Every diver can make a difference and contribute to the knowledge of the marine world.
Citizen Science’, a discipline in which citizens monitor and report on unusual phenomena, is developing more and more worldwide and in various fields.
Divers are particularly active in these activities and make a huge contribution to collecting data on different aspects of the marine environment;
There are a number of monitoring protocols designed specifically for recreational divers. These protocols should be simple, scientifically correct and possibly fun so that each leisure dive becomes a small part of our knowledge of the marine environment.
The importance of citizen science not only increases the amount of data collected, but also informs and makes divers aware of their surroundings, making them sentinels of the sea.
Divers can choose between different programmes and platforms dedicated to citizen science, some of which are more “generic” and others more specific to particular topics, such as climate change.
The collection of data by recreational divers only becomes important when they are shared with researchers, and there are a number of dedicated portals for this, such as @observador del mar and @reefcheck.