Terms & disclaimer

Whitecap is a recreational planning tool for informational purposes only. It is not a navigation system, a weather authority, or an emergency service, and nothing here is professional, meteorological, or nautical advice. Any chart imagery in the app is a stylized illustration of conditions — it is not for navigation and does not satisfy any chart-carriage requirement.

Official marine weather information comes from the National Weather Service, broadcast on NOAA Weather Radio and VHF marine channels, and from the US Coast Guard and local harbor authorities. Those sources supersede anything this app tells you, every time.

Boating carries inherent risk — weather changes faster than forecasts, and conditions on the water can differ sharply from any prediction. By using Whitecap you accept that risk. The decision to go out, stay out, or turn back is yours alone, made from what you can see, what official sources are saying, and your own experience. A favorable score here is an input to that decision, never a substitute for it.

You agree not to hold Whitecap responsible for decisions you make on or around the water.

Every number in Whitecap is computed from third-party sources, including:

• Open-Meteo — weather and marine forecast models
• NOAA National Data Buoy Center — buoy observations
• National Weather Service — forecasts and alerts
• USGS Water Services — water level, flow, and temperature

These systems can be delayed, incomplete, wrong, or offline, and Whitecap inherits every one of those faults. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or availability of any data shown. Check the timestamps the app displays — stale data is marked, and old readings are not current conditions.

Whitecap separates arithmetic from prose. Every figure — wind, waves, scores, windows — is computed by deterministic code from the sources above. The written summaries and recommendations around those figures are generated by a large language model. The model is instructed to explain the numbers, not invent them, but its prose can still be mistaken, incomplete, or overconfident. Treat generated text as commentary, not fact.

Whitecap is an independent product. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or certified by NOAA, the National Weather Service, the US Coast Guard, the USGS, or any other government agency or safety organization. Names of those agencies appear here only to identify data sources and official safety channels. Data from Open-Meteo is used under the CC-BY 4.0 license.

• Hail the Coast Guard on VHF channel 16, or call 911 near shore. Do not rely on an app or a phone signal offshore.
• Monitor NOAA Weather Radio and the VHF weather channels for official broadcasts while underway.
• File a float plan with someone ashore — where you're going, who's aboard, when you'll be back.
• Wear a life jacket. Most boating fatalities are drownings, and most of those were preventable.
• Respect cold water. Immersion in cold water can incapacitate a strong swimmer in minutes, regardless of air temperature.

Whitecap is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Whitecap and its operator are not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or exemplary damages arising from your use of, or inability to use, the service — including damages arising from reliance on any forecast, score, or recommendation. You agree to indemnify Whitecap against claims arising from your misuse of the service. If you are dissatisfied with the service, your remedy is to stop using it.

We may revise these terms as the product evolves. The date at the top of this page reflects the latest revision; continued use after a change means you accept the revised terms. Material changes will be noted in the app.

Last updated 2026-07-26