A forecast tells you what the wind will do. Live Wind tells you what it's doing right now. Surfr shows real-time readings from weather stations at and near your spot, so you know if it's on before you leave the house.
š” Where does the station data come from?
Surfr combines thousands of weather stations from different sources:
Official stations: national weather services, airports and sea buoys
Community stations: weather stations of private owners that share their data publicly
Stations connected to Surfr: kite schools, clubs and riders who connect their own station directly to Surfr
Every reading shows the wind speed, gusts and direction, plus the time of the last update.
šŗļø Where you'll find Live Wind
Spot pages: the Live Wind section shows the current wind, gusts and direction, the station name and its distance to the spot, and a chart of the last 24 hours. It updates every few minutes while you have the page open
Nearby stations: scroll down on a spot page to see other stations close to the spot. Tap View on map to see where they are
Discover wind map: turn on the stations layer to see live readings on the map. Tap a station to see its details
Widgets: see the live wind of your spot on your home screen, lock screen or watch. Read more in Surfr Widgets
šÆ Choosing the station for your spot
Each spot shows one station at a time. Surfr shows a live station within 25 km of the spot: the station linked to the spot, or otherwise the closest station with a recent reading.
A station a few kilometres away doesn't always measure the same wind as your spot, for example when it's inland, in a harbour or behind a hill. Use it as a reference, together with the forecast. The more stations riders, schools and clubs connect, the closer the live wind gets to your spot.
Prefer another station? You can choose it yourself:
Open the spot page and go to Live Wind
Tap the station name to see the stations around the spot (up to 8)
Pick the station you want
Is the spot in your My Spots? Tap Use for my widget to show this station on your widgets too
š¬ļø Connect your own weather station
Do you own a weather station? Connect it to Surfr and help everyone at your spot find the wind. Every new station means more spots with live wind measured right where you ride.
Which stations can I connect?
Most stations can be connected in one of two ways:
Your station sends data to Surfr: for example stations that upload to Weather Underground, Ecowitt or Windguru, or that can send a custom JSON message
Surfr fetches data from your station: for stations that publish a file online, like a WeatherDisplay clientraw.txt or a JSON file, and for Tempest and Pioupiou stations
After you submit your station
Our team checks every new station
Once approved, you receive an email: "Your wind station [station name] is live on Surfr"
Follow the setup instructions in that email, so your station can start sending data to Surfr
As soon as we receive the first data, your station shows up automatically on the map and on nearby spot pages
š” No email after approval? Check your spam folder. You stay in control. You can pause or delete your station at any time from My stations on the website.
š” Good to know
No live wind at your spot? There may be no station within reach, or the nearest station hasn't sent data in the last hour. You'll see the forecast instead
Missing a station you know from another app? Not every station is publicly available, and apps use different station networks. Send us the station name or a link via the chat, and we'll check if we can add it
Live wind and the forecast don't match? That's normal. The forecast is a model prediction for the area, while a station measures the wind at one exact spot
Station far from your spot? Check the distance shown under the station name. Wind can differ a lot over a few kilometres, especially near the coast