MSW Surf Forecast Reviews

by Grant Brymer

I live and surf in Texas where our surf has some hidden gems. You have to be very knowledgeable to know where to find tubes, offshore winds, and quality uncrowded surf. I’ve used MSW for a few years now and noticed that the report is updated pretty frequently - a pro. I’ve also noticed that whoever makes the report doesn’t quite understand how swell hits different spots along the Texas coast - a con. For any surfer who knows something about Texas surf, he knows to pay little mind to MSW’s forecast and to just look at the swell and swell direction. I think that for any forecast everything else is pretty much impossible to predict with any certainty. MSW has plenty of forecasts in surf spots along the Texas coast, but they usually get everything wrong about the descriptions of the spots. Other than usually giving you an idea of when there’s going to be surf, MSW doesn’t really do much else unless it’s about the day before you plan to surf. MSW is easy to use, has a ton of features and cams and is helpful when planning trips. Would definitely recommend to anyone; even though it has its imperfections.

by 183)()

Since I live in Seattle, every time I go surfing, I have a choice to surf the straight (northern coast of the Olympic peninsula) or go to the ocean just south of the peninsula. When MSWSurfForecast says that Crescent Beach or Twin Rivers is having a 5 star day, it’s a little shorter of a hike for us to get some good waves. There have been a handful of times that we have been skunked just taking this apps ratings heading there. Because the difference is about a 4 hour drive, if we make a wrong decision due to an inaccurate prediction, the day is spent.

I understand that it’s hard to predict but it seems like there is information that’s being taken from the coast and applied to the spots on the straight of Juan De Fuca. It can be firing on the coast and dead on the straight depending on swell direction. If more attention could be paid to that, MSWSurfForecast would have a 5 star review from me.

by Trevorjoness

I love MSWSurfForecast and I just got it. It gave accurate results the time I used it for Huntington Beach in California. The only thing wrong with MSWSurfForecast is that, as a newer user, I don’t know what all the different conditions symbols mean. What’s “14s” mean? I know it means seconds but what does that mean out on the water? Or the arrow with a number with a degree under it? Otherwise I love MSWSurfForecast and it has great metrics for people who are unfamiliar with it like myself and for people who are familiar with it. Thank you

by Surfergirlx69

No an easy feat to provide perfectly accurate surf forecasting for my area (NJ), however MSW seems to do a good enough job getting the gist across. The charts are high quality and they give you a good idea of what’s going on out there. wind is tough to forecast around here sometimes so I don’t want to blame them when their forecast is wrong but some real-time updates would be nice. like when it says it should be blowing 9mph SW but it’s actually blowing 30 mph ESE. Pretty frustrating. All the forecast tables are very user friendly and In depth however I really dislike the 6am 12pm 6pm layout. I think it would just make so much more sense to have 12am in there. even though you might not want to get out there and surf at 12am it’s still important to know what’s going on, I also think it just makes more sense report on even six hour intervals. Food for thought. Great app overall. Just wanna see some waze type of interactive live forecasting and a slightly more sensible forecasting table.

by BillybylliB

MSWSurfForecast works well, looks decent, is easy to use, has a nice weeklong forecast and other helpful features, and fairly often gets the forecast right. My main complaints are that it often seems to lag quite a bit behind the buoy reports and NOAA info, and it doesn’t have forecasts for many of the best areas to surf in the Great Lakes. St Joe and Holland in Michigan would be really nice, and there should be at least a couple of spots along Door Co in Wisconsin.

by RegularJames

I live a couple hours from the beach these days, so I pay for the premium 14 day report. For 3 bucks, it’s fully worth it. I’m busy, so it’s hard to plan surf trips. MSWSurfForecast makes it much easier. It’s accurate most of the time, as accurate as a 14 day report can be.
The only complaints are small and won’t matter for most. I do wish MSWSurfForecast said which way the wind is blowing in relationship to the shore. It says the direction, but in Cali, not all beaches face west, so it would be nice to get a better description. That said, I’m sure if I weren’t so bad with a compass, I could figure it out. Many will scoff at this gripe, I’m sure.
The other thing is the “nearby” feature. There’s straight up nothing there for any beach I’ve been too. Now perhaps it’s up to a business to add their info, which I understand. But if businesses don’t want to participate, perhaps just ditch the feature all together.
All around, MSWSurfForecast does what it’s supposed to do. I’m definitely pleased with the service at this price point.
Bottom line: I recommend the premium version of MSWSurfForecast. The free one is good too if all you need is a week.

by Chewbaccaman77

The star rating isn’t dependable but the actual information on weather and ocean conditions is fairly accurate. I like the setup and can easily see what time tides are up and down, light and dark times as well. Plus they added more beach cams! One annoyance which isn’t on surfing info is the photo section. I live close to Oceanside Oregon and the page is blasted with people’s photos of Oceanside California. Most pictures are even labeled. It’s false advertising for our local beach but anyone who looks well enough can see it’s not Oregon. (No wetsuit or we don’t have pier’s). Same with Seaside Oregon.

by MaximusKnight85

So I haven’t used magic seaweed a whole lot but I do think it’s very useful for finding surf locations. One thing I have noticed is that whenever you are reading the description of a beach is that if there is an apostrophe in a word, it’s replaced by symbols. Specifically †and a trade mark symbol. Here’s an example. If there's the word “aren’t” then it would be changed to “arenâ€TMt”. I find it distracting and it makes the text hard to read. Other than that it’s a great app! But please do fix this bug!

by Nichpte

Pros: long forecast, pretty accurate, mostly free, chill, doesn’t list a lot of local spots on map (have to look them up by name) which forces you to get to know the local community and culture more personally (if you weren’t already) if you want to know the spots, the name of MSWSurfForecast

Cons: No surf cams, no local/written reports; just data, misleading star ratings for spots on any given day (local reports or better system would give more relative/subjective ratings to the individual swell, could be accompanied by an objective universal rating),

Overall, great app, but has much opportunity to grow.

by Tique Lifeguards

I’ve worked as a lifeguard at Atlantique for over 35 years and I can’t believe that we are on Magic seaweed Thanx it’s awesome I use your website all the time in the summer to check the waves and tides.
I used fair harbor because it was the closest beach about a 1/2 mile away on the ocean. The new Atlantique tides should be almost the same but the tide table that is being used is on the bay side. Any way you can change it to the ocean tides.
I would love to hear back from you.
Ronnie

by Ugh This Review Thing Is F-ed

Why is it better than Surfline: you get 7 days on the free account!
Want the pro account? It’s less than half the cost of Surfline for an annual subscription.

Easier to use, doesn’t waste space and require tons of scrolling. Gets to the point, easier to find your spots, etc.
I don’t even need a pro account but I’m buying one because I want to monetarily show my appreciation for MSWSurfForecast .

by Robinsc314

MSW has been my go-to forecasting app for years. I do wish I could customize the settings to notify me if one of my saved spots is predicting a specific “star” rating in the forecast. Say one of my spots is gonna have a 3 or 4 star day, I’d like a push notification. The ability to pick which spots I get noticed on and pick what star rating I get noticed on (1-5) would be legit.

Let’s make this happen MSW! (If I can already do this, cool. Please tell me how lol)

by MandbeiltHzloun

Tried them all... Magicseaweed has the best layout, best articles, and the most pleasing presentation of forecasts. The technical information takes a backseat to usability, but is still there if you want to nerd out.
Above all Magicseaweed is most accurate, which makes living a greater distance from the shore easier to invest the time to drive to the beach for a session instead of wondering if I’m about to “make the best of it” or have wisely invested fuel and time pay out with decent surf. Never thought of seaweed as magical before, but now I’m convinced it is true!

by PaulSurferBBACPAJDLLMMSEd

I appreciate the info you provide to surfers; it is typically correct & useful. I live & surf year-round in Long Beach, NY. I have worked weekends as an ocean lifeguard & surfed during the summers at Jones Beach State Park, Robert Moses State Park, & Hither Hills State Park for the past 48 years. You may not be aware that your map places Jones Beach State Park incorrectly. West End, which is correctly located on your map is the west end of Jones Beach State Park. The east end of Jones Beach State Park is about 3-4 miles west of Tobay Beach, which is also correctly positioned on your map.

by Gulfcoasthippie

I used to have to look up surf reports online until one of my coworkers showed me MSWSurfForecast. You can add your favorite surf spots and get the current wave height for each of them on the same screen. I gave it five stars because there are no pop up advertisements. One suggestion I have now that iOS 14 supports widgets would be to make a widget for the Home Screen that displays wave height for specific surf spots. Thanks to everyone involved with creating this application and running MagicSeaweed, you rock! 🤙🏼

by Samyachour

Surfline has become an ad-riddled monetized mess putting up paywalls for basic information; I can’t even check water temp after opening the spot page 5 times in 1 week!

Magic seaweed gives you everything you need to judge the surf. Sure they don’t have the daily in-person surf report, but if you know how what swell periods are and the difference between onshore & offshore winds you’ll be golden.

If you can finesse some free surf cams for a somewhere else you’ve got yourself a formidable Surfline replacement.

by Kyhilbili

But I love to watch them. We don’t get much of that on the Gulf of Mexico. I do like to walk on the beach every morning. I check MSWSurfForecast for where the tide is (high or low makes a huge difference on the walk) I also like to go early so I check to see first light and sunrise. Finally on my Saturday morning beach read-a-thon, I can check and see where to put my chair so I don’t have to move 10 times. I have used so many other tide apps but this is by far the very best, and you don’t have to be a surfer to appreciate!

by Csaetrwq

If you are a surfer this is MSWSurfForecast you want because it shows you the best places too surf and it shows you how big the waves are out and how windy it is it shows you 𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖𝕤 of professionals on surf boards itssss just soooooo cooooool 🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄🏿🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄🏿🏄🏿🏄🏿🏄🏿🏄🏿🏄🏿🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄🏿🏄‍♂️😎😒😎🙁🙁😎😎😎😎😎😎😎🥸😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎🥸🥸🥸😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎 just trust me if you are a surfer you want MSWSurfForecast i,m only 8 years old and i love MSWSurfForecast because i lovvvvve surfin so much even my mom and dad have MSWSurfForecast because its awsome surfs up and plus no adds for free.

by Fly....n.....

For the most part I love MSWSurfForecast and use it daily. However there are two annoying things I would love to see fixed. 1. When I switch to fullscreen webcam on my iPad I have to turn the iPad upside down in order to watch the webcam. Seems silly. It would also be nice to have a landscape view of MSWSurfForecast so I can continue using my iPad as normal when checking MSWSurfForecast . 2. It would be great if I could create a custom order for the favorite spots list.
Thanks for your hard work on MSWSurfForecast. I hope it continues to improve! 🤙

by Surf4him

I like using Magic Seaweed because it’s always true to it’s reporting. I can trust that when I head out for a session, that I’m not going to be disappointed and fun waves are to be had. Another great quality about MSW is the fact that you can setup pin points for your favorite breaks so that when you’re looking to find a particular break and how it’s working, wether traveling or in your local area, you can quickly make an informed decision to head to your favorite spot for the best action. The MSW app is always up to date and working properly.

by !kook!

Not sure what MSW is doing but they’re going for your wallet now. I’ve had app+ subscription now, but now I can’t access certain things it seems like. They’re advertising a Pro subscription now. Not sure what the hell the difference is but it seems like they’re taking the route of Surfline and trying to nickel and dime the surf community. Must’ve taken a class from money man Kelly Slater on this one.

by NTP 1216

I know most people wouldn’t think of Chicago as place were people are using MSWSurfForecast but they would be wrong. Paddle boarding/surfing, windsurfing, and Kitesurfing are huge sports here. The rules are strict here as far as where one can “launch” their boards. In fact the two beaches are Montrose beach and North Avenue beach. This is also where we store our equipment. You have North Ave. listed but Montrose beach. This would be in my opinion the best app out there if only Montrose Beach in Chicago was listed which is the Number 2 spot for this sport in Chicago. Is there anything that could be done to add Montrose to app.? Thanks

by Fvaobff1353

Surfline Used to be great. But now it just feels like a huge corporation. Only today forecasts and expensive monthly fees for premium. And don’t forget the inaccurate wave reviews. But Magic seaweed has everything surfline has and better. Seven day forecast for free that feel accurate and have more information. They have more surf spots and a great description. The website was a little tricky at first but now I love it. Get magic see weed!

by Dlex_wite

Hey I give MSWSurfForecast 5 stars no questions! It’s very accurate and helpful. My only complaint is actually a request. Please add the Pensacola beach pier as a location on MSWSurfForecast. As a surfer and skim boarder around this location the tides and swells tend to be different than the other closes beaches on MSWSurfForecast . Other than that I will continue to use MSWSurfForecast no matter where I am, it’s amazing! Thanks for listening!

by Xc Hkinn

So much better than any surf forecast app i’ve ever tried. i’m not a huge surfer, but i like to look at the forecast and plan when i can go ride the waves. with magicseaweed, it’s so much easier to plan and with MSWSurfForecast then any other. it’s so easy and so accurate! the only complaint i have is it’s in celsius instead of fahrenheight, which is announcing because you have to google the conversions, but it’s the best and i totally recommend! ;)

by CityBlue1

WSW is a good site but lacks the true accuracy of incoming swells, and storm tracking tools. In the world of surfing today jumping on a plane to catch a great swell is normal. Before leaving you have to know the true forecast, or you might get skunked on some inaccurate calls. More video feeds would be nice, so look into putting more videos of breaks. That's about it!!
Shane Horan

by Hdjsiyenakzycbdkemdid

I only get to surf once a month or so due to being landlocked in college. Forecasts are generally accurate and easy to understand and even without paying for a full membership offer forecasts a week in advance, making it easy to plan your next trip.

by Karsten Sargent

i’ve been using their website for a couple of years now. as soon as i heard about MSWSurfForecast , i downloaded it and it’s better than any other forecast app or website i have ever tried. I use it to plan ahead for future surf trips, and it helps me plan where i want to go. definitely a 5 star app

by Spiderman171

I love MSWSurfForecast! I have lived in California all my life, but never have surfed with a board, only bodysurfing(please forgive me). But my second childhood has been fishing with my 17’ foot boat. I really only fish in good conditions and thanks to Magicseaweed I haven’t gotten beaten up by the swell and wind. Thanks guys and gals, oh and I only keep the fish My family and I can eat.

by CalebtheKook

I live for apps like this! I have been using MSW for a year now and not once have the tides or swell conditions been incorrect. My only request would be that you add Bethany Beach, DE as a location. Even though it is a tourist beach in the summer, it can be pumping in the winter and I would like to just check MSWSurfForecast for conditions. Other than that, it’s all good.

by Sjebeidjsbeiwk

Obviously I use MSWSurfForecast for forecasting surf and diving conditions

Detailed information, pretty consistently correct (85% Accurate) but that's saying a lot for a hard to forecast place like Hawaii with limited offshore buoys and constantly varying conditions, simple and easy to use.

Bailed on Surfline, finding MSW to be more effective and cost efficient

by TOTHIAN

There are a lot of surf forecasting apps out there, but M. Weed just works. Nice UI, and forget all the data points except the star rating — Very nice and in my experience all you need to know; besides water temp, which is also important when you surf where I do. Cheers!

by Phunkeyboarder

MSWSurfForecast makes checking the surf forecast so much easier than other apps. The forecasts/weather both change quickly, and MSWSurfForecast reflects that as well. I’m brand new to surfing, i DL’d every app I could, and other apps out there seem to over complicate. Thanks MSW!

by Bugarshush

I went on a trip to Morocco recently and MSW called the forecast perfectly. Accurate and easy to use, the brains behind MSW have been defending the land for years. Surfline’s pretty cool, I use it too, but MSW is where it’s at. If you want to score perfect pits and shred the big quality gnar, open up MSW now. \ooo/