California Dive Map - What do you think?

[malinandmizen]

Hey there,

I've created a Dive Map of California and I would love to get your feedback / input if you dive in the area.

If you have thoughts on how it could be improved / what's good / bad about it - it would be much appreciated!

Map attached below - but it is low resolution due to the upload size limit on the forum. A larger sized image where spot labels can be read is viewable at this google drive link (click the square button at the top right to go to link):
(Nothing for sale, only feedback/input wanted)

Many thanks!
Bill

View attachment 722911

 

[lexvil]

Maybe color code the line running from the name to the site so it’s easier to follow?

 

[Akimbo]

Are you planning to market this as a hardcopy only or are you thinking of some digital format? A digital format might be interesting if the sites were hyperlinks to pages with descriptions and images.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Among the advantages of using Google Maps are pinpointing the exact location of a reef/wreck and having clickable links to photos and videos for them.

Dive Sites – Google My Maps

Dive Sites

www.google.com

 

[drrich2]

Something not specific to California that I sometimes look for online are GPS coordinates, such as when logging dives in MacDive on my computer at home. They needn't be on the main map, but a list of your mapped dive sites with GPS coordinates might be nice, if such doesn't already exist elsewhere. When searching online, I've found sites that had some I was looking for...but hardly ever all I was looking for.

 

[GJC]

What was your source for the site info?

Avalon Bay is not a dive site. It's a harbor with a lot of boat traffic. Diving is only allowed 1 day a year for an organized trash clean up.

Your Wreck of the Valiant GPS location is way off.

I didn't check anything else after seeing these 2 errors.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

 

[geoff w]

Among the advantages of using Google Maps are pinpointing the exact location of a reef/wreck and having clickable links to photos and videos for them.

Dive Sites – Google My Maps

Dive Sites

www.google.com

^^^ Yeah, do exactly what he said

With Google Maps, create a list of dive sites. Everyone can access, zoom in to see detail, get satellite and terrain overlays, and use in their car to navigate to the location. The ergonomics of your map, besides not being able to directly access the attachment, isn't up to the standard everyone expects today. The utility of your map is pretty limited.

If you're trying to sell this as a product, you should realize you're competing with several excellent dive guides that cover So Cal shore diving, Channel Islands, Northern Cal shore diving, and Monterey shore diving. Plus all the Frankos maps out there, which are generally excellent as well

 

[Akimbo]

Here is a tutorial on importing into Google My Maps:

​

You can import a spreadsheet that has a column for the description and an address OR Latitude-Longitude — which would be useful for offshore dive sites.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

If you want more information of Northern Cal sites in Sonoma and Mendocino counties and one very extreme site in Humbolt county, I can help. There was a period of time when I did a lot of offshore exploration and marked dozens of fantastic dive spots diving off my boat. I have also dived some interesting places that people would never suspect are even divable much less any good.
I like what I see so far.