DiveHive for diversCitizen science
Your dives can add to what we know about the ocean.
Divers see what nobody else records: which animals live where, in which months, and what the water was really like. If you choose, DiveHive turns that into anonymous, open data. Here is how it works, and how to say no.
What a dive can add.
Only what is already written in a dive log. Four kinds of fact.
Which species were seen at which site, on which dive.
Visibility, water temperature, current and surface conditions, each tied to the tide and the time of day at entry.
Depth, entry and exit, used to check that a figure is plausible.
On dives where the conservation log is switched on: coral health, threats such as crown-of-thorns, protected species and debris.
Four promises about your data
In plain words.
- Consent first. Sharing for research is off until you switch it on, one programme at a time.
- Anonymous totals only. Public pages and research data show figures from many dives together, never a name, a person or a single dive.
- Sensitive species protected. For the most vulnerable species, public maps show only the wider area, and only after a delay.
- Sources credited. Every species page names where its facts and photos come from.
Consent first
You choose what leaves your logbook.
Logging a dive is between you and your guide. Sharing it with science is a separate choice, put in plain words.
- Research sharing starts off. You opt in once for each research programme, and you can see what it asks for before you agree.
- Private mode comes first. If you only want to log, one switch keeps your profile and your dive cards to yourself.
- A switch for each kind. Anonymous site figures and research sharing have their own switches, so you can say yes to one and no to the other.
What it powers
Sightings, seasons and sites, from real dives.
When enough dives agree, the figures appear where you plan your trips.
- Sightings on site pages. A dive site shows which species were seen there lately, taken from guides’ logs.
- Species ranges and months. A species page adds the months divers meet the animal and the sites where it was seen, next to records from OBIS and GBIF.
- Site intelligence. Typical visibility, water temperature and current by month, and the best tide for entry, once a site has enough reports.
- A better visibility band. Ocean forecasts are checked against what divers logged at the site, and say so when there are no recent reports.
Open the species guideSee ocean conditionsMore about species and ocean data
Where it goes
Into open research data, through the impact site.
Anonymous results are shared for research and conservation, with credit, and for nothing else.
- Open, with credit. Combined results are released for research under an open licence, and the sources are named.
- Research use only. Exports are made for research and carry no personal or shop data.
- Programmes you join yourself. Research groups run programmes on DiveHive and you opt in to each one. No group is named here until an agreement is signed.
Changing your mind takes a minute.
You can say no at the start, and change it whenever you like.
- Open your privacy settings
In the app, go to Me, then Privacy.
- Choose what you share
Switch research sharing off for a programme, or turn off the anonymous site figures.
- Or keep it all private
Private mode keeps your profile and your dive cards to yourself.
- Or leave altogether
You can delete your account at any time. The Trust and privacy page explains what that removes.
Questions about citizen science
More answers are in the FAQ.
What exactly is collected?
Facts already in your dive logs: sightings, visibility, water temperature, current and dive facts, tied to a site, a month and the tide. Reef observations are added only on dives where you switch the conservation log on.
Do I have to take part?
No. Research sharing is off until you switch it on, and the anonymous site figures have their own switch. Private mode keeps your profile and dive cards to yourself.
Can anyone see which dives are mine?
No. Public pages show figures from many dives together. They never show who logged a dive or which shop it came from, and a figure appears only when enough dives support it.
Who receives the data?
Research and conservation groups that run a programme on DiveHive, as anonymous data for research only. You opt in to each programme. We name no group until an agreement is signed.
Is the data open?
Combined results are shared for research under an open licence, with their sources credited. Exports carry no personal data. The impact site explains how the research works.