Por ahora este texto solo está en inglés.
Questions, a wrong forecast, a spot we got wrong, or a bug: write to hello@uretara.com.
Uretara has no accounts, so we can't look you up. It helps if you say which spot, which day and time you looked, your iPhone model and iOS version, and what you expected to see.
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Safety
A forecast is not a safety guarantee
Olatu reads weather and wave models the way a local would: period first, wind judged against each beach. It's a reading of a forecast, made far from the beach and hours before you get there. It isn't a safety service, and no call in Uretara, including "Worth it" or "Go", means the sea is safe for you.
Uretara doesn't know:
- today's rip currents, sandbanks or rocks uncovered at low tide;
- flags, closures, warnings, pollution or jellyfish;
- how crowded it is, or how you're feeling today.
Forecasts are often wrong. Wind is usually the first thing to go wrong, and the further ahead, the less you can trust it. A small, long-period swell can still bring powerful sets and strong currents.
No forecast replaces ten minutes on the sand
Before you go in
- Choose a beach with lifeguards where you can, and follow the flags and the surf zones.
- Check the flags and the official marine warnings. Uretara links to them for each coast.
- Watch several sets. Find the currents and decide where you'll get out, and remember that changes with the tide.
- If the sea looks bigger than the call, believe the sea. If a buoy reads bigger than the forecast, believe the buoy.
If you're unsure, don't paddle out. Ask a lifeguard or a local surf school, or choose a more sheltered beach.
If you're caught in a rip
- Don't fight it. Stay calm and keep hold of your board if you can.
- Signal for help.
- Paddle or swim parallel to the beach to get out of the current. If you can stand, wade, don't swim.
Source: RNLI rip current advice, https://rnli.org/water-safety/know-the-risks/rip-currents
In an emergency, call the local emergency number: 112 across the EU. Each region's number is on its safety screen.
Cameras help, but they don't show everything
A camera is one view at one moment. It hides currents, power and set size, and it may be old or frozen. Use it for a first look, then go and look properly.
"Checked" and "Computed": what the labels mean
Uretara tells you how much a local has had to do with each reading.
| Label | What it means |
|---|---|
| Local briefing | A full write-up by someone who knows the spot well: when it works, the tide, the wind, the hazards, where to go instead. |
| Checked by a local | Someone who surfs there checked the basics (which way it faces, the swells it gets, its level, tide and hazards) and added a few notes. |
| Computed, not checked by a local | Nobody local has checked it. Uretara worked it out from the shape of the coastline on a map and safe default settings. |
What "Computed" means for you
- It's a point on the coast, not a named surf spot. It may not be a surf spot at all.
- It doesn't know about rocks, reefs, rips, harbour walls or access. It may also be wrong about which way the beach faces or which swells reach it, especially in bays, estuaries and around harbours.
- It never says "Go". The best it will say is "Worth it, computed", and it never ranks above a spot a local has checked.
- Trust your eyes and the lifeguard over us here.
When the data is old
If Uretara can't get a fresh forecast, it shows the last one it has and says how old it is. An old forecast is a history lesson, not a plan: refresh it, or go and look.
Highlighted text in brackets is a placeholder that has not been filled in yet.