Species Sightings
Search and tag marine species from a database of 4,558 WoRMS-verified species, each linked to the global taxonomic backbone. Build a living record of what lives at every dive site.
Every Dive Counts for Citizen Science
Every recreational diver is already observing the ocean. DIVR turns those observations into valuable scientific data. No extra effort, no separate apps, no training required.
83%
of divers want to help with ocean conservation but struggle to find ways to do so
Reef-World / PADI Sustainability Survey, 2022
85%
of divers agree marine citizen science benefits society, environment, and science
Lucrezi et al., PLOS ONE, 2018
17%
of divers have actually participated in citizen science. Massive untapped potential
Lucrezi et al., PLOS ONE, 2018
DIVR bridges that gap.
What Your Dives Contribute
Coral Health Assessments
Rate reef health on a simple five-step scale during every dive. Track changes over time and help identify reefs in decline.
Environmental Conditions
Log water temperature, visibility, and current strength. These data points help researchers monitor ocean conditions at scale.
Passive Data Collection
All of this happens inside your normal dive log. Zero extra effort, zero separate apps. Just log your dive as usual.
See It In Action
Citizen science is built right into your dive log. No separate forms, no extra steps. Just dive, log, and contribute.
- Search and tag species from 4,558 WoRMS-verified marine species
- One-tap coral health rating on a five-step scale
- Environmental conditions captured automatically with every log
How We Make Sure the Data Is Reliable
Scientists need to trust the data before they can use it. That's why every observation on DIVR passes through a multi-stage quality pipeline before it reaches research databases.
01
Plausibility Check
Was this species reported at a depth and location where it actually lives? We cross-check every sighting against known species ranges from scientific databases.
02
Independent Confirmation
When multiple divers independently report the same species at the same site around the same time, that's strong evidence. We cluster observations to find these natural confirmations.
03
Confidence Scoring
Each observation carries a confidence score rather than a silent pass or fail. Photo-based cross-checks join this stage as the models below come online.
04
Diver Track Record
Over time, we learn how reliable each diver's identifications are. An experienced diver's report carries more weight, earned through consistent, accurate observations.
05
Bias Correction
Divers tend to visit popular, accessible sites. We statistically adjust for this so that species counts reflect actual biodiversity, not just where people dive most.
The result: every observation gets a quality score that researchers can use to set their own standards for what to include.
The Models We're Building
Two computer vision models are the main thing DIVR is building over the next year. Both exist for the same reason: to make what a diver sees measurable instead of anecdotal. Both need real dives to get there, which is why the pilots matter more than the code.
Reef Vision
Reads coral cover and bleaching straight from the scenery photos divers already take, as percentages rather than impressions. The hard part is not reading the photo, it is proving the reading is right, so every result is calibrated against the coral health ratings divers give by hand.
Where it stands: early. A coral score a park manager should act on is quarters away, not weeks. Pilot dives with marine parks this autumn produce the paired photos and ratings that shorten it.
Assisted Fish Identification
Suggests candidate species from a dive photo and checks them against the same WoRMS-backed catalog the app already uses, so a diver picks from a shortlist instead of scrolling thousands of names.
Where it stands: in development. Species logging works today by search, without any model. Identification support is an assist on top of the diver's judgement, never a replacement for it.
Our Citizen Science Roadmap
Phase 1
Live Now- Species sightings from 4,558 WoRMS-verified species
- Coral health assessments on a five-step scale
- Environmental data: temperature, visibility, current
- 5,659 dive sites with GPS coordinates
- Darwin Core Archive export, built to OBIS and EMODnet standards
Phase 2
In Progress- 5-stage data quality pipeline (plausibility screening, cross-diver verification, effort and bias correction)
- GDPR-compliant anonymization, your data contributes to science without exposing your identity
- Trip grouping, so a partner expedition comes back as a single dataset
- Data sharing live with EMODnet Biology, EurOBIS, OBIS, and GBIF
Phase 3
Coming Soon- Reef Vision: coral cover and bleaching measured from scenery photos
- Assisted fish identification from dive photos
- Marine life heatmaps per dive site
- Open data API for marine scientists
- Verified contributor badges and recognition
Where Your Data Goes
DIVR's export pipeline is built and has been reviewed by the EMODnet Biology team at VLIZ. Once divers begin logging, those anonymized observations are expected to be published in EMODnet Biology and also flow to OBIS and GBIF, the databases scientists around the world rely on. Your dives help fill gaps in our understanding of ocean health.
EMODnet Biology
European Marine Observation and Data Network, the EU's open marine data platform
EurOBIS → OBIS
Ocean Biodiversity Information System, the global hub for marine species data
GBIF
Global Biodiversity Information Facility, over 2 billion occurrence records worldwide
Your Privacy
All data is fully anonymized before sharing. Your identity is never included
Before any data is shared, it passes through our 5-stage quality pipeline and is fully anonymized. Read more in our Terms of Service.