Surface Winds; Wave Height, Wave Period, And Wave Direction; Viewing Forecast Sea Conditions Information For Another Time Period; Viewing Fishing Information - Garmin GPSMAP 500 Series Owner's Manual

Select Weather > Sea Conditions.

Surface Winds

Surface wind vectors appear on the Sea Conditions chart using
wind barbs that indicate the direction from which the wind is
blowing. A wind barb is a circle with a tail. The line or flag
attached to the tail of the wind barb indicates the wind speed. A
short line represents 5 knots, a long line represents 10 knots,
and triangle represents 50 knots.
Wind Barb Wind Speed
Calm
5 knots
10 knots
15 knots

Wave Height, Wave Period, and Wave Direction

Wave heights for an area appear as variations in color. Different
colors indicate different wave heights, as shown in the legend.
The wave period indicates the time (in seconds) between
successive waves. Wave period lines indicate areas that have
the same wave period.
Wave directions appear on the chart using red arrows. The
direction of each arrow pointer indicates the direction in which a
wave is moving.
Viewing Forecast Sea Conditions Information for
Another Time Period
1
Select Weather > Sea Conditions.
2
Select an option:
• To view forecasted sea conditions for the next 12 hours,
select Next Forecast or , and to view forecasts, up to 36
hours, in 12-hour increments, select Next Forecast or
again.
• To view the forecasted sea conditions for the previous 12
hours, select Previous Forecast or , and to view
previous forecasts, up to 36 hours ago, in 12-hour
increments, select Previous Forecast or again.

Viewing Fishing Information

The weather Fishing chart shows present water temperature,
present surface pressure conditions, and fishing forecasts.
Select Weather > Fishing.

Surface Pressure and Water Temperature Data

Surface-pressure information appears as pressure isobars and
pressure centers. Isobars connect points of equal pressure.
Pressure readings can help to determine weather and wind
conditions. High-pressure areas are generally associated with
fair weather. Low-pressure areas are generally associated with
clouds and the chance of precipitation. Isobars packed closely
together show a strong pressure gradient. Strong pressure
gradients are associated with areas of stronger winds.
Pressure units are shown in millibars (mb), inches of Mercury
(inHg), or hectopascals (hPa).
Colored shading indicates the surface temperature of the water,
as shown in the legend in the corner of the display.

Forecasting Fish Locations

You can show areas that contain optimal weather conditions for
specific species of fish.
NOTE: This feature is not available on all devices and in all
subscriptions.
1
From the weather Fishing chart, select Weather > Fishing >
Menu > Fish Species.
2
Select a species of fish.
28
Wind Barb Wind Speed
20 knots
50 knots
65 knots
3
Select On.
4
Repeat steps 2 and 3 to show areas with optimal weather
conditions for additional species of fish.
Shaded areas indicate optimal fishing areas. If you have
selected more than one species of fish, you can select a
shaded area to view the fish species that are included in the
shaded area.

Changing the Sea Surface Temperature Color Range

You can change the color range dynamically to view higher
resolution sea surface temperature readings.
1 From the weather Fishing chart, select Menu > Sea
Temperature.
2
Select an option:
• To allow the chartplotter to adjust the temperature range
automatically, select Auto Configure.
The chartplotter automatically finds the lower and upper
limits for the current screen, and updates the
temperature-color scale.
• To enter the lower and upper limits for the temperature
range, select Lower Limit or Upper Limit, and enter the
lower or upper limit.

Visibility Information

Visibility is the forecast maximum horizontal distance that can
be seen at the surface, as shown in the legend on the left of the
screen. Variations in the visibility shading show the forecast
change in surface visibility.
NOTE: This feature is not available on all devices and in all
subscriptions.
Select Weather > Visibility.
Viewing Forecast Visibility Information for Another
Time Period
1
Select Weather > Visibility.
2
Select an option:
• To view the visibility forecast for the next 12 hours, select
Next Forecast or , and to view forecasts, up to 36 hours,
in 12-hour increments, select Next Forecast or again.
• To view the visibility forecast for the previous 12 hours,
select Previous Forecast or , and to view previous
forecasts, up to 36 hours ago, in 12-hour increments,
select Previous Forecast or again.

Viewing Buoy Reports

Report readings are taken from buoys and coastal observation
stations. These readings are used to determine air temperature,
dew point, water temperature, tide, wave height and period,
wind direction and speed, visibility, and barometric pressure.
1
From a weather chart, select .
2
Select Review > Buoy.
Review does not appear if the cursor is not near an object. If
the cursor is near only one object, the name of the buoy
appears.

Viewing Local Weather Information near a Buoy

You can select an area near a buoy to view forecast
information.
1 From a weather chart, select a location on the chart.
2
Select Local Weather.
3
Select an option:
• To view present weather conditions from a local weather
service, select Current Conditions.
• To view a local weather forecast, select Forecast.
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