Dive computer data to map oceans

Oceanographers plan to use data from millions of individual dive computers to build up a picture of the seas.

Derya Akkaynak is a PhD student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, currently working on an oceanography thesis. This project is a joint venture with the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI.)

1,000s of dives… why not make use of this information?

The idea behind it is very simple. Every day across the globe, thousands of divers complete thousands of dives, almost all of which are logged on the trusty dive computer.

And most modern wrist and console models can be connected to a desktop PC, for subsequent downloading of data into an electronic log.

So why not make use of all this information to build up a big picture of the oceans?

If you’re unconvinced, think about this. One particular spot in Kona, Hawaii is visited by around 12,000 divers each year – and their computers will be recording air and sea temperatures. Calibrating for different manufacturer models, that’s an awful lot of information that the research team can make great use of.

If you want to take part, simply export your dive log data into a file. Alternatively, make a note of the date and local time of your dive, the location, surface and bottom temperatures, max depth, and your computer make and model.

Then send it to divers4oceanography@gmail.com, and enjoy knowing that the little dive computer you regularly chuck to the back of a drawer has helped to crunch numbers at a global level.