FAQ + Support

BigBlue is our mobile app for iPhone and Android. BigBlue desktop is our Mac and Windows application for the helm. It is not the same install as the mobile app - desktop has its own installer, AIS/NMEA instrument links, and desktop-only oceanography layers. Desktop licenses are included with Professional plans.

Download BigBlue for Mac or Windows from the desktop download section. On a helm computer, BigBlue desktop connects to your ship instruments so vessel traffic and your own position appear on the map in real time.

BigBlue desktop can show nearby vessels and your own ship from NMEA instrument feeds - AIS receivers, GPS/GNSS, and similar gear over TCP, UDP, or serial. In Settings → Ship Instruments, use Auto Add to find sources on the network, or add TCP, UDP, or serial manually. Enable AIS and/or position on each source, and set location source priority if you have more than one GPS. Vessel traffic and your own position then appear on the map in real time.

Yes. The BigBlue mobile app and BigBlue desktop automatically save any chart data you view to your device’s cache. Once downloaded, this data remains available when you are offline. To prepare for a trip, simply pan and zoom around the areas you plan to visit while you still have an internet connection. The maps you view - temperature, chlorophyll, and bathymetry data will be stored locally and work seamlessly when you lose signal.

Sea Surface Temperature (SST) is the temperature of the top layer of the ocean. It is a good estimate of the temperature of water above the thermocline.

Chlorophyll concentration (Chl) indicates seawater’s algal density. Higher concentrations mean more algae; too little creates nutrient-poor waters, excess chlorophyll creates cloudy water that many sport fish avoid.

Mixed Layer Depth (MLD) is the depth of the surface layer of the ocean where temperature and salinity are nearly uniform due to wind and wave mixing. Below this layer, temperature drops sharply at the thermocline. MLD data helps anglers and divers understand where thermal boundaries exist, which often concentrate baitfish and game fish.

Sea Level Anomaly (SLA) measures how much the ocean surface differs from its 1993-2012 average, observed by satellite altimeters. Variations in SLA reveal mesoscale eddies, ocean currents, and upwelling zones. Warm-core eddies appear as positive anomalies (higher than average), while cold-core eddies appear as negative anomalies (lower than average). These features concentrate nutrients and attract marine life.

The different menu options for our charts are different satellite data sources. There are many satellites that monitor the ocean. We let you view their data. Unfortunately these satellites and the instruments on them have long and unhelpful names, like Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). NASA and BigBlue refer to them with acronyms.

There are two main reasons for missing data: cloud cover and time. Because clouds obscure the ocean, any area covered by clouds when the satellite passed over will have no data. The exception is the NASA/JPL Composite SST layer, which uses microwave band imaging (that can see through clouds) and buoy data to fill gaps hidden by clouds. In addition to cloud cover, the time of observation affects what data you see. The satellites we use are polar orbiting and image the globe roughly once each day. There will be data missing if you are looking at an area that the satellite hasn’t imaged yet.

We display data directly from NASA, sometimes their satellite feeds are interrupted for reasons out of our control. One example of an interruption: satellites stop imaging while correcting their orbits, which they have to do from time to time. Some data sources may be missing for long periods of time.

More recent data is better: for most parts of the globe, the menu of data source options is ordered from first to arrive to last to arrive for any given day. The AVHRR sources are lower resolution than all other sources. NASA/JPL Composite is the highest quality SST reading; it incorporates many sources including buoys though it takes much longer to produce.

Most temperature, chlorophyll, and true-color data charts are updated hourly. NASA/JPL Composite temperature charts are composites of all other sources; they are published once daily after every other source has fully imaged the earth. You can refresh a data chart by switching briefly to another data chart.

Satellites collect data organized by UTC day (midnight to midnight in Greenwich, UK). When converted to your local timezone, this creates time ranges that span parts of two calendar days. The date picker shows the local day with the most overlap with each UTC observation period.

The bathymetry data we use is for anglers to estimate the locations of major undersea features. It should never be used as a reference for safe navigation at sea. The data is derived in part from NOAA’s ETOPO global relief model, the International Hydrographic Organization’s General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans, and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. These are all research sources, not navigational references. Only official government charts and notices to mariners contain the information needed for safe navigation.

Legal boundaries are updated on a best effort basis and may have errors. Only official government charts mark true legal boundaries.

We make a best effort to provide accurate weather reports from official National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sources for points you place on the map. These NOAA weather reports are only available for US waters and limited international waters. Our marine weather report viewer is not a substitute for official weather sources. We do not provide important safety information such as gale warnings. Consult official weather sources before going offshore.

On iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions. On Android, open the Google Play Store, tap your profile icon, then Payments & subscriptions. That manages your BigBlue mobile app subscription.

For Professional plans, manage billing here. Sign in with the email you used at checkout to open the billing portal, then update your payment method, view invoices, or cancel. You can also use the link in your BigBlue purchase or renewal email. Professional licenses are tied to the email you used at checkout - each signed-in device uses one license, desktop or phone. To move a license between devices, sign out on one device and sign in on another, or email the team.