# PNW Current Atlas — user reviews > 31 indexed App Store user reviews of PNW Current Atlas by TinyOctopus, LLC, rated 3.50/5 from 33 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pnw-current-atlas/id1456020312/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pnw-current-atlas/id1456020312.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 14 · 4★ 4 · 3★ 6 · 2★ 3 · 1★ 6 ## Newest reviews (11 of 31) ### 3/5 — Ok *2024-06-27* As previously said, pretty much the current atlas, does not show time adjustment for daylight savings time **Developer response:** Thanks for the review. We just wanted to let you that the PNW Current Atlas fully corrects for daylight savings time. Internally the data sources are in UTC and all dates/times shown in the app are converted to the local time zone that your iOS device is set to. This conversion is fully PST and PDT time zone aware. If you are having issues, please reach out to support. ### 3/5 — Current App *2024-04-09* Pretty much a digital version of Murray’s tables and the Canadian Current Atlas. Needs to have the date time boxes upgraded to show all info and the “legend” doesn’t transfer as its supposed to, to the top of the page. Colouring of the arrows to indicate speed would be very helpfu! ### 3/5 — Date and time widget could be better *2023-09-01* Would be nice if dates included day of the week or at least a calendar widget. e.g. If I’m going sailing Saturday it would be nice not to have to look at a calendar first to find day off the month. Also would be nice if time was in format selected in ios settings. I like military (24hr) time. Other applications like Navionics and Predict Wind do it that way. Other than that, this app is quite functional and definitely easier to use than the hard copy. ### 3/5 — It seems incomplete *2023-06-05* Where is the chart that shows the currents north of Gabriola to Campbell river? ### 4/5 — Great App, times seem to be off *2023-05-25* Update: Thank you for the quick response. We do find the app very useful in seeing current trends where there is no Navionics current data. The currents seem to be off by an amount of time. (1hr late?). Navionics is correct for the points they report out on, comparing to exact places. **Developer response:** Yes the app is fully DST aware. Internally everything is in GMT/UTC and converted to the timezone your device has set, i.e. your local time. Current atlas charts are not appropriate for timing current passes like Dodd, Gabriola, Active Pass, etc. As an atlas, charts were never designed for predicting restricted areas but rather large scale patterns. In fact the closest current “arrow” on charts near a pass is likely outside the actual pass as defined by a current and tide table. Always use an official current table for transiting passes. As for the chart time spacing between pages, there is no standardized length of time between chart pages because the time duration between each low and high tide varies for each tide cycle. There are a set number of charts for each cycle and the time is divided to space out the charts to match the cycle duration. Hope this helps. And thanks for the info on the support page not working. We’ll get it fix asap. ### 3/5 — Are times corrected for Daylight Savings Time? *2022-06-15* The developer does not say. Overall a good tool but a prudent mariner should cross check the physical book and annual supplement. This app is developed with data from CHS. They do not correct for DST. From observations, I suspect times are UTC + 8. **Developer response:** Yes it is corrected for daylight savings time and that information is available on the app support page. We will add it to the app description in the next update. ### 3/5 — Too small of an area *2021-07-31* For $20, it’s a little too small. Including the full Straight of Georgia, the full Juan de Fuca, and at least to the bottom of Whidbey. Good start though. **Developer response:** More areas are coming (Strait of Georgia) but there is a limit to what we can cover as this type of data simply does not exist for Puget Sound or the western portions of Juan de Fuca. ### 3/5 — No Deception pass or Admiralty iInlet? *2020-05-12* Nice format. Couple of the most important currents on this chart are missing. Trips from south sound are timed around the Deception pass slack as max currents can be 8 plus knots. It’s on the chart but no predictions provided. I won’t buy it for that reason alone. **Developer response:** Thanks for checking out the app out. The PNW Current Atlas is based on data licensed from the Canadian Hydrographic Service and as such, it does not have data for the South Sound region. Also note that this is a current atlas and not a current prediction app and it is not meant to be used to time narrow areas of high velocity such as Deception Pass, Dodd Narrows, etc... It is meant to be a tool to give a broader insight into current patterns over large areas. As such it is useful for planning a traverse across large areas such as Juan de Fuca, or through areas with complex current patterns, such as around the Gulf and San Juan Islands. This all said, if I ever do find a usable and reliable sources of atlas data for the South Sound I will add it but at this time there is nothing that exists that meets the criteria. ### 4/5 — Useful app. *2019-08-20* This is a great app with a few minor shortcomings. Many of the islands are not named so a quick cross reference is slowed. It would be nice if the boundaries were slightly expanded and included more of Admiralty Inlet and Deception Pass. Also it would be nice if it extended up to Nanaimo. Nevertheless, very worthwhile. ### 3/5 — Imo *2019-05-15* More costly then expected, but would be handy I guess, rather then looking at the pdfs on my phone. Now if it would interface with real-time and predicted tide and wind, that would be a game changer for me ### 4/5 — Basic, but very handy *2019-05-13* Much simpler than books and look up tables! The data appears to line up with published CHS or NOAA predictions. Have not yet had a chance to compare while on the water... only a 3 day trial. Also using different colour arrows in addition to size for magnitudes could be helpful. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Charging 15$ for free trial *2026-06-15* Tried to do the free 3 day trial and the app is trying to charge 15 dollars right away. If I had liked it I would have payed for the app no problem but without trying it I cannot say if it’s good or worth paying for. **Developer response:** Sorry you’re having trouble. This doesn’t make sense to us as the free trial is truly free and the price you’re seeing is not the price of the full app either. There is nothing in the app that costs $15. Many people start a free trial every day (for free) and this is the first we’ve heard anyone say that the app tried to charge for the free trial. Please reach out to support if you need more help. ### 1/5 — Out of Date *2025-06-27* The data is so inaccurate as to be a hazard. Clearly the algorithm is not even close to current tide data. **Developer response:** The data comes directly from the Canadian Hydrographic Service and is the official licensed source for the current atlas. That data is updated regularly. It is the best available. That said, local conditions (wind, rain, extreme tides, higher than normal river outflows, etc…) can lead to variances. If there is a specific issue you’re having please reach out to support and we’ll help. Note: if you are comparing the tides around a current pass which as Dodd or Active Pass, etc…. this app is not a replacement for a tide table - it is an atlas and as such it is not applicable for timing a current pass. ### 1/5 — NOT a PNW ATLAS *2024-09-28* This app provides no current information for most of Puget sound or any waters east of Whitney island. Last I checked both of these places are in the Pacific Northwest and they have currents. I want my $20 back. **Developer response:** Sorry that you are disappointed. The app description lists all the areas that the app supports. The free trial also allows you to see which areas are covered. Unfortunately the types of current charts this app shows do not exist for anywhere else in Puget Sound - that is why there is no coverage for east of Whidbey Island. We wish they did exist and we could add them. ### 1/5 — Cannot cancel trial!!! *2024-05-28* The trial is counting down and I want to cancel. The area covered is too small. I used to have a print version that went further north, you would just flip to the right page. So I want to cancel and guess what? Not possible, the app will end up charging me in 10 hours. What do I do? Delete it? **Developer response:** Hi. The app is NOT a subscription - you will not be charged anything. When the trial ends the app simply stops working, unless you choose to continue (by making an in-app one-time purchase - nothing is automatic billed). So if you don’t want to continue to use the app there is nothing you need to further do. ### 1/5 — One page of the book *2022-06-10* Just one page of the Current atlas. Fine for the SJI cruiser, but a rip-off compared to buying the book. **Developer response:** Sorry that you feel that the ease of using this app when compared to the book and then having buying to buy yearly reference tables is not of value. It is more than one page of the chart atlas, not to mention having official CHS reference data for life for a one-time price of an app that is cheaper than the book (which is now out of print). ### 1/5 — Can’t share purchase *2021-08-26* Very disappointed. The cost to actually get the current charts was $30. And because it is set up as an in app purchase not the app cost itself I can’t share it with my husband. We use both our iPads for planning and now will be limited to just mine This page says family sharing is possible but the developer emailed me to say it isn’t **Developer response:** Sorry but this is due to a license restriction set by CHS on the source data. Nothing was hidden, the in-app purchase does not say that it can be shared. ### 1/5 — Beautiful format for a very small area. *2021-02-05* Extend through the inside passage and I’m all in. **Developer response:** We would if we could but this level of detailed current data does not exist for the Inside Passage. ### 2/5 — Costs money *2025-06-03* The app costs a one time purchase fee of $19.99 which seems excessive given the limited scope the app has. The maps are very antiquated but the info is there. **Developer response:** FYI, this app replaces commercially available reference tables which cost about $9 a year. Our goal was to make the app both easier to use and not a yearly subscription like most other marine apps. ### 3/5 — Free Trial not available *2025-11-25* I like to try it out before buying. The app immediately showed “Free trial expired” after I had installed it for the first time. **Developer response:** Please email support@tinyoctopus.net and we’ll try to help. We have not seen or heard of this happening to anyone else. ### 3/5 — Interesting app *2025-05-22* This is an interesting idea. I have seen these forecasts in paper form. There is limited geographical coverage but these waters are very very difficult to understand. My main complaint is I wish you could move a cross hair over the map and have it tell you the prediction for that area. It is hard to distinguish the meaning of the various arrows. I’d also suggest locating me on the map through gps. **Developer response:** Hi. Thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately the source data is not geographically precise enough to have cross hairs and read a value. As for a GPS current location, the base charts are also not geo encoded either. This is because the source data is essentially those paper versions, now digitized. However the original source data was never precisely geo referenced to begin with. So we are hesitant to try and show something that is not there in the original source. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Stopped working *2026-04-13* Great app, used it regularly. Stopped working today??? Update: Started working again?!?! There appear to be gremlins in my phone, but not an app issue after all… **Developer response:** Can you reach out to support? We haven’t seen any issues with it not working. https://tinyoctopus.net/Contact ### 5/5 — Great app, more accurate than print version *2025-09-28* The print version must round to the nearest hour, but that’s not a limitation for the app. The app reports correct times for each page of currents ### 5/5 — Great tool *2024-06-29* Great tool. It would be even greater if you could scrool to different areas. ### 5/5 — Excellent tool *2023-05-02* When used in conjunction with current information for passages from my Navionics app, this gives very useful information on what currents are doing outside of passage tables. Looking forward to having more coverage further North to Desolation Sound. ### 5/5 — Fantastic App *2023-04-24* Great to see this being done, hopefully they expand north to cover the inside passage soon. Thanks for having it, easy to visualize and a way to plan trips with currents in mind. ### 5/5 — Great Resource *2021-01-26* At one point I was using the app and I found what I thought was an error since there was a disagreement between the paper current atlas and the app. I recorded the time and the referenced pages and reached out to the author of the app. He wrote several emails explaining the additional algorithms used for the app, and how since the paper atlas is by hour is often doesn’t show small reversals and other small changes. He walked me thru the data used and how his app presents the analysis. I won’t stop referencing the paper current atlas but I will use this app as well. Randall ### 5/5 — Brilliant squared! *2020-08-01* If you’ve ever purchased the official (paper) atlas ($30), downloaded the annual predictions and gone through the process of selecting the right atlas pages for your trip, this app is an absolute no-brainer. Based on several past experiences with the “classic” atlas, this will save me hours in the future! THANK YOU!!! ### 5/5 — Brilliant *2020-06-25* I sail a small boat in these waters, and depend on the Canadian current atlas for every trip. This implementation is fantastic. And since you have to buy an update to the printed atlas every year for $20, the once off price for the app is well worth it. The app also lets you scan the currents hourly, instead of paging through the printed guide. Very impressive. ### 5/5 — If you a PNW cruiser or racer, it’s a MUST HAVE! *2019-04-23* As a Cruiser or a racer, navigating Pacific Northwest and British Columbia waters is challenging because of tidal currents. Luckily, this apps provides an hour-by-your forecast of tidal currents around San Juan and Gulf islands, making the navigation and planning much simpler. ### 4/5 — Fantastic *2026-07-15* Great app, I use it all the time! --- *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 2026-08-25.*