The goal of surfing climate services is to give bespoke climatological/meteorological information to different agents (governments, local administrations, tourist offices, accommodation business, surf schools, tourists, local surfers and surf shops owners, etc.) that interact in a particular territory so they are able to make climate-smart decisions. At the same time, SCS aims to facilitate the mission of finding a good surf spot by having all relevant information in a single app. Survey results have, therefore, outlined the main items the SCS app prototype should contain.
After providing general demographic information on registration, users will be able to search for particular surf spots across several categories. Various models of forecast will include their success rates validated by users. Real-time nowcasts will give access to webcams and buoy data, as well as geotagged videos and/or photographs posted by those in-situ. Users’ shared surfing experiences will indicate the day, time, surf-quality rating, pollution level, crowd level, and environmental problems observed, thus becoming both a validation source for surfing forecasts and surf-wave climatology and a registry of environmental problem perception. In the surf-tourism section, seasonal forecasts will be compounded by explanations, water tourism offers, and recommendations for surf schools so as to facilitate the management of employees and clients and the planning of trips. Meanwhile, the local information section will be fed by app users and exhibit spot-oriented surfing conditions, such as swell direction, wind direction, bottom type, surf-break type, recommended level of surfing, and the best surfing season.
