How did you come up with the idea, and how long did it take you to develop the app?
The idea came to me two years ago whilst on holiday in Denmark, when I was looking for surf spots near our campsite. Of course, there’s loads of good information and articles about surf spots online, but I found it difficult to work out which ones were near me. That’s how it all started. Bit by bit, I then added the ‘Forecast’ and ‘Session Tracking’ features. I thought it was quite a cool idea to have everything together in one app and directly linked to the spot. Users can upload their sessions to the spot details, so you can compare your sessions (speed, distance covered, wind direction and wind strength) with others. I also found it helpful to see the forecast right at the spot, so you can tell straight away whether the conditions are right at that moment.
What does your app offer, and what sets it apart from other similar apps?
The basic idea is that everything is linked: spots, sessions and forecasts, so you can see it all together. Initially, the app was only available on the web and as a PWA (progressive web app), but it’s now also available as a native iOS app in the Apple Store. However, I’m constantly working on developing the app further and welcome any suggestions for new features; there’s a dedicated form for suggesting improvements.
What is your background in windsurfing?
I’m 36 years old and have been a keen windsurfer for about 12 years, mainly in the freerace discipline. I live in the Sauerland; we have two reservoirs nearby, and at one of them there’s a small surf club where I’m an active member. My main job is as a software developer, so one thing led to another.
Thank you very much, and good luck!
For more information and to download, visit spotara.de
