Comparison

WaveCheck vs DiveSight

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

WaveCheck

This app analyzes surf forecasts to tell you the best times and places to surf based on your skill level and equipment. It offers detailed hourly conditions, smart alerts, session tracking, and a global map of surf spots.

Highlights
  • Personalized surf scores
  • 2,000+ surf spots worldwide
  • Detailed hourly forecasts
  • Smart push notifications
  • Session logging and history
  • Leaderboard and rankings
  • Google Calendar sync
Features
Read full description

WaveCheck scores every surf forecast for you — so you know exactly where and when to paddle out. PERSONALIZED SURF SCORES Every forecast is scored for your skill level and board — or set your own custom preferences. 2,000+ SPOTS ACROSS THE WORLD Browse on an interactive map or view each spot's satellite imagery to visualize the conditions DETAILED FORECASTS Hour-by-hour breakdown: wave height, swell direction and period, wind speed and direction, tide charts, water temperature, and more. DAILY DIGEST Get your daily spots to go surf to, with 5 days out shown with a Pro subscription SMART ALERTS Get a push notification the evening before when tomorrow looks good at your favorite spots. Set your minimum score threshold so you only get pinged when it's worth it. SPOT PREFERENCES Set custom preferences for individual spots — because your ideal conditions at a beach break aren't the same as a reef. Override your global settings per spot. SESSION TRACKING Log every surf with conditions, personal ratings, and notes. Build your surf journal and see your history at every spot. Forecast conditions are saved automatically so you can look back and learn what works for you. CLIMB THE RANKS Log sessions to climb the leaderboard. See how you stack up against other surfers at your spot, your area, and your country. MAP DISCOVERY Explore new breaks near you or anywhere. Color-coded clusters show you where conditions are firing right now. Zoom in to find hidden gems. GOOGLE CALENDAR SYNC Sync planned sessions to your calendar so you never double-book a good swell. Questions or feedback? support@wavecheck.surf Instagram: @wavecheck.app WaveCheck Pro Subscription WaveCheck Pro unlocks unlimited favorite spots, unlimited spot preferences, and supports an indie developer. 20% of all subscription revenue is donated to ocean conservation. Pricing: - Monthly: $4.99/month - Annual: $49.99/year (save 17%) Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. Terms of Use: https://wavecheck.surf/terms Privacy Policy: https://wavecheck.surf/privacy

About

DiveSight

This app forecasts marine life abundance and underwater visibility at dive sites globally. Plan your dives with detailed daily updates, long-term climatology, and site-specific conditions to maximize your underwater experience.

Highlights
  • Marine Life Abundance Index
  • Underwater Visibility Forecasts
  • 10-Year Monthly Climatology
  • Depth-Resolved Conditions
  • Dive Site & Species Search
  • Seasonal Event Calendar
  • Offline Access (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Know what you'll see before you dive — the first app to forecast both marine life abundance and underwater visibility, at dive sites worldwide. Updated daily. Pick the right site, the right day, and the right season before you ever get wet. WHY DIVESIGHT Weather apps help tell you if you can dive. DiveSight also tells you how good it's likely to be — how much marine life you're likely to encounter and how far you'll see, days in advance, anywhere in the world. It's the difference between hoping and making decisions based on the best ocean intelligence available. THE FORECASTS - Marine Life Index (0–100) of abundance for every site, updated daily — see which days will be better than usual, up to a week ahead. - Underwater visibility — including the tens of thousands of sites no crowdsourced app has reports for. DiveSight predicts visibility worldwide from satellite data and fisheries oceanography. Plan your dive with confidence. – 10 years of monthly climatology per site: water temperature, visibility, currents, weather, wind, and more — so you can pick the actual best month to go, year over year. – Depth-resolved conditions: temperatures at the surface, 10m/30ft, and 30m/90ft, plus currents, waves, tides, sun, and moon. Everything you want to know about conditions. FIND YOUR NEXT DIVE – By destination — browse a heat map of 28,000+ dive sites across 1,400+ regions. Zoom into Raja Ampat, Cozumel, the Red Sea, Komodo, the Maldives, the Galápagos, or the hidden sites between them. – By creature — search 6,000+ marine species and see exactly where and when you can dive with them: hammerheads, mantas, mola mola, whale sharks, mandarinfish, thresher sharks, nudibranchs, and thousands more. Every species linked to the sites, seasons, and regions where it appears. – Around you — tap once to see every dive site within range, sorted by today's conditions, marine life, or distance. Perfect for layovers, road trips, and your local shore dive. – By season — a calendar of bucket-list events with predicted timing windows: the sardine run, manta cleaning stations, hammerhead schools, whale shark aggregations, mobula ray gatherings, and spawning events. Find what's peaking right now — and where to go for it. WHO IT'S FOR Scuba divers planning a liveaboard, a weekend boat, or a shore dive. Snorkelers and freedivers chasing clear water and big animals. Vacation divers picking the best week — and locals deciding if today is the day. FREE TO START Browse 15,000+ dive sites, 3,000+ marine species, the seasonal events calendar, today's live conditions, and unlimited dive and marine life logging — free, forever. DiveSight Pro unlocks the full 7-day forecasts for marine life, visibility, water, and weather conditions, along with 10-year monthly climatology, the complete 28,000+ site and 6,000+ species marine life-list, and offline access to dive sites, forecasts, and marine life info. Two weeks of Pro are on us: one when you create an account and another one whenever you'd like. BUILT ON REAL OCEAN SCIENCE Institutional-grade satellite and oceanographic data from NASA, NOAA, the European Space Agency, and other leading sources — refreshed daily, in the palm of your hand. Log your dives and sync sightings with iNaturalist. Designed for scuba divers, snorkelers, freedivers, and all ocean lovers. iPhone & iPad. The ocean, forecasted. Your next great dive starts with comprehensive ocean intelligence. DiveSight Pro is an auto-renewing subscription. Plans: Weekly, Monthly, and Annual. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel anytime in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Terms of Use (EULA): https://divesight.ai/terms Privacy Policy: https://divesight.ai/privacy

Screenshots

WaveCheck4 screens
DiveSight4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: WaveCheck at 13.0 against DiveSight's 26.0. On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. WaveCheck sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and DiveSight sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WaveCheck ships an update every 4 days, DiveSight weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
WaveCheck versus DiveSight: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWaveCheckDiveSight
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (30 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—30 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size95 MB113 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAustin UrracaDiveSight LLC

Customer experience

WaveCheck

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

DiveSight

All ratings27 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

WaveCheck

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Yearly$49.991 Year
3 purchases

DiveSight

Subscriptions3
  • DiveSight Pro - Weekly$4.997 Days
  • DiveSight Pro - Monthly$9.991 Month
  • DiveSight Pro - Annual$99.991 Year

Questions

Is WaveCheck free?
WaveCheck is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DiveSight free?
DiveSight is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do WaveCheck or DiveSight have ads?
Neither WaveCheck nor DiveSight shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WaveCheck or DiveSight?
WaveCheck ships an update every 4 days, and DiveSight weekly. Most recently, WaveCheck was updated on October 12, 2026 and DiveSight on October 22, 2026.

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