Terms of Use

Who can use Catch Waves

You must be at least 13 years old to create an account. If you are under 18, you need a parent or guardian's permission.

You're responsible for your account and everything posted from it. One account per person, and don't pretend to be someone else.

Community rules — zero tolerance

Catch Waves is a place for surfers to share conditions, sessions, and stoke. We have zero tolerance for objectionable content or abusive users. Don't post, send, or put in your profile anything that:

• Harasses, bullies, threatens, or intimidates anyone.
• Attacks people for their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or where they're from — including slurs.
• Is sexually explicit or contains nudity.
• Shows or encourages violence, self-harm, or illegal activity.
• Shares someone else's private information, like their address or phone number.
• Is a fake hazard report. False shark sightings or closures put people at risk and waste lifeguards' time.
• Is spam, a scam, or advertising.
• Uses photos or video you don't have the right to share.

How we enforce the rules

Filtering. Posts, comments, chat messages, and profiles are automatically checked for slurs, threats, and explicit language, and are blocked before they go up.

Reporting. Tap Report on any post or comment, or the ••• next to a chat message. Three reports hide the content automatically while we look at it.

Blocking. Block a surfer from the ••• on their message or comment, and you won't see their chat or comments again. Manage your block list in Settings → Safety.

Review. We review reports within 24 hours. We remove content that breaks these rules, and we suspend or permanently remove the accounts of people who post it. You can also email privacy@catchwaves.pro.

Your content

You own what you post. By posting it, you give Catch Waves permission to store it and show it to other people in the app and on the website — nothing more. That permission ends when you delete the content or your account.

You're responsible for what you post, and we may remove anything that breaks these rules.

Surf at your own risk — we are not liable for injuries

Surfing and going in the ocean are dangerous and can cause serious injury or death. The risks include drowning, rip currents, large or unpredictable waves, shallow reefs, rocks and sandbars, sharks, stingrays and other marine life, collisions with other surfers or boards, cold water, polluted water, and sudden changes in weather.

Our recommendations are information, not advice. When Catch Waves highlights a beach — "Biggest right now", "worth the drive for beginners", skill-level tags, spot rankings, surf alerts, Catch Waves Pro advice, or anything else — it is an automated reading of buoy data and public forecasts. It is not a statement that the beach is safe, that it suits your ability, or that you should go there. That data can be wrong, delayed, or missing, and it can't see rips, hazards, crowds, or closures. Reports from other surfers, including shark sightings and closures, aren't verified by us.

You decide, and you accept the risk. Nothing in the app replaces your own judgment, lifeguards, posted warnings, or official closures. Check conditions in person before you paddle out and never surf beyond your ability. By using Catch Waves, you agree that you surf, swim, and travel to and from any beach at your own risk, and that you are responsible for your own safety.

To the fullest extent the law allows, Catch Waves is not liable for any injury, death, illness, or loss or damage to property that happens at or on the way to or from any beach — including one Catch Waves showed, ranked, or recommended — or that comes from relying on anything in the app. You release Catch Waves from any claims of that kind.

Paid features

Some features, like Catch Waves Pro, may cost money in the future. Prices and terms will be shown before you buy. Purchases made in the iPhone app go through Apple and follow Apple's terms.

Ending your account

You can delete your account at any time in Settings → Account. We may suspend or remove accounts that break these rules, or to protect other surfers.

The legal part

Catch Waves is provided "as is", without warranties of any kind, including any warranty that its information is accurate, complete, or up to date. To the fullest extent the law allows, Catch Waves isn't liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages — including personal injury, death, or property damage — that come from using the app, relying on its conditions data or recommendations, or dealing with other users.

Some places don't allow certain limits on liability, so some of these may not apply to you. Where that's the case, our liability is limited to the smallest amount the law permits.

If you downloaded the iPhone app, these terms are between you and Catch Waves, not Apple. Apple isn't responsible for the app or its content.

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California.

Changes

If we change these terms we will update the date at the top. If the change is significant, we will say so in the app.

Contact

Questions, reports, or appeals: privacy@catchwaves.pro