Useful apps for paddlers
The advent of smartphones has opened up a whole new world for water enthusiasts, who can now tap their way in seconds to boat ramps & launch points at any chosen destination. Many apps help paddlers to stay safe on the water; by offering weather and river conditions, safety tips & gear and technique tutorials.
There are LOTS of helpful apps out there, here are some of the ones we have recently used, we will add more as they become available and we review them.
Launch Site App
This app allows users to submit new launches, rate those that are already there, and share your kayak launch secrets with others. You also have access to blogs, videos, “how-to” articles and paddling news.
Simple Tides App
This app tracks tide and weather information from monitoring stations across the country. A calendar feature allows you to see tide charts in advance.
Paddle Ready App
Paddle Ready is designed for new and experienced paddlers alike. The American Canoe Association built this app with one goal in mind: to maximize your fun and safety on the water! It offers information about river and other environmental conditions such as wind speed and weather. Unlike other, similar apps, Paddle Ready has the best safety features, including the ability to send your route to friends and family before you paddle, safety and rescue videos to get you ready for any possibility, and access to a database of ACA-certified instructors and courses. This information would be especially helpful for novice kayakers, but it can also keep experienced paddlers up-to-date on safety and technique.
MSW Surf Forecast
The MSW Surf Forecast App is great for planning Ocean Kayak Trips. This mobile app provides long range surf forecasts for thousands of beaches across the globe. Forecast includes the MSW star rating, surf size, swell height, swell period, swell direction, wind strength, wind direction and temperature. MSW App+ users will get additional attributes; wind gust speed, atmospheric pressure, forecast accuracy % and benefit from an additional 3 days (extending the forecast to a full 10 days).
Weatherbug Weather App for Andoid Phones
Weatherbug Weather App for iPhones
WeatherBug® provides real-time, detailed weather forecasts from the largest weather network in the world. Get the fastest severe weather alerts and exclusive Spark™ lightning proximity alerts that tell you exactly how far away lightning is, and if you're in danger. This app will help you to visualize the weather around you with over 16 map layers!
Reserve America App
ReserveAmerica is the online reservations system used by Florida State Parks and many other private and public campgrounds in Florida. This app is ideal if you are on the road and want to check the availability of campsites at your next destination. Just enter your location, what days you want and search for available sites at a campground near you, also location-based. Or you can enter the name of your destination and see what's available, then book your site. Both state and national parks use this system to book their camp spots. The app is easy to use, campground descriptions are excellent, and you can even see photographs of the included campgrounds.
Gas Buddy App
Gas Buddy identifies your location and then delivers the price of gas at every gas station within a pre-set distance, sorted by distance from your location or by price. You can also enter a zip code or city you expect to pass on your journey, and it will give you a heads up on where to buy gas when you get there (including maps). This is a VERY useful app!
Florida State Parks iPad and iPhone version
Florida State Parks Android version
This is a well-organized and comprehensive resource on Florida's State Parks. It includes essential information on each Florida State Park, including photos, maps, activities available & phone numbers. The app also helps to measure the distance between your current location and each park.
GoSkyWatch App
If you hold your phone or iPad up to the night sky, GoSkyWatch will tell you what constellations, planets and other objects you're looking at. You can also view the app in red light mode to save your night vision and search the extensive database for individual stars!
Audubon App
This app will help users identify everything from birds and fish to spiders and sea creatures, shells and wildflowers. It also has more than 1,100 bird songs and calls and has range maps showing migration paths and rookeries.
Denise Byrne
Marine Biologist/OW, Tech and Cave Instructor
denise@dayo.com
Orlando, Florida