This is Orca
Easy. Powerful. Modern.
Orca is navigation for the modern boater. A navigation system that delivers the best experience of modern apps and traditional chartplotters.
Spring is here and for most boaters, it brings the familiar Spring activities: getting the boat ready, looking ahead to days on the water and planning the first trips of the season. It is also the time of year for making upgrades.
For Orca boaters in particular, upgrades and improvements come regularly. If you have been boating with Orca for a while, you know how much the navigation system has grown and improved over the past seasons.
As preparations for the new season, Orca has received big improvements to its planning and navigation experience in the past weeks. Read on to learn what is new and how to get the most out of these upgrades.
A new Aim Line
The Aim Line in Orca shows you where you are going in the chart. It is a simple yet remarkably important tool that makes navigation a lot easier.
Historically, Orca would let you choose whether the Aim Line should align with your Course Over Ground or your Boat Heading. For most boaters, Course Over Ground is the best option as it shows you where you are going.
But in places with strong currents, you really want to understand how the currents affect your boat. A great way to do so is to visualize your crab angle, which is the difference between where your bow is pointing and where your boat is going.
With the latest update, Orca now lets you view both Boat Heading and Course Over Ground at the same time.
The grey Aim Line represents Boat Heading, and the black Aim Line represents Course Over Ground.
To turn it on, go to Main Menu > Settings > Chart > Aim Line and select Both. Because this mode depends on an accurate GPS and a compass that is aligned with your boat’s heading, you will need an Orca Core to use this functionality.
A streamlined routing experience
Orca’s routing experience makes planning trips and exploring alternatives effortless. As Orca’s routing system has grown more capable with more functionality and options over the years, the routing interface has become more complex than it should be.
To reduce complexity and create a better foundation for upcoming functionality, Orca’s route preview has received a complete makeover.
Plan your trips……. with the modern and easy-to-use Orca App.
Connect to your boat…… with Orca Core to unlock chartplotter-level instruments and boat control with your Orca App.
Go on adventures……. with Orca Display, an ultra bright screen built for demanding marine conditions.
Orca is where you need it…….. on your phone, tablet, watch, and laptop – always ready for your next adventure.
Display 2
The ultimate navigation display. Made for demanding conditions.
Core 2
Advanced boat integration. Pinpoint accuracy. Total control.
Over the past 15 years, tablets and phones have changed how we navigate at sea. About 70 % of boaters who own a chartplotter also rely on a mobile device. Why? They are easy to use onboard and fantastic for planning routes at home.
But once on the water, mobile apps do not connect to your boat’s sensors. Because of this, you need to split your attention between the easy‑to‑use mobile device and the more capable, but often clunky, traditional chart plotter at the helm.
Orca Core bridges that gap.
The Core turns your phone and tablet into a fully‑featured chartplotter, so you can enjoy both simplicity and deep boat integration from your table and phone. Read on to discover the five chartplotter features that Orca Core owners enjoy the most.