Review of Aqua Maps

Review of Aqua Maps Navigation App.

I have been using Aqua Maps for several years. Initially I tried it out when it first came to market, at that time I was not impressed, but a couple of years later I revisited it and was impressed. Very recently, they have updated the software with a new feature - Route Planner - which does what it says, use it to plan your route.

But first let me drool for a while about one feature that I use every overnight trip. The Anchor alarm.

Some background: I have probably tried at least 15 different anchor alarm apps and none of them have made the grade and compared to Aqua Maps they were complete failures, so I'm not coming from a blank starting point. Oh, and I'm not being sponsored in anyway by Aqua Maps.

Ok, about the Aqua Maps Anchor Alarm. Here's a typical use for me.

On my Samsung Tablet which has a built in Sim Card so it's always able to connect to the Internet, I'll open Aqua Maps and set the Anchor Alarm. The program allows for setting the alarm during the actual drop of the anchor, ie. The anchor is where you are! which of course is not where you will be when the rode is let out. 

Sailing in South Florida, most of the anchorages are pretty shallow - 8' to 16', taking tides into account, down here they are mostly less than 3' so our depth at the anchor will be around 8' to 19' with the tide changes. We typically put out a 5-1 scope but if the weather is likely to deteriorate, I'll go for at least a 7:1 scope. So it's quite normal to let out 80' of chain at anchor. I'll set the anchor distance to 100', just to give a bit of wiggle room.

Of course, there is also the option to set the alarm after anchoring. ie. The anchor position is not where you are! The app has an excellent method of setting the alarm by using GPS, angle to point to the anchor and the distance from the anchor. Both methods work really well.

Now the alarm is set, and if it goes off, then you'll know it, most likely if you are anchored nearby us then you'll know it too! It's like all hell breaking loose! It cannot be ignored. Let's be real, that is exactly what you want even if you're wrapped up in a comfy berth at 2-o-clock in the morning! It's a one touch button to cancel the alarm so that the issue can be dealt with.

This is all really good, several other apps do something similar but Aqua Maps certainly has real sailors working for them and it shows. 

But Wait There's More.  If I'm not on the boat then I won't hear the alarm - Alarm Mirroring to the rescue. I have Aqua Maps installed on my Samsung phone too! If I turn mirroring on in the app on the tablet and confirm I want to use the mirroring system on my phone, then Aqua Maps mirrors the Boat's view and alerts just as the tablet does on board. So if I'm within range of a cell tower, both on the boat and ashore, then I'll get the alarm reports ashore.

I use this feature whenever we go ashore in the dinghy and being able to mirror the alarm system is a huge stress relief.

In short, Aqua Maps is worth the money even if it's just for the Anchor Alarm system.

Ok. What about their new feature - Route Planning.

Prior to this new update, route planning was easy, just click on the chart where you want the next waypoint be and save it.  Pretty easy, it would take a while, perhaps a few minutes, if you wanted to plan a route that has a lot of turns, but generally very quick.

Route Planning - Click the Start, Click the destination, Save, Done! Review and tweak if you need/want to. 

Cards on the Table: We have a full Garmin system on our boat and a NavLink2 wifi server to connect our boat data with Aqua Maps running on our phones or tablet.  The beauty of this setup is that I can run Garmin Helm on my tablet to mirror the chart plotter or I can view the NEMA 2000 data ( Wind, Water Speed, Heading, etc. ) inside of Aqua Maps.

How do we use Aqua Maps on the boat?

When we are planning a trip while in the cabin or cockpit, Aqua Maps is on screen, we have a RAM mount at the helm which can hold either the Tablet or a Phone, so we can have Aqua Maps at the helm, we use it as a backup - we've had a Chart Plotter failure before and it's stressful here in South Florida where there a lot of high speed boats around, plus, our Draft is 5'7" ( plus our tools ) and it's skinny water around here in many of the inlets. That backup is important.

What features do we like the best. The amount of info about the local areas are a huge value and Aqua Maps digs in. Yes it has Satellite view ( like Google Maps ) and a lot of local user info too. 

If i did not have a Chartplotter, then Aqua Maps could fill those shoes, it does not link to our Autopilot that's not a surprise, but if I didn't have a Chartplotter then I would probably not have an Autopilot.

Oh, I forgot to mention the GEC account. We have the full Aqua Map system and that include access to maps around the USA and a GEC account. That's basically a file storage for map data - gpx or kmz files. This gives me the option to upload Route files from my phone or tablet to my GEC account, I can then review them on my computer.

Finally - What about Customer Service?

The proof is in the puddin.

I had an issue when they first released the Route Planning feature, I sent one email to their tech support and had a response the next day and a fix the next day. Nuff Said.

Ok, if you have not got the app yet, take a look at their website. https://www.aquamap.app/

The App is available for both Android and IOS.

All of the good stuff requires a subscription, it will not break the bank.

Paul Alcock

Skipper of the Sailing Vessel Eximius - 1987 Catalina 34 - Tall Rig Fin Keel mostly found in South Florida.

See you on the water.