Statement of Values
written by: Chris Mederos, Swell Scope Developer - October 2026
A Different Approach
Swell Scope is different than conventional surf apps. Why?
The big idea behind this app was to get people excited about doing things for themselves. Not just because I think it works better that way, but because it's fun & rewarding to go down the path of exploring and figuring out forecasts on your own.
The Surfer’s Journey
The surfer’s journey is a process of careful observation and confident action. We derive a great sense of fulfilment by connecting with that experience.
That’s why it’s more fun if you take up the task of calling the conditions yourself. Scoring a nice session when you had an active role in interpreting the surf adds another level of excitement & joy!
I don’t want to see technology replace the connection we make with the weather and our local environment when surfing.
That’s why Swell Scope is all about empowering you. I want to set you off on your own journey to become in-tune with your local surf breaks, the ocean, and all the stuff around you, that makes where you live special.
No Public Surf Spots
To achieve that goal… there are a few unusual things in Swell Scope. The first is that there is no public list of surf spots.
Each person has to add their own surf spots. You can also see the locations added by your friends (unless they have been marked as 'secret').
More specifically - every spot you setup and session you log in the app has a toggle for visibility. The only two options are "secret" and "friends". Accordingly, these will never be shown to or shared with any users outside your choice. Also, there will never be a choice to share globally with everyone.
Swell Scope will never produce or share anything using aggregated data from people's spots or sessions.
No Usage in AI Models
Training a giant prediction model is against the ethos of Swell Scope. We're aiming to empower everyone to go on their own fulfilling journey of understanding their local surf breaks.
Accordingly, no surf spots or session logs will ever be used to train any AI, algorithm, calculation, or aggregation of any kind.
No Aggregation of Spots or Sessions
Additionally, no aggregation of any surf spot or session data is used internally for creating or improving any kind of rating, summary, or general guide information. Some examples include:
- Not used to create surf guides
- Not used to create condition ratings
- Not used to create AI predictions
Export your Surf Spots & Session Logs
Please contact [email protected] and we will email you a usable .csv file of all your surf spots and session logs that you have created in the app.
We will be adding a feature to automate this process soon via the app! In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out.
These Commitments Are Binding
This page is a statement of why Swell Scope works the way it does. The commitments that matter most - no public surf spots, no aggregation of your spots or sessions, no AI training, and no selling your data - are also written into our Terms of Service as a binding section, so they are a promise we are held to, not just a preference.
Privacy Policy
For general privacy policy for data not related to surf spots and surf sessions - please see the full details in our privacy policy.