Scanning the charts for the dream destination

[Lars Nielsen]

Administrators, if this post is in violation of some forum rule, please feel free to delete it - I won't be mad.  But I think this is of general interest.

Because of my job, for years I have had access to global seacharts on my pc and have spent about a zillion hours scanning them for likely spots around the world: That magic place where current is compressed through a passage inside an endless reef in a remote, unpopulated area.

If you love to explore, dream of your next adventure and get familiar with a location before a trip, there is a pretty convenient solution for viewing charts on iPad. I have attached a few dumps from the BlueChart app, available in Apple App Store. While the app is free, you pay for charts. Each chart segment covers a huge part of the world.

Here are a few classic areas - obviously you will zoom in to look closer for individual hotspots.













Lars

[Mark Harris]

Some familiar looking spots there and that app is definitely interesting.

Lars, I know you are in this industry, so I would like to ask which programme you think is best for PC use by an enthusiastic amateur?  All round ease of use (very important), widespread chart availability, economic cost and ease of loading of different charts would be my key criteria.

It would be for home use only doing exactly the type of research you mention.

[Lars Nielsen]

Mark, I am not aware of any PC programme that can use different kinds of charts - normally such a solution is bound to one brand of chart products. If you want global detailed chart coverage, you will probably end up with either BlueChart or Navionics. For BlueChart you would use HomePort, for Navionics charts the Navionics PC App. Both of these are solutions that allows you to view your plotter chart on your PC, which is very nice if you already got a chart and like to study your home area on a regular basis. But the plotter charts are more expensive and coverage is limited. The advantage of the BlueChart app is you buy huge chart areas for a much lower price than the plotter charts.

[Trevor Skinner]

Look at the drop-offs seaward of Socotra and Halaniyat.

What I could do with a big game boat and a full spread of Black Barts and Pakulas.

Regards,


Trevor   

[Martin Gundersen]

Nice charts, Lars

My current PB on GT is from the 1st picture, about dead centre in the picture 
Would be nice to go back there some day

[Alex Jordan]

Look at the drop-offs seaward of Socotra and Halaniyat.

What I could do with a big game boat and a full spread of Black Barts and Pakulas.

Regards,


Trevor   

Amen the that!
Is that a sailfish sail? ... gulp no its a Marlin sickle!!!!!

[Barry Kurten]

Thanks for posting and sharing this Lars, I'm glad to see there are others who spend hours upon hours viewing Sea Charts.

1 Question though - Do you perhaps know how accurate the new Bluecharts App is in terms of coordinates to actual points ??

I am using an old version of the BlueCharts software on my PC and some of the wreck coordinates are very far off the actually coordinates which i have and use in my part of the world, but then some are spot on, so its all a little confusing to me 
I'm interested to find out if the newer version & App is more accurate, in which case i will consider buying the new version or even investing in an Ipad just for this App

Trev, i actually took my laptop with to Socotra and Luke brought a GPS in case we needed to look for spots. 

Alex .. On the way out to the small rock off the west point of Socotra .. Mr Wyrsta and Myself were luck enough to have a "Is that a sailifish ... NO .. MARLIN MARLIN MARLIN sickle" moment ... with a couple of other words thrown in between 

Thanks again

[Mark Harris]

Mark, I am not aware of any PC programme that can use different kinds of charts - normally such a solution is bound to one brand of chart products. If you want global detailed chart coverage, you will probably end up with either BlueChart or Navionics. For BlueChart you would use HomePort, for Navionics charts the Navionics PC App. Both of these are solutions that allows you to view your plotter chart on your PC, which is very nice if you already got a chart and like to study your home area on a regular basis. But the plotter charts are more expensive and coverage is limited. The advantage of the BlueChart app is you buy huge chart areas for a much lower price than the plotter charts.

Many thanks Lars and I will have a detailed look at both those options.

[Mahmoud Salem]

Are there similar charts for the red sea?

[Mark Harris]

Mark, I am not aware of any PC programme that can use different kinds of charts - normally such a solution is bound to one brand of chart products.

I was just thinking what a great Open Source project this would make.  Along the lines openstreetmap.org for street-mapping.

[Lars Nielsen]

My current PB on GT is from the 1st picture, about dead centre in the picture 
Would be nice to go back there some day

Yeah, I know. In one month from today I will be popping that same reef. 

1 Question though - Do you perhaps know how accurate the new Bluecharts App is in terms of coordinates to actual points ??

I am using an old version of the BlueCharts software on my PC and some of the wreck coordinates are very far off the actually coordinates which i have and use in my part of the world, but then some are spot on, so its all a little confusing to me 

About coordinates (waypoints), first thing you need to be sure is you use the same position format and chart datum between sources. There is a million ways to indicate a position, so there is room for confusion. It is like any other measurement - you need to be sure which units you are talking about.

The accuracy of a chart is a different story. The thing is the chart producers hardly ever do their own surveys, they merely buy raw data from whatever sources there may be, usually some local authority. You can count on the producers to do their homework, but the charts can never be more accurate than whatever data are available, and in some places those data are not so accurate and detailed. So until someone makes new surveys of that area, all charts are going to suck, basically. And in many areas of the world, they have other priorities than charting the sea.

Mark, I am not aware of any PC programme that can use different kinds of charts - normally such a solution is bound to one brand of chart products.

I was just thinking what a great Open Source project this would make.  Along the lines openstreetmap.org for street-mapping.

Like I said, in some places the perfect data are just not available. About open source, it is definitely possible for a community to collect their own data and chart an area that way. But the thing is: Guys like us want to go where noone else goes. 

 

Are there similar charts for the red sea?

Yes, coverage is pretty much global. I fished Southern Egypt and Northern Sudan on a recent trip, and charts did not seem bad at all.