# Buoycast: NOAA Buoys & Weather — Marine Forecast, Waves & Tides

> NOAA buoy data, marine forecasts, tide predictions, and weather alerts. (iPhone/iPad app by Skipjack Studios, LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buoycast-noaa-buoys-and-weather/id1202655934 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Skipjack Studios, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1202655933)
- Category: Weather, Utilities
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.60/5 from 13,613 App Store ratings · 105 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 18.0 · 178 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2017-04-29
- Data updated: 2026-08-27
- Monetization: freemium
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buoycast-noaa-buoys-and-weather/id1202655934/reviews.md

## What is Buoycast?

The fastest way to check what the buoys are doing right now.

Buoycast gives you real-time observations from 1,000+ NOAA NDBC buoys, plus forecasts, tides, and marine warnings, organized around your location and your favorite spots. Tap the closest buoy on the home screen. Everything else is one more tap away.

Free
- Real-time wind, waves, temperature, and pressure from 1,000+ NOAA NDBC buoys
- NOAA marine forecasts from 300+ coastal and offshore zones
- A severity gauge and plain-language summary on every buoy
- Current and hourly weather for your location
- Tide predictions for today
- Sunrise, sunset, and moon phase
- Apple Watch app with buoy observations, forecasts, tides, and more
- iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch

Buoycast Pro
- Threshold notifications: get pushed when wind, waves, gusts, temperature, or pressure at any buoy crosses the line you set, with AND/OR logic for combined conditions
- Deeper detail on every data type: 12-hour history, Forecast vs. Observations, and future predictions
- AI condition summaries on iPhone 15 Pro and newer: a natural-language read of what the data means right now, generated fully on-device
- Interactive weather maps with animated radar, precipitation, wind, temperature, clouds, and pressure
- NOAA watches, warnings, and advisories as push notifications
- Apple Watch complications for wind, waves, temperature, pressure, and NOAA alerts
- Home and Lock Screen widgets
- Custom Layout: section order and visibility across every buoy
- No ads

Why Buoycast
Since 2017, Buoycast has been the NOAA buoy app boaters, anglers, sailors, kayakers, and coastal homeowners trust. The new release rebuilds the app around the one thing you came for: the closest buoy, right now, with forecasts and alerts layered on top.

Data in Buoycast
Wind speed, gusts, and direction; air and water temperature; atmospheric pressure; wave height, period, and direction; NOAA marine forecasts; watches, warnings, and advisories; tide predictions; sunrise, sunset, and moon phase; UV index; humidity; visibility; and cloud cover.

Questions or feedback: hello@buoycast.com

Subscription
Buoycast Pro is available as a 7-day free trial followed by an auto-renewing subscription: $2.99/month, $19.99/year, or $29.99/year with Family Sharing. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation. Your subscription auto-renews at the same price unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Any unused portion of the free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Manage or cancel subscriptions in your Apple ID Account Settings.

Privacy Policy: https://buoycast.com/privacy
Terms of Service: https://buoycast.com/terms-of-service

## Key features

- Real-time buoy observations
- NOAA marine forecasts
- Tide predictions
- Hourly weather forecasts
- NOAA watches, warnings, advisories
- Interactive weather maps (Pro)
- Customizable notifications (Pro)

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buoycast Pro | $19.99 | per year |
| Buoycast Pro Upgrade | $14.99 | per year |
| Buoycast Pro Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Buoycast Pro (Family) | $29.99 | per year |


## Chart rankings

- #118 in Top Grossing · Weather (US App Store)

## What do users think of Buoycast?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 Accurate and dependable forecasts
- 🚀 Essential for boating and fishing
- 💡 Provides critical weather and sea condition data
- 🤝 Responsive customer service

**Cons**

- 🐛 Inconsistent data availability for some locations
- 🔍 Difficulty finding specific location data
- 💰 Aggressive upselling for paid version
- 📢 Too many ads in free version

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App unable to detect user's location
- Buoy data not updating or missing
- Tide function not working as expected

**Most requested features**

- Add wave height and interval data
- Improve location search and selection
- Provide more comprehensive marine forecasts
- Reduce frequency of subscription prompts

## Recent user reviews (10 of 105)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buoycast-noaa-buoys-and-weather/id1202655934/reviews.md

### 3/5 — New update stinks

*2026-07-17, version 5.0.2*

You really believe this update is good? Customization is gone. Now i have to pick a buoy every time i open it? So glad i am paying you for this. Well, back to FishWeather i go

### 5/5 — Goat

*2026-07-12, version 4.0.8*

Always spot on

### 4/5 — great information….

*2026-06-15, version 4.0.8*

I like the information provided by this app however it’s annoying when I keep getting asked to rate the app every 30 seconds while I’m trying to look at the weather between two and three different buoys to plan a trip

### 2/5 — Using

*2026-06-13, version 4.0.8*

I’m having difficulty selecting buoys.

### 5/5 — New version not as good

*2026-05-09, version 4.0.8*

The older version gave me the forecast for the day that I am now not able to find.

### 1/5 — Buoy Map gone

*2026-03-31, version 4.0.7*

Why would the map that shows buoys go away. Can only search by nearby and can’t see buoys on map to pick which one I want to view or save. I have paid for this app because I fly over water in helicopters and want to know water temp! Fix this! Or I will be cancelling and deleting the app. Disappointed.

### 5/5 — Easy to use. Provides reliable data.

*2025-11-14, version 4.0.6*

Great for planning my local diving activities.

### 1/5 — App is ruined with new update

*2025-08-19, version 4.0.5*

App is horrible with the newest update. It’s super bugged

### 5/5 — Must do

*2025-06-26, version 4.0.5*

My must do check in before I even hook the boat to the truck.

### 4/5 — Bummer

*2025-06-22, version 4.0.5*

You ruined this app

## Frequently asked questions about Buoycast

### What kind of weather data does this app provide?

The app provides real-time observations from NOAA NDBC buoys, including wind speed and direction, air and water temperature, atmospheric pressure, and wave data. It also offers NOAA marine forecasts, tide predictions, and sunrise/sunset times.

### What are the benefits of Buoycast Pro?

Buoycast Pro unlocks interactive weather maps with animated radar, precipitation, wind, and temperature overlays. It also provides customizable notifications for specific weather criteria and NOAA alerts, along with ad-free browsing.

### How much does Buoycast cost?

The basic version of Buoycast is free and offers access to real-time buoy observations and NOAA marine forecasts. Buoycast Pro is available via a subscription, with payments managed through your iTunes account and auto-renewing.

### Is this app compatible with my device?

While specific compatibility details are not provided, the app syncs data across all devices, suggesting broad mobile operating system support. Users can manage subscriptions and settings through their iTunes account.

### Who would find this app most useful?

This app is designed for individuals who spend time on or near the water, such as boaters, sailors, fishermen, and surfers. It's also valuable for anyone who needs detailed and up-to-date marine weather information, including watches and advisories.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 5.0.6 — 2026-08-19

What's new in 5.0.6
- Fixes a crash when opening the app from a notification
- Charts refresh on their own just before readings expire, and no longer freeze when new data arrives
- Cleaner, easier-to-read tide charts
- Apple Watch: tides show today at a glance with the full list one tap away, and the watch now follows your phone's unit settings
- Lower battery use while the app is in the background
- Reliability and performance improvements

What's new in 5.0.5
- Bug fixes and reliability improvements

What's new in 5.0.4
- Faster, more reliable tide predictions
- Behind-the-scenes reliability and performance improvements

What's new in 5.0.3
- Smoother buoy details that open without hanging, even on busy buoys
- Faster loading with smarter on-device caching
- Reliability and performance improvements

What's new in 5.0.2
- Faster, smoother app launch
- More reliable notifications and Apple Watch complications
- Bug fixes and performance improvements

What's new in 5.0.1
- Fixes a rare freeze that could occur when opening the app
- Reliability and performance improvements

Everything new in 5.0
Rebuilt around your buoys
- New buoy-first home screen: the closest buoy and your favorites, no setup required
- Your existing feeds are automatically migrated to favorites
Apple Watch app + complications
- Check wind, waves, temperature, and pressure from your wrist
- Complications for every data type, plus a Pro NOAA alert complication
Conditions at a glance
- Every buoy now shows a severity gauge and a plain-language summary, so you can read how it looks out there before digging into the numbers
- Pro adds AI condition summaries, generated fully on-device on iPhone 15 Pro and newer
Redesigned charts
- Cleaner and easier to read at a glance
Accessibility
- VoiceOver and Dynamic Type support across every observation screen
Plus reliability and performance improvements across the app.
Want to be notified when your buoy crosses a threshold? Pro unlocks threshold notifications on any observation type, Forecast vs. Observations, AI condition summaries, weather maps, and ad-free browsing.

Thanks for 9 years of feedback and support. Keep it coming: hello@buoycast.com

### 5.0.5 — 2026-07-27

What's new in 5.0.5
- Bug fixes and reliability improvements

What's new in 5.0.4
- Faster, more reliable tide predictions
- Behind-the-scenes reliability and performance improvements

What's new in 5.0.3
- Smoother buoy details that open without hanging, even on busy buoys
- Faster loading with smarter on-device caching
- Reliability and performance improvements

What's new in 5.0.2
- Faster, smoother app launch
- More reliable notifications and Apple Watch complications
- Bug fixes and performance improvements

What's new in 5.0.1
- Fixes a rare freeze that could occur when opening the app
- Reliability and performance improvements

Everything new in 5.0
Rebuilt around your buoys
- New buoy-first home screen: the closest buoy and your favorites, no setup required
- Your existing feeds are automatically migrated to favorites
Apple Watch app + complications
- Check wind, waves, temperature, and pressure from your wrist
- Complications for every data type, plus a Pro NOAA alert complication
Conditions at a glance
- Every buoy now shows a severity gauge and a plain-language summary, so you can read how it looks out there before digging into the numbers
- Pro adds AI condition summaries, generated fully on-device on iPhone 15 Pro and newer
Redesigned charts
- Cleaner and easier to read at a glance
Accessibility
- VoiceOver and Dynamic Type support across every observation screen
Plus reliability and performance improvements across the app.
Want to be notified when your buoy crosses a threshold? Pro unlocks threshold notifications on any observation type, Forecast vs. Observations, AI condition summaries, weather maps, and ad-free browsing.

Thanks for 9 years of feedback and support. Keep it coming: hello@buoycast.com

### 5.0.4 — 2026-07-22

What's new in 5.0.4
- Faster, more reliable tide predictions
- Behind-the-scenes reliability and performance improvements

What's new in 5.0.3
- Smoother buoy details that open without hanging, even on busy buoys
- Faster loading with smarter on-device caching
- Reliability and performance improvements

What's new in 5.0.2
- Faster, smoother app launch
- More reliable notifications and Apple Watch complications
- Bug fixes and performance improvements

What's new in 5.0.1
- Fixes a rare freeze that could occur when opening the app
- Reliability and performance improvements

Everything new in 5.0
Rebuilt around your buoys
- New buoy-first home screen: the closest buoy and your favorites, no setup required
- Your existing feeds are automatically migrated to favorites
Apple Watch app + complications
- Check wind, waves, temperature, and pressure from your wrist
- Complications for every data type, plus a Pro NOAA alert complication
Conditions at a glance
- Every buoy now shows a severity gauge and a plain-language summary, so you can read how it looks out there before digging into the numbers
- Pro adds AI condition summaries, generated fully on-device on iPhone 15 Pro and newer
Redesigned charts
- Cleaner and easier to read at a glance
Accessibility
- VoiceOver and Dynamic Type support across every observation screen
Plus reliability and performance improvements across the app.
Want to be notified when your buoy crosses a threshold? Pro unlocks threshold notifications on any observation type, Forecast vs. Observations, AI condition summaries, weather maps, and ad-free browsing.

Thanks for 9 years of feedback and support. Keep it coming: hello@buoycast.com

### 5.0.3 — 2026-07-17

What's new in 5.0.3
- Smoother buoy details that open without hanging, even on busy buoys
- Faster loading with smarter on-device caching
- Reliability and performance improvements

What's new in 5.0.2
- Faster, smoother app launch
- More reliable notifications and Apple Watch complications
- Bug fixes and performance improvements

What's new in 5.0.1
- Fixes a rare freeze that could occur when opening the app
- Reliability and performance improvements

Everything new in 5.0
Rebuilt around your buoys
- New buoy-first home screen: the closest buoy and your favorites, no setup required
- Your existing feeds are automatically migrated to favorites
Apple Watch app + complications
- Check wind, waves, temperature, and pressure from your wrist
- Complications for every data type, plus a Pro NOAA alert complication
Conditions at a glance
- Every buoy now shows a severity gauge and a plain-language summary, so you can read how it looks out there before digging into the numbers
- Pro adds AI condition summaries, generated fully on-device on iPhone 15 Pro and newer
Redesigned charts
- Cleaner and easier to read at a glance
Accessibility
- VoiceOver and Dynamic Type support across every observation screen
Plus reliability and performance improvements across the app.
Want to be notified when your buoy crosses a threshold? Pro unlocks threshold notifications on any observation type, Forecast vs. Observations, AI condition summaries, weather maps, and ad-free browsing.

Thanks for 9 years of feedback and support. Keep it coming: hello@buoycast.com

### 5.0.2 — 2026-07-13

What's new in 5.0.2
• Faster, smoother app launch
• More reliable notifications and Apple Watch complications
• Bug fixes and performance improvements

What's new in 5.0.1
• Fixes a rare freeze that could occur when opening the app
• Reliability and performance improvements

Everything new in 5.0

Rebuilt around your buoys
• New buoy-first home screen: the closest buoy and your favorites, no setup required
• Your existing feeds are automatically migrated to favorites

Apple Watch app + complications
• Check wind, waves, temperature, and pressure from your wrist
• Complications for every data type, plus a Pro alert complication

Conditions at a glance
• Every buoy now shows a severity gauge and a plain-language summary, so you can read how it looks out there before digging into the numbers
• Pro adds AI condition summaries, generated fully on-device on iPhone 15 Pro and newer

Redesigned charts
• Cleaner and easier to read at a glance

Accessibility
• VoiceOver and Dynamic Type support across every observation screen

Plus reliability and performance improvements across the app.

Want to be notified when your buoy crosses a threshold? Pro unlocks threshold notifications on any observation type, forecast-vs-observation charts, AI condition summaries, weather maps, and ad-free browsing.

Thanks for 9 years of feedback and support. Keep it coming: hello@buoycast.com

## Apps similar to Buoycast

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Windfinder Pro: Wind & Weather](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/windfinder-pro-wind-and-weather/id336901296) | 4.8 (15,255) | $12.99 | Weather |
| [Marine Weather Forecast Pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marine-weather-forecast-pro/id1191010451) | 4.7 (16,161) | Free | Weather |
| [Windy.app — Wind, Tides, Radar](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/windyapp-wind-tides-radar/id997079492) | 4.7 (72,613) | Free | Weather |
| [Windfinder: Wind & Weather map](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/windfinder-wind-and-weather-map/id336829635) | 4.8 (61,094) | Free | Weather |
| [Windy.com](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/windycom/id1161387262) | 4.8 (78,377) | Free | Weather |
| [NOAA Marine Forecast & Weather](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noaa-marine-forecast-and-weather/id1242115154) | 4.6 (4,849) | $1.99 | Weather |

## More apps by Skipjack Studios, LLC

- [BoatSpeed: Course & Speed](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boatspeed-course-and-speed/id1260271235)
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- [Pace: Running Pace Calculator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pace-running-pace-calculator/id1500813672)
- [OutputInsights: Bike Companion](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/outputinsights-bike-companion/id1609313430)

All apps by Skipjack Studios, LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/1202655933

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*
