Marine Weather Forecasts Key to Boating Safety

Marine weather forecasts key to boating safety

MetService is supporting Safer Boating Week with a reminder to check the marine weather forecast before you leave home.

Weather conditions can make the difference between an enjoyable day out and an uncomfortable or even tragic trip. Checking the forecast - and understanding what it’s telling you - is an essential part of skipper responsibility.

"We recently surveyed boaties to gain feedback and insight into how we can improve our forecasts. We found that some were unsure how to use the swell and sea state information in our forecasts to know what sea conditions they might face," says MetService marine weather services manager Elke Louw.

"Our marine forecasters have put together some handy tips on our website blog to help with this," she says. You can find them here: http://blog.metservice.com/understanding-sea-conditions-from-marine-forecasts

Making sure you can stay in touch is one of the basics of boating safety, and this year Safer Boating Week is encouraging boaties to carry a VHF radio, as well as a mobile phone, to ensure they have at least one form of waterproof communication.

"Having a radio and a smartphone makes it even easier to stay up-to-date with the weather," adds Louw.

Used by around 30,000 people every month, the popular MetService Marine app is available on Android and iPhone and contains recreational and coastal marine forecasts, as well as rain radar, rain forecasts, severe weather information, tides and more. Marine forecasts are also broadcast over VHF channels by Coastguard and Maritime Radio services around the country.

For more information and app download links, check out the MetService website:

http://about.metservice.com/our-company/ways-to-get-the-weather/weather-on-your-mobile/smartphone-apps/

ENDS

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