Surfers’ Social Media Surf Report App launched for iPhone and iPad

A new iPhone App designed for surfers to keep them instantly updated on surfing conditions has been launched.

The Sharkbait Surf Reporter App allows users to find out about surfing conditions by sharing real-time surf reports, check out where their friends are getting the best waves and upload photos and messages. Available from the App store on iTunes, the Sharkbait App is priced at just £1.49.

It has been developed by two surfers and best friends from Brighton, James Onslow and Ian Macinnes. James has been uploading daily surf reports for the South Coast for the last 12 years, with one of the first ever surf report websites Sharkbait.co.uk.  

Commenting why he developed the app, James said: “My friends and I would spend all day calling and texting each other for surf checks. I’d be driving from beach to beach and it would all be eating into our surfing time. I tried to think of a quick and easy way of sharing the surf info.

“Ian and I started to develop an app that would keep surfing friends and locals connected.  It was crucial to make it fast and simple to submit a surf report from the beach, so that all your friends can get live updates of the reports. We wanted to allow people to add photos, messages and comments.

The app also lets users see where their friends are surfing on the live Google map and enables them to search for friends, plus send friend requests.

James continued: “You can choose to share your reports just with close friends or choose to become friends with more local surfers. The more friends you have the more reports you’ll see. The App can recommend friends to you depending where you surf, so you don’t need to know the names of local surfers. Just send friend requests and build a surf report community for your local breaks.”

David Somerville, editor of A1Surf.com, was one of the people who tested the Surf Reporter App while it was under development and is convinced of its benefits: “I think this is a great innovation for the surfing community.  With the Sharkbait App you can wake up and check who’s on dawn patrol and what the waves are like. Then all you need to do is decide whether to get going or stay in bed! It takes seconds to upload report on the app and it’s a really easy way to see instantly where the best waves are. It’s saved me a fortune in petrol money already!”