The Viz App makes it as simple as possible to report the most important conditions. First, choose a dive-site from an extensive list of locations in each region. Every other field from this point on is completely optional!
Next, punch in the range in water visibility. Now, choose from a preset scale for surge, temperature, particulate, and overall recommendation. Nothing has to be too exact - everyone just want's to know if it's worth it to get in or not!
If you enjoy logging your adventures, then consider adding even more details! You can mention the exact temperature if you have a watch (or very keen skin). Tag any critters you saw, upload you best photos, and write down any useful notes from the day.
Here's where things get interesting... Because everyone is using the same format to enter their reports, it's possible to group them together and average the conditions for each dive site.
The current water visibility, temperature, surge, particulate, and overall recommendation is shown for each dive site.
Additionally, a handy table shows the 3-day trend in these conditions. Unless there is a massive storm that has came through, the conditions tend to change slowly for each dive site. Seeing the past few days gives you a good idea about what to expect tomorrow!
If you want to see even more details, you can visit the page for the dive site and see all the individual logs that have been written there. This is a great way to see recent photos, and any key notes that fellow divers made.
Beyond the 3-day trend, you can also the typical conditions for each dive site. These are based on the all-time average of conditions reported at the dive site.
This can be handy if you're travelling and visiting a dive site for the first time. It gives you a good idea of what you might expect!
Beyond that, I find it interesting looking at which of my local dive sites tend to have better viz, surge, etc.
There's plenty more features to add for these handy dive site views! In the future, the latest/most liked photos might be highlighted. Additionally, there might be an aggregation of which critters you're most likely to spot.
I've also gotten suggestions to add some "wiki" features. Top contributors and locals might be able to add more information about dive site entrances, safety, parking, etc. one day.
There's always something interesting to work on in the Viz App - don't be afraid to let me know your thoughts and ideas!
- Chris
