Global Dive Site Directory

[Zalan Meggyesi]

The Background
Today, I had to do my last two dives for my NAUI Master and Nitrox certifications (passed both ), but with the Okinawa rainy season kicking down the door, we had a really hard time finding sites for each. This gave me an idea that I broached to my instructor, and now I'm floating it here, partially to gauge interest, partially to have holes punctured in it.

Elevator pitch
An app/website/webapp that allows divers to add conditions (like underwater visibility, currents, waves/surge/surf, underwater temperature, POIs, crowding, etc.) to dive sites from around the world, while pulling in weather and tidal data from specialist services. This would help others in the area look for diveable sites, as well as promote the existence of said site.

The questions
What does the greater community think? Is there something like this already working (the instructor talked about divers sharing info in local Facebook groups and word-of-mouth), is it a good idea, bad idea (and why is it good or bad)?
What features would you like to see in such a service?

 

[diversteve]

It's been done. Several times. A couple examples -
Online Logbook for Scuba Divers | Diviac Logbook
DiveBuddy.com

google it for others.

 

[Zalan Meggyesi]

It's been done. Several times in fact. A couple examples -
Online Logbook for Scuba Divers | Diviac Logbook
DiveBuddy.com

google it for others - there's quite a few.

I checked out the following already:

1. wannadive.net
2. divesitedirectory.co.uk
3. divereport.com

And these are all fairly general, nothing regarding real-time information on conditions, just what to visit and expect. If even that, because the information is very incomplete. The regional boards here are similar in that regard.

The ones you bring as examples, particularly Dive Buddy, are also dealing in average conditions, not what's at the site at the moment (a couple of bigger waves came in, for instance, and stirred up sand so visibility has gone to hell).

For a moment, let me turn the question around/sideways: do you use any of these? How do you plan your trips if you travel to dive? How do you plan where to take your students on a course (if you instruct)?

 

[Zalan Meggyesi]

If anyone is still reading this, I'd appreciate if you could fill out this form I made for more structured research of interest: https://forms.gle/aiPdeALPFYZJRGER9

Thank you in advance for any contributions!

 

[Zalan Meggyesi]

Hello again,

In a recent survey I conducted among the diving community, a strong majority emerged for using such a service, but there was much less consensus on pricing. I want to address this point with a second, more focused survey that deals with the sustainability of such an application/service.
If you'd like to contribute a second time, you can do so at the following link: https://forms.gle/r4yMjuXDLwtYurvY9

I would be honored with every response, as each bit of data will help me make a decision on whether or not this idea should be pursued. Any shares to spread the word and achieve more responses will also be appreciated - the more data, the better my picture of what to expect from the community.