...14' Lahui Kai "Manta"...8'0" WaveStorm if/when the proning urges still hit.

oakfish

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Re: What apps for your phone do you use?
« Reply #8 on: January 13, 2021, 06:30:31 AM »
The more important question is what wind forecast model you use. That is the CRITICAL question and is more important than the (closely related) question of what app to use.
Bear with me, this may seem in the weeds, but it is super important.  A model is simply a computer program that takes a defined set of environmental variables and compares them to a set of environmental conditions.  The result is an output that says when X environmental variables exist, Y environmental conditions occur. For wind predictions, the environmental variables are likely location and strength of high and low pressure systems, fronts, etc. The environmental condition that occurs is wind speed and direction. Once the computer program understands this relationship, you simply enter in environmental variables (high/low pressure, etc), and the output is predicted wind speed direction. There are tons of different wind models with different goals. If you want to understand general wind patterns across an entire continent, say, to predict the gulf stream in the US, you'd want a model that takes large systems into account and predicts output across the entire US. This would be really important for general weather patterns, but not great for local conditions on your beach. Meteorologists/climatologists understand these model differences and pick and choose which models to use based on what they want to know. No one model is better than another, it just depends on your question. So how about us? Well, it depends on your question. If you want to know general wind trends, a long range, wide scale GFS model will let you know when there may be a wind bump coming. However, if you want accurate predictions for tomorrow morning's dawn patrol, it isn't so good. You need super-local short term forecasts provided by an HRRR model.
Not surprisingly, micro forecast are rarely free, especially through apps. Here's my solution: I pin the following website to my homescreen: igetwind.com. It lets you choose a bunch of different models depending on your question. At the very least, try the GFS model for long range trends, then "micro term HRRR" for short-term, hyper local forecasts. Night and day difference. Again, neither one is better than the other, they just answer different questions.

oakfish

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Re: What apps for your phone do you use?
« Reply #9 on: January 13, 2021, 08:56:29 AM »
Just checked, and the ventusky resource suggested above has multiple models available, including HRRR.

Geoff C

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Re: What apps for your phone do you use?
« Reply #10 on: January 16, 2021, 03:48:56 PM »
I find windy one of the best for wind and surf

https://www.windy.com/?41.851,-70.105,10
Geoff C.

 


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