Marine Weather Forecast Ibiza Island
The weather in Ibiza and Formentera and its interpretation for boat rental. When it comes to planning a boat trip to Ibiza, there is one thing we should do and that is undoubtedly the most important of all: Study the weather in Ibiza – weather report. There are many pages to consult it, and although the time is always variable, when you look for very close dates the current forecasts are usually quite accurate. It is advisable to use a prediction that is oriented to sailing, because it will give us information about important data such as the wave height, the wind intensity and waves direction … and even better if you can check predictions per hour. Some times it dawns with a calm and bright sun, and then the weather changes to cloudy at noon with a strong wind that in the afternoon clears. It is impossible to describe a journey like this only with a symbol. The sources that we recommend based on our own experience are:
AEMET – Agencia Estatal de Meteorología
Spanish Forecast Agency (only in Spanish)
As its name indicates it depends on the Spanish State, and it has a high reliability. It presents a multitude of options and types of prediction, from the typical information of temperature, rainfall and wind speed to others much more specific. We highlight the Maritime Prediction. It shows not only the intensity of the wind, but also the height and direction of the waves. It has an animated representation quite intuitive and in my opinion the one that helps you to better understand the real state of the sea that you will find.
Maps The maps will be very useful to identify the areas where the sea will be calmer, and plan our route looking for the lee (shelter of the wind) and natural shelter points to be able to anchor and relax. In the presentation it comes with a legend to the right, which assigns a color to each wave height. The dark blue represents areas with small waves (up to half a meter). The red and purple are the wave maximum, which measures up to 20m. Prediction The prediction is in text format, similar to the format of the part that is reported by the coastal radios. It is very simple but provides less information per hours. Personally I prefer maps, and that is that a picture is worth a thousand words.
Windguru
This is one of the portals with more acceptance among sailors especially people from the world of Surfing. It is quite reliable, and although it has a PRO version, the free version is more than enough. Here you have the link -https: //www.windguru.cz/6481 Windguru offers us several models of forecasts, and a priori it seems like a mess. It could be summarized that each one has a different scope, update and origin of data. My recommendation is to get acquainted with a particular model (personally I usually look at the GFS 27 KM – the first one that comes out) and always use it. At the end of the experience, it helps you to interpret the correspondence between the model and reality. This will give you a better idea of how the navigation will be. In the paid version you can access services such as Custom Spots Forecasts, Forecast maps, File, Statistics and Forecast Alerts by email. Some of the most used windguru models are:
Model GFS 27KM
In exact terms, it is a forecast based on a worldwide model with a resolution of 27km. It has a 10-day scope, which is updated four times a day, based on the NOOA (American Meteorological Service). That is, it does not orientate the time in the next 10 days and it is updated every 6h. In the long-term forecasts it can obviously change a lot, although sometimes it is correct.
Model WRF 9KM
It is based on a model with more resolution (9km) and has a prediction range of 78h. As in almost all current prediction models, a set of symbols and color scales will help us understand it. We will do it instantaneously once we have become familiar with them a bit.
Windy.com
It is a weather forecast portal with many options. It stands out for an animated presentation of the data that is quite intuitive and easy to interpret. It can be a simple way to know the weather in Ibiza and Formentera. The importance of experience. The experience will be the one that with time will make us correctly interpret the data and apply them to the particularities of our navigation area and vessel. The possibility of navigating in a comfortable way will depend a lot on the boat in which we are going to leave. Obviously, a meter and a half wave is not the same for a 5-meter pneumatic as for a 50-foot yacht or a sailboat.
In general, for a pleasant boat charter, the ideal is for navigation to take place mainly in waters with waves that do not exceed one meter in height. In any case, it is best to ask someone with experience before leaving. Also at the end of the day contrast reality with the idea we had made looking at the forecast. Little by little, we will learn to succeed as true sea lions. If you need help, at Feeling Charter we will be happy to give you directions about the weather in Ibiza. I advise you on the best sites to navigate. This way you will get the most out of your boat rental in Ibiza. Send us a Whats App and we’ll give you a hand so you have a perfect charter 😄⚓