Ocean Spotter

Ocean Spotter is a free citizen-science platform that turns divers, snorkellers and other ocean-goers into a global network documenting marine biodiversity. Members log what they see underwater — species, location, time, photo or video — into one open dataset for science and conservation.

The core of it is confirmed observations. When two buddies dive together, one scans the other’s QR code after the dive and the sighting lands in both logbooks — so it enters the dataset confirmed by two people, not as a single unverified claim. The community can confirm, add to and discuss each sighting too, until it becomes a reliable data point. Crowdsourced this way, thousands of verified observations add up to an open dataset no single research project could assemble alone.

The data is openly reusable for research and conservation: catching climate-driven shifts in species early, strengthening the case for new marine protected areas, and making coral-restoration and eco-tourism efforts visible. Ocean Spotter is deliberately ad-free — no third-party ads, no trackers, no data selling.