A Better Way to Beach
Effie Orfanides ’06 is making waves in the tech world with an app that promises to save hours of frustration and planning for beach enthusiasts across the country.
BEACHEO, a free app available on Android and iOS, offers comprehensive details about saltwater beaches in the United States and Puerto Rico. Touting itself as “a better way to beach,” the app provides beachgoers with insights such as weather forecasts, sand conditions, parking availability, bathroom facilities, and other amenities.
“No mobile app has ever provided information like this—all in one place,” said Effie Orfanides ‘06. “The Beacheo app helps take the guesswork out of going to the beach. Whether you need to be sure a beach has a bathroom or you’re wondering whether to pack your boogie board, Beacheo is going to answer those questions for you before you even leave the house.”
The idea for Beacheo sprouted during Orfanides’ college days—when resources like cell phones, search engines, and GPS were still in their infancy. Between lectures and exams, Orfanides would try to coordinate beach trips with a cousin who was notorious for sleeping in and impromptu trips to Starbucks. By the time they would finally arrive at Orfanides’ favorite beach spot, Old Silver Beach in Falmouth, Mass., the parking lot would be at capacity.
“We would pull off to the side of the road and go, ‘Okay, we need to find a beach, but we want to make sure it has a bathroom. And we want to make sure it has food, because we didn’t pack anything to eat. And we don’t want to travel very far,’” Orfanides recalled. “It would take even more time out of our morning trying to figure out what beach to go to that would have all the amenities we were looking for.”
Living in Massachusetts, where prime beach spots filled up quickly, Orfanides envisioned a solution to streamline the beachgoing experience—a platform that consolidated essential beach information, from parking availability to restroom facilities.
It was then that Orfanides turned to her cousin and said, “It would be so cool if there was something with all of this information in one place.”
Fueled by this desire for a one-stop solution, Orfanides’ idea for Beacheo began to take shape.
But it wasn’t until years later, amidst personal and professional upheavals, that Orfanides embarked on realizing her vision. Following a turbulent period marked by a divorce, relocation to Florida, and the loss of a job and a dog, Orfanides decided it was time to breathe life into her long-dormant idea.
“I remember thinking, ‘You know what? I always wanted to do this app. It’s been in the back of my mind for years’, and I felt like now’s the time to do it,” she said. Armed with this newfound determination and a network of industry contacts from her journalism background, Orfanides made her foray into app development.
She started by enlisting the help of friends to research beaches across the country for key details like hours, parking availability, bathroom facilities, and sand conditions.
“It was a lot of time-consuming, grueling research. Hours and hours of finding information and adding it to Google Sheets. That’s how we started: just collecting information and putting it in a spreadsheet,” she said. Orfanides added that some states, like Massachusetts, were easier due to personal familiarity, but others—like California and Florida—posed significant challenges due to their sheer volume of beaches.
Beacheo officially launched in January 2022, marking the culmination of Orfanides’ tireless efforts. The app has quickly gained traction, amassing over 15,000 downloads in its first two years.
One of Beacheo’s standout features is its user-friendly interface, designed to provide seamless navigation and real-time updates. The app harnesses data from sources like the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, ensuring users have access to accurate weather forecasts and tidal information.
Today, Beacheo continues to evolve, regularly undergoing updates and spot checks to ensure accuracy and reliability for its vast database of nearly 3,000 beaches.
“I’ve learned so much over the past few years about just business in general and it’s been a crazy ride,” she said. “I want this app to be as helpful as possible, and I’m constantly thinking of ways to upgrade it and make it more useful."
In the next few years, Orfanides hopes to expand Beacheo’s reach beyond U.S. shores, encompassing global beach destinations. Phase two of the app, currently in beta testing, promises enhancements like interactive mapping and a feature to bookmark favorite beaches.
Above all, Orfanides said she hopes Beacheo transforms the way people plan their beach outings.
“There’s truly nothing like hearing positive feedback from people who see that this app is a necessity in today’s day and age, but I also love the constructive feedback, too. I’ve gotten so many personal messages that have been so touching and make it all worth it. It’s been super rewarding,” she said. “If I can make your life a little bit easier, then that’s what I want to do.”