playbuoy1.20.0 - App Store

playbuoy brings unparalleled insight into NOAA buoy wave readings.

Detailed Swell Observations and Forecast. playbuoy analyzes NOAA buoy data with a customized algorithm to extract detailed swell information from raw buoy observations and wave models. This gives the most accurate breakdown of where swell is headed and when. With 16 days of forecasted swell data, you will always be informed of what to expect for whatever ocean activities you love. While other apps will show two swell components observed or forecasted, playbuoy will show up to five.

Beautiful and Meaningful plots. Easily compare the the current buoy readings with model forecasts to prepare and plan for how the forecasts may not be matching up with what is actually happening in the ocean. No other service can visualize the full directional wave spectra for both buoy observations and wave models at once.

Explore the latest buoy observations from all over the US and beyond to watch current weather events or plan for future activities. Or select your favorite buoys to keep the wave information you need the most a tap away.

Widgets and watch complications keep the latest data a glance away. Never miss a swell again.

Share plots and swell data with a custom share function to loop others in and make group plans for surfing, fishing, boating, or any other ocean activity you love.

Version History Adds support for GEFS Wave Ensemble data to supported buoy stations 1.20.0 Mar 30 Support for Playbuoy's new NowCast wave model, coming to a buoy near you! 1.19.0 12/11/2025 UI improvements for ios 26 1.18.0 10/20/2025 Bug fixes for explore view 1.17.1 10/14/2025 Updates for iOS 26 1.17.0 09/26/2025 Fixes for the latest watchos 1.16.0 01/07/2025 New! You can now zoom in on the wave timeline using the new magnification buttons, or using double tap to zoom, and long press to zoom out!

Optionally, you can still use pinch to zoom in and out but it is less precise.

Have fun! 1.15.0 08/22/2024 New!! You can now zoom in and out on the wave timeline using the pinch gesture. This helps focus in on specific dates of interest in the forecast or when viewing historical data 1.14.0 08/22/2024 Small bug fixes 1.13.1 07/17/2024 * Fix a bug not allowing sharing plots from the home screen
* Small UI consistency fixes 1.13.0 07/16/2024 Much prettier full spectra charts for directional wave data! Check it out by selecting the Full Spectra or Partitioned Spectra directional charts 1.12.0 07/16/2024 Much improved Partitioned Frequency Charts! 1.11.0 07/11/2024 Wave timeline now plots "Mean Wave Direction" and "Total Energy" of the sea instead of for the primary swell component 1.10.0 07/05/2024 Updated styling of the Explore Map 1.9.5 05/15/2024 Bug fixes for waves view 1.9.4 03/31/2024 Small bug fixes 1.9.3 03/20/2024 Improvements for viewing swell component energy 1.9.2 03/19/2024 Improvements to plots and legends 1.9.1 03/19/2024 *NEW* Now you will see the forecasted wave data in historical data views so you can go back in time to analyze conditions from virtual stations, or compare the forecast to the observed wave data at buoys all over the world. Try it out and see what patterns you can learn! 1.9.0 03/15/2024 Bug fixes for widgets and watch complications 1.8.1 02/18/2024 Expanded coverage! Now access over 700 stations worth of data worldwide with new Virtual Stations! These show forecasted wave data output by the GFS Wave model in key locations throughout the world even if there is no access to current buoy data. Try it out! 1.8.0 02/07/2024 **NEW** Partitioned frequency spectra plot shows the frequency spectra of each swell component, give it a try! 1.7.0 01/22/2024 Stability improvements, bug fixes to the historic wave data views 1.6.2 01/11/2024 * Fixes to spectral footprint and partitioned spectra plots 1.6.1 11/15/2023 * The Full Spectra plot is much better looking and much more performant
* A Swell Partitions directional plot has been added to visualize the specific spectra for each swell component in 2d
* A new Spectral Footprint plot to visualize where wave energy is coming from across the spectra, to help compare model and observation data
* Improvements to polar chart legends when using the Share functionality 1.6.0 11/14/2023