Marine Safety Acknowledgment
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Before using Good Buoy (including the mobile application and the goodbuoy.co website), you must understand and acknowledge the following:
1. NOT FOR NAVIGATION
Good Buoy is NOT a navigation tool.
Good Buoy is a secondary aid to informational awareness and does not replace authorized government charts, official marine weather broadcasts, or notices to mariners. Only official government charts and notices to mariners contain all current information needed for the safety of navigation.
Good Buoy (including the App and Website) is designed for casual informational use only. It must NOT be used for:
- Making sole or primary decisions about whether conditions are safe for boating or water activities
- Planning commercial maritime operations
- Emergency response or rescue coordination
- Determining safe routes or harbor approaches
- Navigating vessels or determining safe passage
The Services are intended to be used only as a supplementary informational aid and must not be used for any purpose requiring precise measurement of direction, distance, location, depth, or topography.
Nautical chart overlays showing depth contours, channels, and hazards are for INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. Chart data may not reflect the most current conditions (e.g., recent dredging, new obstructions). Depth data displayed in the Services may be inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete.
2. Data & Feature Limitations
Data Delays
Buoy observations displayed in the Services may be delayed from 5 minutes to several hours or more from actual conditions due to data transmission delays, sensor outages, or network issues. Weather at sea changes rapidly. Conditions may be significantly different from what is shown.
Sensor Limitations
Marine weather sensors can:
- Fail without warning and report incorrect data
- Drift from calibration over time
- Experience communication outages for hours or days
- Be affected by marine growth (biofouling)
- Report data from a single point that doesn't represent your location
Coverage Gaps
- Buoys are spaced miles apart
- Conditions between buoys can vary dramatically
- Some regions have minimal or no coverage
- Offshore buoys may not reflect coastal conditions
Chart Data Limitations
- Chart overlays are sourced from NOAA Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) data which updates on a weekly cycle
- Cached chart tiles may not reflect the latest updates
- Chart coverage is limited to U.S. waters
- Depth contours are approximate and must not be used for navigation
Anchor Alarm Limitations
The anchor alarm feature is a supplemental monitoring tool only. It must NOT be used as a substitute for proper anchor watches or dedicated marine alarm systems. Limitations include:
- iOS may suspend or terminate background processes, causing monitoring gaps
- GPS accuracy varies and may produce false readings in certain conditions
- The alarm depends on device battery, cellular signal, and GPS availability
- Phone hardware failures, software updates, or restarts will stop monitoring
- Never rely solely on any app for vessel safety while anchored
Trips Feature
Trip tracks and routes recorded by the App are for personal recollection only. They must NOT be relied upon for:
- Navigation or route planning
- Evidence in legal or insurance proceedings
- Safety-critical decision making
- Future passage planning
GPS tracks are subject to signal loss, drift, and device-level failures. Background recording can be suspended by iOS at any time, producing gaps in the recorded track.
Roughness Tracking
Water roughness calculations are derived from device motion sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope) and are affected by:
- Device placement and mounting
- Hand movement and non-marine vibration
- Vehicle motion if the device is used onshore
Roughness scores are approximate and relative, not absolute measurements of sea state, and must not be used to determine whether conditions are safe for boating activities.
Apple Watch Stress Estimate
The optional Apple Watch companion estimates a per-trip "stress score" from heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) sampled by the watch during a trip. This score is informational and is intended for general wellness use only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate, monitor, or prevent any disease or medical condition, is not a clinical or medical-grade measurement, and should not be used for any medical or emergency decision. Heart rate and HRV readings from a wrist-worn device are subject to motion artifacts, sensor errors, dropouts, and the limits of optical sensing — readings displayed in the App may differ materially from a clinical measurement. If you have any concern about your heart rate, HRV, cardiovascular health, or any other health condition, consult a qualified healthcare professional and do not rely on Good Buoy.
BuoyCAM Imagery
BuoyCAM images are captured and published by NOAA. Images may be:
- Several hours old at time of viewing
- Out of date or failing to update
- Unrepresentative of current conditions due to changes in weather, light, or sensor state
Images must not be the sole basis for assessing weather or safety at a station.
3. Your Responsibility
As a user, you acknowledge that:
- You are solely responsible for your own safety and decisions
- You will check official sources (NOAA Weather Radio, VHF marine weather, official forecasts) before any marine activity
- You understand that ocean conditions can be deadly and change without warning
- You will not rely on this app as your primary weather information source
- You have read and understood the Terms of Service and their liability limitations
4. Official Resources
For marine safety, always consult:
- NOAA Weather Radio: continuous weather broadcasts.
- VHF Channel 16: Coast Guard monitoring and emergencies.
- weather.gov/marine: official marine forecasts.
- Your local Coast Guard: current conditions and warnings.
5. Emergency Information
In an emergency at sea, contact the U.S. Coast Guard:
- VHF Channel 16
- **Cell Phone: Dial CG (24) or 911
- Landline: Call nearest Coast Guard station
Do NOT rely on Good Buoy during emergencies.
6. Limitation of Liability
Good Buoy LLC and its developers shall not be liable for any injury, death, property damage, or other loss resulting from use of or reliance on information provided by the Services (including the App and Website).
The Services provide informational data only. Any decisions made based on this information are made entirely at your own risk. By using the Services, you expressly waive any claims against Good Buoy LLC, its developers, and its data providers.
Acknowledgment
By pressing "I Acknowledge" below (in the App), or by continuing to use the Website, you confirm that you:
- Have read and understood this safety information
- Understand Good Buoy is NOT for navigation or safety decisions
- Will consult official sources for marine weather
- Accept full responsibility for your own safety
- Understand that Good Buoy LLC is not liable for any harm resulting from use of the Services
- Agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy