Ultratide watch brings surf alerts to your wrist

Ultratide watch puts surf alerts on your wrist

By Charles Ikpe
April 23, 2015

The Ultratide works with the Surfline app on the user's smartphone

Surfing is one of those sports where you don't just go out at a scheduled time – you go out as soon as you hear that conditions are good. Surfline is an established service that provides information on those conditions, in the form of alerts on a smartphone app. Now, Surfline has partnered with Nixon to provide such alerts on an easier-to-access sports watch, known as the Ultratide.
Other surf watches do already exist, although according to Nixon, the only information that they provide regards tidal levels at given surf breaks. Synced with the user's Surfline app-running smartphone, however, the Ultratide provides 10 real-time data points. These include things like wave height, swell height/direction, wind speed/direction, water/air temperatures, and tide readings for the next 48 hours.
Users start by indicating the conditions that they prefer, for five of their favorite local surf breaks (assuming they're one of the 2,700-plus spots currently covered by Surfline). When the conditions at any of those locations meet that criteria, the user is notified by an alert on the watch.
Additionally, using its auto-geolocate feature, the Ultratide can locate the closest surf spot to the user's current location at any time.
The watch itself is waterproof (the exact rating isn't listed), is powered by a coin cell battery, and features a stainless steel case with a silicone band. Although it was originally announced last December, it is scheduled for release on April 22nd in a choice of colors.
Nixon has yet to respond to our inquiry regarding pricing, although other sources are quoting a figure of US$300.