Where do vessel positions come from?
Orca displays vessels from the following sources:
1. Local AIS receiver connected to an Orca Core
If your Orca Core is connected to an onboard AIS receiver (USB, NMEA, etc.), Orca will display all AIS targets within your receiver’s real-world radio range.
This is always the highest-priority and most accurate data source.
When both online and onboard AIS sources are available, Orca will only show data coming from the onboard AIS receiver within the receiver's range.
Outside your AIS range, MarineTraffic and Orca Community data fill the gaps.
2. MarineTraffic - Internet AIS
When your phone, tablet, or Orca Display has an internet connection, you will see AIS targets provided by MarineTraffic.
You will see MarineTraffic vessels even if your own boat does not have AIS hardware.
To appear on MarineTraffic yourself, you must have a real AIS transponder or use the MarineTraffic mobile app that “simulates” AIS.
3. Orca Community Position Sharing - Orca Core owners
Orca Core devices also participate in a private, internal network that allows Orca Core owners to share their position.
How it works
When the Orca app is connected to an Orca Core and the internet, it uploads your boat’s position to Orca’s cloud.
Your position is then visible to all other Orca users in their chart.
The position always comes from the Core’s GPS, not the phone’s GPS.
This prevents boats from appearing on land.
Visibility rules
Any Orca user (Core or App-only) can see boats shared through this network.
Only Core owners can broadcast their position into the network.
If you do not have a Core, you will see the vessels, but you will not be shown to others.
Hiding my location
As a Core owner, you can choose whether your boat’s position is shared with the Orca Community.
My Boat → Traffic → Share my position with Orca Community members
Turn on to participate in the shared network.
Turn off to not share your location through Orca Community Position Sharing.
By toggling 'Hide own AIS' you hide your own MMSI in the app meaning you will not see your own boat as an AIS target. This does not affect whether other users are able to see you.
If your vessel has a real AIS transponder, Orca normally detects this and hides your own AIS target automatically. You can also configure this manually:
My Boat → Traffic → Hide own AIS
Enter your MMSI to prevent your own boat appearing as an AIS target.
Only one MMSI can be entered, so this function is intended for hiding your vessel only.
Source identification
When selecting a vessel in the chart, Orca shows the source:
Local Receiver → data from your onboard AIS hardware
Internet → MarineTraffic
Orca Boat → vessel sharing its position via the Orca Core
All vessels appear with normal AIS-style symbols; only the source line differs when you click on the vessel.
What do the different vessel symbols mean?
Other vessels are shown with symbols depending on the type of vessel. The symbols are as follows:
Symbols have different colors depending on their type and status:
Most vessels are shown in blue
When Orca has not received a position update from a vessel within an expected time, the vessel will be shown in grey.
SAR vessels and aircraft are shown in red
Pilot vessels are shown in black
Law enforcement is shown in yellow
How do I find more information about a vessel?
When clicking on a vessel, you'll be able to view detailed information about the vessel, including an image of it. This makes it easy to correlate what you see around you with what you see in the chart.
Orca will also show you the Closest Point of Approach (CPA) and Time to Closest Point of Approach (TCPA) when you click on a vessel.
The CPA is also shown in the chart as a circle, following an extension line from your boat and the target vessel.
Some of the functionality above requires an active Orca Subscription.
How do I turn off showing other AIS vessels in the app?
To turn on or off showing other vessels in the chart, open the Control Center by pressing the button on the top right corner of the chart and then press AIS.
