ArenaFrequently asked questions
Short answers to what skippers sailing around Ibiza and Formentera ask most.
Is Arena free?
Yes. Arena is free, with no sign-up and no ads, and places do not pay to be listed.
Does it work without signal?
Yes, once you have opened it with a connection. Arena keeps the forecast for the next 3 days, the chart it uses for sea routes and the emergency card on your phone: the ranking, the route and the emergency numbers work offline. The Posidonia map of an area is kept once you open it with a connection.
Where to anchor in Ibiza in an easterly (levante)?
By their shelter profile, these coves of Ibiza are sheltered from E winds: Cala Comte, Cala d'Hort, Cala Sant Miquel, Caló des Moro, Na Xamena and Platja des Pouet. Before you go, check today's hour-by-hour shelter in Arena, which also takes the swell into account.
Where to anchor in Ibiza in a northerly (tramontana)?
By their shelter profile, these coves of Ibiza are sheltered from N winds: Cala d'Hort, Cala Espart, Cala Llenya, Cala Llonga, Cala Mastella and Cala Pada. Before you go, check today's hour-by-hour shelter in Arena, which also takes the swell into account.
Are there mooring buoys so I don't anchor on Posidonia?
Arena shows the regulated buoy fields on the map with their checked status. Right now none is confirmed open: do not count on a buoy. The app suggests spots on sand and warns you if the anchor would land on Posidonia, where anchoring is forbidden.
Which restaurants deliver to your boat or can be reached by tender?
Arena lists 5 verified places that deliver food to your boat or can be reached by tender. They are on the list of restaurants you can reach by boat and on each cove's page. Services can change: check with the place before you go.
Where does the data come from?
From open sources: Open-Meteo and Météo-France forecasts, AEMET coastal warnings, Copernicus Sentinel satellites, EMODnet bathymetry, Posidonia and regulated zones from IDEIB, PNOA orthophotos and OpenStreetMap. Places and cove summaries are checked against two sources.
How does Arena know how busy a cove will be?
Arena counts the anchored boats in Sentinel satellite images since 2017 and, with the weather forecast, a model estimates how busy each cove will be. It is an estimate, not a live camera.
Can I use Arena to navigate?
Arena is a decision aid and does not replace official nautical information: not for coastal navigation. Deciding whether to sail, which way and where to anchor, and safety on board, are the sole responsibility of the skipper.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Arena opens in your phone's browser, with no app store and no sign-up. If you like, add it to your home screen from the browser menu and it opens like an app.
Does Arena know where I am?
It uses your position to work out routes and times, but on the phone itself. Your GPS position never leaves your phone.