Surfing is a popular sport around the world–especially with the US Open of Surfing 2012 just around the corner–but there’s more to it than buying a surfboard and heading for the nearest beach. If you want to catch some really good waves then you have to study. When are the tides? What beaches face in the right direction? What creates a great swell? How do I get there? Don’t worry because whether you’re a grom or a pro you can find all the info you need with the right surfing apps.
Surfing Apps — Photo courtesy of Simon Hill
MSW Surf Forecast (Free)
Magic Seaweed is a very popular surfing website and they also have an app which provides surf forecasts. You can find insider info on great surf spots and get 7-day forecasts giving you a fairly accurate picture of what the surf conditions are going to be like. This includes ratings that take the swell and wind conditions into account and give you an at-a-glance star rating so you can decide when and where to go.
Surfline (Free)
The Surfline app is another option that provides surfers with easy to read surf forecasts on their Android phone or iPhone. If you’re willing to subscribe to Surfline you can get access to HD camera feeds of the beaches. Forecasts are not always very reliable so there’s no substitute for being able to lay eyes on the swell yourself.
Billabong Surf Trip (Free)
You can’t spend all of your time in the surf but if you want to indulge your favorite sport even when you’re out of the water then check out this game. It challenges you to become a pro-surfer and pull off a range of tricks. There’s even advice from genuine pros. It’s free for Android phones, sadly the iPhone version will set you back 99 cents.
Can't get enough surfing? If you're headed to Surf City USA for the US Open of Surfing, be sure to check out the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum.
