Jersey Beach — a weather app that knows where it is
- Jersey Beach — own product
- iOS and Android app, companion website, and a self-service portal for local traders
- React Native (Expo), TypeScript, Next.js, Firebase, MapLibre, Open-Meteo, Vercel
The challenge
Every national weather app treats Jersey as a rounding error. They read from a global forecast blend that runs a degree or two warm over the Channel Islands, and none of them can answer the question an islander actually asks on a Saturday morning: which beach, and when? Tide state, wind direction and shelter decide whether a beach is worth the drive, and that information was scattered across three apps and a tide table. This one had no client and no brief — I wanted it to exist, so I built it.
What we built
A single app that answers the question directly. Forecasts come from the Met Office's 2km model rather than a global average, so the numbers hold up locally. Tides, wind, sun and moon sit alongside a map with rain radar and a live wind layer drawn natively so it stays smooth on cheap phones. Best-times recommendations explain their own reasoning — why a swim window sits at high tide and a dog walk at low — instead of asking you to trust a score. The whole interface shifts through dawn, day, golden hour and night from computed sun times, with no network call in the way. Behind it, local traders sign themselves up, post listings and daily pitches, and upload photos, all moderated from an admin queue; a sponsorship system handles paid cards. Both stores are fed by scripted release pipelines, so shipping a version is one command rather than an afternoon in Xcode.
The result
Live on the App Store and Google Play since July 2026, with the website and trader portal running alongside. It is a young app with a small audience, and the sponsors page publishes the real download numbers rather than dressing them up. What it demonstrates is the whole path: an idea taken through design, native build, two store reviews, a moderation back office and a commercial model — by one person, start to finish.
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