How's the beach today?
Costa gives you an answer, not a table of numbers.
A single number from 1 to 100, the Costa Score, sums up conditions at more than 110 beaches across Puerto Rico, in 37 municipalities and all six coasts. Underneath that number is everything that went into it: currents, surf, wind, water quality, clarity, sargassum, Saharan dust, UV index, water temperature, tide and weather.
HOW IT WORKS
Costa produces no data of its own. It reads 19 official sources (National Weather Service, NOAA, CARICOOS, Puerto Rico's Environmental Quality Board, the San Juan Bay Estuary Program, satellites from USF and NOAA CoastWatch, Copernicus CAMS) and turns them into something you can read at a glance. Readings are recalculated every 15 minutes.
WHAT YOU GET
• A clear verdict on whether the water is worth getting into, and why
• Rip current advisories, bacteria levels and sargassum, stated plainly
• Report sargassum from the beach, anonymous and in seconds
• 17 balnearios (Puerto Rico's government-run public beaches) and 26 kid-friendly beaches, marked
• Filters: Best right now, Favorites, No sargassum, Balnearios, For surfing
• Map, photos and directions
• In Spanish and English
HONESTY FIRST
When we don't know something, we say so. If there is no water sampling near a beach, Costa does not paint a reassuring green: it says there is no data. A forecast never disguises itself as an observation. Every reading shows its source and when it was taken.
Costa is free, has no ads, and never asks you to create an account.
Made in Puerto Rico.
Costa is a guidance tool, not a lifesaving service. The ocean changes by the minute. Always follow the flags, the lifeguards and your own judgment.
Verdaderamente espectacular esta herramienta. Directa y clara.
¡Finalmente a alguien se le ocurre!
prlady20
La aplicación está buenísima y me alegro mucho que alguien haya tenido la tremenda idea de desarrollar semejante aplicación de las playas de Puerto Rico! Una pequeña sugerencia sería que permitiera a los usuarios que están visitando una playa en particular, puedan someter información o fotografías al instante como la del sargazo pues la información CARICOOS es basado en pronóstico para el área o costa en general y en algunas playas lo hay y en otras no.Muchas gracias y muchas felicidades por esta tremenda idea!
Developer Response
Saludos y gracias! Si tienes la versión más reciente, cuando abres una playa, al final, abajo, te permite enviarnos un mensaje por si hay algo que no cuadra con el pronóstico! Es algo súper útil para nosotros, ya que seguimos ajustando con cada reporte que nos llega. Gracias.
NEW: Report sargassum
Satellites can see sargassum floating offshore. They can't see your shoreline. Whether it lands is up to that day's wind, which is why one beach wakes up clean and the one next door is buried. You can't see that from space. You can only see it standing on the sand.
So if you're at the beach, drag the slider from 1 to 10 and tell us what you're looking at. Five seconds, anonymous, no account. Your report becomes that beach's sargassum reading, and a bad one really does pull the Costa Score down. A beach can drop from "Good" to "Poor" because of what you saw.
The next beach-goer who looks up that beach sees your report. That either saves them a wasted drive or gives them the green light.
• You have to be at the beach to report. Costa checks your location once and never stores it.
• The satellite forecast stays on its own line, so you can see how the model compares to what's actually there.
• Reports expire after 12 hours. Yesterday's sargassum tells you nothing about today's.
• Three reports or more and the median wins, so one outlier never speaks for the whole beach.
• Some beaches aren't measured individually by any satellite. There, the forecast is really about the whole coast, and your report is the only thing describing that specific beach.
Also new: Share a beach
Three ways to share your beach: a tall card for Instagram Stories, a square one for texting, and a sticker you can drop onto your own photos. All three carry the Costa Score, the live readings, and the time.
Version 2.3.1
The developer, Lamonte LLC, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Seller
Lamonte LLC
Size
83.7 MB
Category
Weather
Compatibility
Requires iOS 15.1 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 15.1 or later.
iPod touch Requires iOS 15.1 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.