Buoywatch

The problem

Surfers check offshore buoys to decide when and where to paddle out, but raw buoy data is hard to read at a glance. And the tide, the other half of the decision, usually lives in a different app.

Buoywatch 3.0

Buoywatch launched in 2020 for iPhone and Apple Watch. For version 3.0 I redesigned the whole experience and brought tides in, so swell and tide sit side by side: 620+ buoys and 4,380+ tide stations on one map, with search.

• Buoys: wave height, period, direction, wind and water temperature, with recent history that shows whether the swell is building or dropping.
• Tides: the current level, the next high and low, and the full curve in one clear chart.
• Widgets: buoys and tides on the Home Screen and Lock Screen.

A new iPad app

On iPad the map takes the whole screen and station details open on top of it, so you can scan a coastline and still read a single buoy.

Tides on the wrist

The Apple Watch app gained tides, plus complications that put the latest reading or the tide curve right on the watch face.

The website

I designed and built the new buoywatch.com, with a page for every buoy and tide station, so surfers searching for a spot land straight on live readings or tide times. It shares the app’s visual language, from the station cards to the charts.

I designed the product end to end, from the app screens to the App Store screenshots, and built the site myself. The apps are made with my long-time developer partner.