divegenie frequently asked questions (FAQ)

All of the data displayed on divegenie.com are model estimates (predicted values for the specified date). Please read the help information available carefully, including our terms and conditions, before interpreting these forecasts. We can't be held responsible for decisions you make based on the information available on divegenie.

1. What does divegenie mean by visibility ?
2. What does divegenie mean by plankton concentrations ?
3. What does divegenie mean by water temperature ?
4. What are the divegenie visibility ratings ?
5. What is Google Earth and why would I want to use it ?
6. What do the podscrolls provide and how do I use them ?
7. My local dive site is not monitored, can you add it in ?
8. How often are the conditions updated ?
9. Why is the whole vis map purple ?
10. Why are there large areas of black in the vis map ?
11. Why is the whole plankton map yellow ?
12. What are the weather forecast links ?

1. What does divegenie mean by visibility ? The visibility (in metres) is a model estimate of how far you will be able to see through the water (these are predicted values for the specified date). Or put another way, an estimate of how far away your buddy could be before you lose sight of them. If the region includes areas of shallow water (e.g. reef) then the visibility estimate is likely to reflect this. For instance, if the maximum depth of the water is 2 m, then the visibility map will show a maximum visibility of 2 m (beacuse you can see to the bottom).

2. What does divegenie mean by plankton concentrations ? These are the model estimated concentrations of the plankton (in mg m-3) that you may find in the water (these are predicted values for the specified date). The estimated concentrations can vary between 0.001 mg m-3 up to about 60 mg m-3. This information may be of particular use if you are interested in plankton feeding species. It is also another indicator of the clarity of the water.

3. What does divegenie mean by water temperature ? This is the model estimated temperature (in °C) of the water at the surface (these are predicted values for the specified date).

4. What are the divegenie ratings ? These ratings allow the conditions at different dive sites to be easily compared. The more coloured fish a site has, the better the visibility conditions are expected to be. The more grey fish there are, the lower the visibility will be. In addition, blue fish represent sites with a water temperature of less than 16 °C whereas, red fish represent sites with a water temperature which is greater than 16 °C. So, ideally you want loads of red fish (e.g. high visibility and warm water!)

5. What is Google Earth and why would I want to use it ? Google Earth is a free piece of softare developed by the company behind the google search engine. Apart from allowing you to look at a picture of your house and allowing you to see into your neighbour's garden, it also allows you to overlay the visibility and temperature maps. This means that after installing GoogleEarth onto your computer, you can click on the 'display in google earth' link on the region pages and it will load the image into Google Earth. This will enable you to view the predicted conditions (visibility or temperature) at any location within the region, zoom in and out, and allows you to determine the predicted conditions at a particular latitude and longitude - ideal!.

6. What do the podscrolls provide and how do I use them ? There is one podscroll per region, and each podscroll provides all of the region maps (visibility and water temperature estimates). The podscrolls are updated everyday at the same time as the website pages. This means that you can have a copy of the divegenie maps on your own image enabled devices (e.g. your mobile phone, laptop, PDA or iPOD). They are provided in both PC and Apple MAC formats. The podscroll is essentially a compressed zip file containing all of the divegenie maps (in both PC and Apple MAC formats). Simply download the file, uncompress it and then sync or copy the files onto your chosen image enabled device. The file can be uncompressed using any un-zip utility (many are available free of charge, try searching on Google). Synchronising the files varies depending on your chosen image enabled device. For example, if you are using a PC enabled video iPOD then: i) uncompress the podscroll; ii) move the divegenie directory (it's name begins with 'DG_') into your 'My pictures' folder; iii) launch iTUNES making sure that your photos are synchronised with your 'My pictures' folder. The podscroll will now appear under the 'Photos' heading on your iPOD main menu.

7. My local dive site is not monitored, can you add it in ? Yes, if your local site isn't currently included, then complete the site submission form and we'll try and add it in.

8. How often are the predicted conditions updated ? The divegenie website is updated every 24 hours with the most recent output from the divegenie models.

9. Why is the whole vis map purple ? If the whole vis map is purple (the lowest value on the scale), then no data are currently available for this region. Some of the model inputs are satellite data, and long periods of clouds mean that the satellite cannot see the ocean, resulting in no estimates. Please check back in 24 hours for the next update.

10. Why are there large areas of black in the vis or plankton maps ? If there are large areas of black apparent in the visiblity or plankton maps, then these are missing data and are likely to degrade the estimates for the whole region. Some of the model inputs are satellite data, and long periods of clouds mean that the satellite cannot see the ocean, resulting in no data. Please check back in 24 hours for the next update.

11. Why is the whole plankton map yellow ? If the whole plankton map is yellow (the lowest value on the scale), then no data are currently available for this region. Some of the model inputs are satellite data, and long periods of clouds mean that the satellite cannot see the ocean, resulting in no estimates. Please check back in 24 hours for the next update.

12. What are the weather forecast links ? The weather forecast links are provided for each region. They link to a third-party weather forecast website (normally wind guru). The link will provide you with a 3 day weather forecast (wind, swell, rain and air temperature) for one location (town or beach) within the divegenie region that you are viewing. These weather forecast links are region specific (not dive site specific) and should provide an overview of the weather conditions within the region.

Website usage terms and conditions

    2. Acceptance of terms

    By using this web server the user acknowledges that he/she is bound by terms and conditions stated herein. divegenie reserves the right to change these terms and conditions at any time.

    3. Copyright

    Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all content (including images and maps) of divegenie.com is copyrighted. All information on this server can only be used for your own personal use. Reproduction, republishing, reformatting or any other use of this information without prior agreement is strictly prohibited.

    4. Disclaimer of warranties

    4.1 Environmental conditions are notoriously difficult to predict. divegenie gives no guarantee that the information on this website is correct, timely, accurate, reliable or error-free. All of the information is provided without warranty of any kind.

    4.2 divegenie is not responsible for any direct or indirect damage resulting from usage of this website. divegenie cannot be held responsible for any decisions you make based on this information. Using this website and all available information is done at the user's own discretion and risk. divegenie cannot be held responsible for any outcomes directly, or indirectly linked to those decisions.

    4.3 The divegenie visibility gradings are meant as a guide only and should not alone be used to make a decision as to whether it is safe to enter the sea/body of water.

    4.4 divgenie is not responsible for any action you take by interpreting data presented on this website.

    4.5 All of the data displayed on divegenie.com are estimates generated from numerical models. divegenie cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of any content or material found herein.

    5. Privacy policy

    5.1 We will not publish or provide to a third party any data about individual users of divegenie.

    5.2 divgenie is allowed to collect and process information related to website usage of various services and content. Aggregate statistical information about website usage can be made public or provided to advertisers.

    5.3 divegenie can use cookies or other identification methods to identify users for the purpose of navigation through the divegenie website.