BigBlue mobile and desktop

BigBlue is the mobile app for iPhone and Android. BigBlue desktop is our Mac and Windows application for the helm. Together they deliver near-real-time satellite ocean data to help anglers find fish faster, save fuel, and navigate with confidence. Built by fishermen, for fishermen. Recreational mobile is billed in the app stores; Professional plans cover desktop and phone under one shared pool of device licenses, billed on the web.

Download the BigBlue mobile app for iPhone and Android, or our desktop application BigBlue desktop for Mac and Windows.

Highly recommended by expert fishermen and widely considered the gold standard for tournament anglers, BigBlue mobile and BigBlue desktop offer the highest update frequency in the western hemisphere - including the USA, Canada, and much of Latin America - with at least 24 near-real-time GOES SST scans per day (48 in areas covered by both GOES East and West), plus 8 polar-orbiting SST scans from MODIS, VIIRS, and AVHRR. That is 32 or more SST updates daily in much of the Americas, and up to 56 where GOES footprints overlap - alongside chlorophyll, true color, currents, sea level anomaly, dive visibility, and unique habitat visualization overlaid on high-resolution bathymetry. Notable for high-definition visual clarity, high-res bathymetry, and automatic offline map caching when you lose cell signal miles offshore.

Why BigBlue?

Pelagic fish congregate where ocean conditions collide - temperature breaks, chlorophyll lines, and underwater structure. Finding these productive zones used to require expensive hardware, satellite subscriptions, and hours of running offshore. BigBlue changes everything. BigBlue mobile and BigBlue desktop put professional-grade ocean intelligence on your phone and at the helm - with global coverage, near-real-time GOES SST updates, and offline capability. No expensive chartplotters. No separate satellite hardware subscriptions. Just the data you need, when you need it.

Whether you are chasing marlin in the canyons, tuna on temp breaks, or mahi on weed lines, BigBlue and BigBlue desktop give you the competitive edge. We replace expensive hardware with professional-grade satellite data - BigBlue on deck, BigBlue desktop on Mac and Windows.

Unmatched satellite data coverage

BigBlue and BigBlue desktop deliver more ocean data than any competing service - the most comprehensive layer stack available for offshore anglers in the mobile app and the desktop application.

Sea Surface Temperature (SST)

12 SST sources: near-real-time hourly GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST, MODIS and VIIRS day and night, AVHRR, plus NASA/JPL Composite and smoothed SST
Western hemisphere (USA, Canada, and much of Latin America): at least 24 near-real-time GOES SST scans per day - and 48 where both GOES East and West cover the same water - plus 8 polar-orbiting SST scans (MODIS-Aqua day/night, MODIS-Terra day/night, SNPP day/night, AVHRR-B, and AVHRR-C). That is 32+ SST updates daily across much of the Americas, and up to 56 in the GOES overlap
Near-real-time GOES geostationary SST - hourly East and West products so you see temperature shifts as they develop
Day and night polar-orbit observations to track breaks
NASA/JPL Composite (GHRSST / MUR) gap-filled SST that sees through clouds using microwave and buoy data
High-resolution temperature contour lines to pinpoint thermal breaks

Chlorophyll concentration

8 chlorophyll sources (PACE, MODIS-T, MODIS-A, SNPP, NOAA-20, NOAA-21, ACRI-ST Composite, and smoothed)
Track plankton density and water clarity
Find the productivity zones where bait accumulates

True color satellite imagery

4 true color sources (MODIS-T, MODIS-A, NOAA-20, SNPP) showing real ocean conditions
Visualize current edges, debris lines, and water color changes

Ocean currents

NEMO and RTOFS current fields for flow, edges, and water movement

Sea level anomaly (SLA)

DUACS altimetry showing warm-core and cold-core eddies, currents, and upwelling relative to the long-term mean

Dive visibility

GeoPelagic Secchi-depth analysis to locate clear water for diving and fishing

Productivity and habitat overlays

Pelagic predator aggregation and species productivity layers tied to the habitat guide in BigBlue

BigBlue desktop oceanography (Mac and Windows)

Mixed layer depth (NEMO) - thermal boundaries where bait and game fish concentrate
Sea surface salinity (NEMO and RTOFS)
Dissolved oxygen (NEMO-PISCES)
These layers are in the BigBlue desktop application - not the BigBlue mobile app - and are included with Professional desktop licenses

Global 3D bathymetry and structure

Detailed seafloor topography worldwide in BigBlue mobile and BigBlue desktop
Find seamounts, canyons, ledges, and drop-offs
Data derived from NOAA ETOPO, GEBCO, SRTM, and other authoritative sources

How BigBlue compares

BigBlue outperforms the competition in every category that matters offshore:

Global coverage - worldwide ocean data. Many competitors offer only limited regional coverage.
32-56 SST updates per day in the western hemisphere - at least 24 near-real-time GOES scans (48 where East and West overlap across the USA, Canada, and much of Latin America), plus 8 polar-orbiting scans from MODIS, VIIRS, and AVHRR. Competitors typically offer 1-3 sources and rarely geostationary SST.
8 chlorophyll data sources - track water clarity and productivity zones. Many services don’t offer chlorophyll at all.
Currents, SLA, dive visibility, and habitat layers - a fuller ocean stack than typical fishing apps.
BigBlue desktop oceanography - mixed layer depth, salinity, and dissolved oxygen in the Mac and Windows desktop application, beyond the BigBlue mobile app chart stack.
Automatic offline caching - view any area while connected and it’s saved for offline use. No extra subscription or hardware required.
Species habitat guide - detailed habitat profiles for 17 pelagic species with SST and chlorophyll ranges.
Integrated NOAA weather - marine forecasts for any point in the BigBlue mobile app or BigBlue desktop desktop application.
No hardware required - BigBlue on your phone and BigBlue desktop on Mac or Windows. Competing services often require dedicated satellite receivers or chartplotter hardware.
Affordable pricing - professional-grade data without premium hardware costs or expensive satellite subscriptions.

Expert pelagic habitat guide

BigBlue includes a Pelagic Habitat Guide with detailed scientific habitat data for top sport fish, including:

Tuna: Albacore, Atlantic Bluefin, Pacific Bluefin, Bigeye, Yellowfin, Skipjack
Billfish: Blue Marlin, Black Marlin, White Marlin, Striped Marlin, Swordfish, Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Sailfish
Gamefish: Mahi Mahi, Wahoo, Cobia, Yellowtail Amberjack

Each species profile includes typical and ideal SST ranges (°C and °F), chlorophyll concentrations, behavioral insights on depth preferences, lunar effects, and feeding patterns, plus tips for targeting each species based on conditions.

Navigation and trip planning

Turn the BigBlue mobile app - or BigBlue desktop - into a chartplotter workstation. Real-time speed readout (knots, mph, or km/h), distance to waypoint with automatic updates, pin drop waypoints, great-circle navigation lines, shareable deep links, GPS overlay for live position, speed, and heading, and NOAA marine weather forecasts for points within US waters and waters served by NOAA and the National Weather Service.

BigBlue desktop connects to ship instruments over NMEA Wi‑Fi, TCP, UDP, or serial to display vessels in range of your AIS receiver and your own GPS/GNSS position - an advanced feature serious anglers use to navigate around the fleet and through busy waterways. This augments your AIS-enabled chartplotter and makes nearby vessel details easy to view.

Offline maps are automatic: pan and zoom your fishing grounds while connected, and temperature, chlorophyll, bathymetry, and satellite imagery stay stored locally when you lose cell signal offshore - including 100+ miles from shore.

Who uses BigBlue?

Offshore anglers chasing tuna, marlin, sailfish, mahi, and wahoo rely on BigBlue to find temperature breaks and structure. Tournament fishermen use our near-real-time GOES and polar-orbit data to gain a competitive edge. Charter captains save fuel and put clients on fish faster. Scuba and free divers find clear, warm water for optimal dive conditions. Marine biologists and whale watchers track ocean conditions and marine life patterns. Commercial fishermen optimize routes and locate productive fishing grounds with the BigBlue mobile app or BigBlue desktop. Many others use BigBlue simply as a high-quality, easy-to-use source for ocean temperature.

The science behind the data

BigBlue aggregates data directly from NASA and NOAA sources:

GOES-19 (East) and GOES-18 (West) - near-real-time hourly geostationary SST (24 scans/day each; 48 where footprints overlap across much of the Americas)
MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on Terra and Aqua
VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on Suomi-NPP, NOAA-20, and NOAA-21
PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) - NASA’s newest ocean-observing satellite
AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) on MetOp satellites
NASA/JPL MUR and GHRSST - the gold standard in gap-free SST
NEMO, RTOFS, and DUACS - currents, salinity, MLD, oxygen, and SLA

Polar-orbit SST arrives from 8 daily sources (MODIS-Aqua and MODIS-Terra day and night, SNPP day and night, AVHRR-B, and AVHRR-C). Combined with hourly GOES, that is at least 32 SST updates per day across much of the western hemisphere - and up to 56 where GOES East and West overlap - in the BigBlue mobile app and BigBlue desktop application.

What anglers say

BigBlue Offshore Fishing is highly rated on the App Store. Reviewers call it “essential for tournaments,” “the best data and interface of all the fishing apps,” “all the tools you ever need to sport fish,” and “a whole new level of quality” that “combines very useful navigational features with high definition ocean intel.”

Get BigBlue

Stop wasting fuel searching for fish. Let BigBlue mobile and BigBlue desktop show you exactly where the conditions are right - BigBlue on your phone offshore, or BigBlue desktop on Mac and Windows at the helm. Save time, conserve fuel, and catch the fish of a lifetime.

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