# Spitcast Surf Report — California Surfing Forecast

> California surf spot forecasts based on buoy data interpretation. (iPhone/iPad app by Jack Mullis.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spitcast-surf-report/id599090594 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Jack Mullis](https://appshunter.io/developer/599090598)
- Category: Weather, Sports
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.70/5 from 408 App Store ratings · 28 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 13.0 · 15 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2013-02-10
- Data updated: 2026-09-02
- Monetization: subscription
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spitcast-surf-report/id599090594/reviews.md

## What is Spitcast Surf Report?

Spitcast gives you accurate surf forecasts for surf spots throughout Northern CA and Southern California. Surfers trust our surf prediction algorithm to interpret buoy data and provide easy to understand and reliable surf reports at surf spots in regions including Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Seal Beach, Orange County, San Diego, and Santa Cruz. Check the forecast, grab your surfboard, and go for a surf!

—— Spitcast Subscription purchase details ——

• Subscription services are rendered for 1 month

• Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase

• Subscription automatically renews

• Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal

• Subscriptions may be managed by the user via the iPhone Settings app

• Terms and conditions and privacy policy can be found here https://www.spitcast.com/terms/ and https://www.spitcast.com/privacy/

## Key features

- Accurate surf forecasts
- Northern & Southern California spots
- Buoy data interpretation
- Easy-to-understand reports
- Regional coverage

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Access | $0.49 | per month |


## What do users think of Spitcast Surf Report?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 👍 Lightweight and easy to use
- 👍 Great surf forecast
- 👍 Accurate reports
- 👍 No advertisements
- 👍 Low cost / high value
- 👍 Good coverage of West Coast spots
- 👍 Fast loading
- 👍 Streamlined interface
- 👍 Simple and easy to learn
- 👍 More accurate than other apps
- 👍 Good graphics
- 👍 Killer forecasts

**Cons**

- 🐛 Forecasts are inaccurate (off by feet/mph)
- 🐛 App stopped working after a week
- 🐛 Charts have fixed Y-axis, data exceeds axis
- 🐛 Dark mode impossible to read
- 🐛 Color contrast not accessible
- 🐛 Rarely ever correct
- 🐛 No ocean water temps for SOCAL
- 🐛 App less complete than website
- 🐛 Graphics a little small / not optimized for mobile
- 🐛 New UI is terrible
- 🐛 App requires being on the coast to work

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App started nagging to sign up for premium
- App stopped working after a week
- Charts have fixed Y-axis, data exceeds axis and is unlabeled
- Dark mode is impossible to read
- Color contrast is not accessible
- No ocean water temps for SOCAL
- App less complete in offering many surf locations compared to website
- Graphics not optimized for mobile viewing
- New UI is terrible
- App must be on the coast to work

**Most requested features**

- Option to change colors
- Add swell direction
- Add hourly specs like website
- Search for specific areas
- Explanation of symbols (circles, % of month letters)
- Bring back old GUI
- Indicate prediction for course of one day
- Explanation for orange vs. gray bars

## Recent user reviews (10 of 28)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spitcast-surf-report/id599090594/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Forecasts are bad, bait and switch, charts unreadable

*2025-02-11*

The forecasts are bad like off by several feet compared to actual conditions. Or the wind speed will be off by like 20 mph. It claims that it will always be free, but after a week, it started nagging me to sign up for premium, and the app stopped working. A lot of the charts have a fixed Y axis, and so the data exceeds the axis and is unlabeled completely

**Developer response:** Thanks for the candid feedback.  I released a new version about a week ago.  I encourage you to give it a look and let me know what you think. Best, Jack

### 5/5 — Amazing

*2023-11-26, version 2.46*

Great lightweight and easy to use surfing forecast

### 5/5 — Honest surf report

*2022-04-29*

The most accurate, no advertisements, low cost, small business surf forecast.

**Developer response:** Thanks for the review!

### 5/5 — Great California Coast App

*2022-04-23*

I’ve been experimenting with the various free and less expensive apps since I decided to simplify my recurring subscription charges to too many services. 

I really appreciate the fundamental data that’s reported on Spitcast, and though I have not sat down and charted a direct comparison between this and the National Weather Service’s and NOAA’s Northern California data and forecasts, this has seemed like an accurate amalgamation of what a surfer wants to know. Naturally there will be spots like Ocean Beach San Francisco where/ when it should be good, it’s too wonky because the night winds the night before ruined it, even if it’s light wind the next morning.  But I think these are the variables we get to learn through experience. I mean, an app only needs to spoon feed so much. 

Also I appreciate the data for some specific spots that don’t get as much attention in this regard.  On this app, I don’t feel like it’s ruining anything. 

The circles took me a second to figure out, but it’s pretty intuitively obvious that the app is focusing our attention on good surf conditions (vs, I guess, mediocre or bad ones). 

I plan on adding this high value, low cost app as a subscription in my new streamlined suite of similar high value, reasonably priced apps. 

Shakaz.

**Developer response:** Thanks for the review!

### 5/5 — Great app

*2021-12-29*

I previously use the Spitcast website and just finally got the app. It is lightweight, fast, and super clear. The coverage of West Coast spots is excellent. The graphics are good and it is extremely easy to use. I would recommend it to anyone headed for the beach.

**Developer response:** Thanks for the review!

### 3/5 — No in-app explanation of symbols

*2020-12-07*

What do the circles mean? And for % of the month, I have no idea what those letters mean.

**Developer response:** Thanks for leaving a review.  There are a couple different circles in the app, so I'll try to explain both.  

The first are the regional summaries, which look like a string of beads.  These summarize the conditions at a group of neighboring surf spots, providing a glanceable look at the conditions in a region.  I use these to get a sense for conditions throughout the state without having to look at every single forecast.  (BTW: These get more powerful when you dial in your height settings.). 

The second type of circles are the big grey hollow ones that sometimes show up on surf forecasts.  These indicate when conditions at a break are unusually good.  This week you are likely to see a lot of these, since there is a good swell, but that's not always going to be the case.  Like in much of summer.

Regarding "% of the month", the letter indicates the month of the year.  J for January, F for February, etc...  

I hope this helps clarify these.  

Best,
Jack

### 5/5 — Favorite App

*2020-12-02, version 2.33*

I love this app.  I use it every day.

### 5/5 — Spitcast is really great.

*2020-10-01*

The spitcast app is nice and streamlined. My old phone loads it right away. It is an easy thing to check every day to see when the waves are good.

### 1/5 — Poor color choice

*2020-08-14*

Dark mode is impossible to read. Color contrast is not accessible. Give us the option to change colors.

**Developer response:** Thanks for the feedback.  I love this idea.  I’ll add it to the next version.  Best, Jack

### 2/5 — Usually wrong

*2020-08-06*

Rarely ever correct. Conditions, water temp, etc... usually incorrect. Not sure if it’s not being updated frequently enough or what.

**Developer response:** Thanks for the feedback.  Please reach out and let me know where you are specifically seeing issues and I'll be happy to take a look.  I use this app daily and haven't run into this type of issue before.  Best, Jack

## Frequently asked questions about Spitcast Surf Report

### What does Spitcast Surf Report do?

Spitcast Surf Report provides accurate surf forecasts for surf spots throughout Northern and Southern California. It interprets buoy data to deliver easy-to-understand and reliable surf reports for various regions.

### What are the key features of Spitcast?

Key features include accurate surf forecasts, coverage of numerous surf spots in both Northern and Southern California, interpretation of buoy data for reliable reports, and regional breakdowns of surf conditions.

### How much does Spitcast Surf Report cost?

The app offers subscription services for 1 month. Payment is charged to your iTunes Account upon purchase confirmation, and subscriptions automatically renew. Users can manage subscriptions in their iPhone Settings.

### Which areas does Spitcast cover?

Spitcast covers a wide range of surf spots across California, including regions like Orange County (Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Seal Beach), San Diego, and Santa Cruz.

### Who is this app for?

This app is designed for surfers who need reliable and easy-to-understand surf forecasts to plan their surfing sessions at various locations along the California coast.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.47.2 — 2026-07-07

Minor performance improvements.  Removed unneeded frameworks.  Reduced payload size.

### 2.47 — 2025-04-07

A few little tweaks.  I hope you enjoy, but do ping me with any gripes.  I'm all ears.

### 2.46 — 2022-12-05

Made some UI tweaks to clarify what swell is impacting the surf most.  The UI also now indicates when a surf quality factor (like tide or wind) is less impactful at a given surf spot.

### 2.45 — 2022-09-20

I added a widget.  Try it out.  Let me know what you think.

### 2.44 — 2022-08-04

Not much has changed on an iPhone, but on an iPad or Mac you'll see a big difference.  Now your search results live in the sidebar, so you can view them next to the forecast details.  This is pretty helpful when you're trying to decide between surf spots.  As always, ping me with any feedback.  -- Jack

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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 2026-09-02.*