Quality, confidence and conditions describe different things.

Breaking surf versus offshore waves

Estimated breaking surf is our forecasting engine’s beach-level calculation. Offshore significant wave height describes the sea state at a model grid point. Neither promises the height of every individual wave or set.

The /100 rating

General quality displays our forecasting engine’s existing 0–10 score multiplied by ten. If you select a surf profile, Your match adds the preference adjustment explained below. Wave size, period, wind, tide and chop contribute where recorded. Tap the score for the saved breakdown. Changing units changes the display, not the prediction.

Your surf profile

The optional first-visit setup records your experience and, if you choose one, a maximum estimated breaking-surf height. Set or change it in Settings. Select your level beside the forecast. Your match rating adjusts the general forecast quality using estimated breaking-surf size and available period. Hourly cards, day summaries, charts and nearby rankings use the same adjustment. Suggested size ranges are Learning 0.25–0.9 m, Developing 0.4–1.4 m, Confident 0.65–2.2 m and Experienced 0.8–3.2 m. These are rough preference ranges, not validated ability or safety limits. Long-period swell (14 seconds or more) reduces the suggested upper size by 15% for Learning and Developing profiles. You may override the upper size with your own limit. Waves above that range or too small for the selected level lower the match rating; it never raises the general quality score. The original model score remains visible in the rating breakdown. Select General conditions with no custom limit to remove the adjustment. Missing size estimates show general quality, and delayed forecasts remain labelled. This does not assess local hazards, rips or whether a beach is safe for you.

Weather icons

Hourly weather symbols use a saved WMO weather code. We prefer Met Office UKV 2 km data through Open-Meteo, then ECMWF IFS and DWD ICON Europe where the preferred model has no valid value. The selected hour names the icon source. UKV coverage and forecast length are limited; later days may use a fallback. Open-Meteo derives UKMO weather codes from Met Office model variables; these are not the Met Office’s own issued significant-weather symbols. This open-data feed can also lag the latest model run.

Day icons show the most common weather category in the saved daylight hours, not a promise for every hour. Where daylight weather codes include thunder, a thunder marker is retained even if another category dominates. Hover or focus a day card for sample coverage. Missing weather codes show unavailable; rainfall amounts are never used to invent a thunder or sunshine symbol. Temperature and rainfall fields retain the existing model blend. Weather icons do not alter surf quality scores.

Confidence is separate

Confidence and model agreement help you judge the supporting evidence. A high quality score with low confidence deserves more checking. Confidence is not a calibrated percentage chance that conditions will occur.

Buoys measure their own location

A reading offshore or along the coast helps validate the forecast, but is not a direct measurement at your beach. Check its distance, timestamp and whether the reported period is mean or peak. A current buoy reading does not validate a future hour.

Sea level and currents

Sea level is relative to mean sea level, not a local chart datum. Modelled currents do not identify beach rip currents. These fields are unsuitable for navigation or deciding that the water is safe.

Daylight and forecast range

Nearby recommendations currently use the saved sunrise and sunset for that beach and day. Full hourly forecasts include night hours, marked with a moon. Later forecasts have greater uncertainty; missing hours remain missing.

Before you paddle out

Check the beach, weather, local advice, tides and your own ability. A good rating is not a safety assessment or an instruction to enter the water.