HOW WE BUILD REEFRADAR
Our research
ReefRadar is built by diving enthusiasts who wanted a useful map—not a promise of what you will see on a given day. Here is where destination stories, species checklists, and reference material come from.
Destinations first
Each pin is a curated dive destination: depth guide, season notes, and a short “why go” summary. We start with operator guides, park pages, and reputable dive-school write-ups, then link those sources on the destination panel so you can read the original context.
Regional species checklists
Most marine destinations include a checklist built from OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System) occurrence data. For each pin we query a roughly 20 × 20 km box centred on the location, using all available record dates in the database.
That gives you a research-grounded sense of what lives in the wider area—not a guaranteed inventory for one mooring on one morning. Record counts reflect survey effort as much as abundance; we show them as context, not as “you will see this.”
Guide species vs regional records
When a species is highlighted in a destination guide, we label it separately from historical OBIS records nearby. Guide lines mean “commonly talked about for this trip type”; regional records mean “documented in the surrounding research area.” Both support planning and learning—they are not sighting probabilities.
Marine Atlas & species profiles
The atlas connects every catalogued species to matching destinations. Profile text comes from attributed reference sources (for example FishBase and other open biodiversity databases). Reference photos are licensed images—often from Wikimedia Commons—with author, licence, and link shown on the profile.
Photos may have been taken at a different site or country; captions and credits make that clear where we know it.
Freshwater & special cases
A few destinations (such as Silfra in Iceland) use freshwater or park-specific species lists instead of OBIS marine grids. Those pins follow the same rule: cite the official or operator source, separate guide notes from broader records, and avoid implying a full census of the exact dive site.
What to expect underwater
Conditions, currents, operators, and wildlife behaviour change day to day. Use ReefRadar to discover and prepare; always confirm locally with a qualified dive operator who knows the site. Observe wildlife without touching, chasing, feeding, or harassing it.
Sources & attribution
Destination panels list research sources and retrieval dates where applicable. Species profiles show reference links and image credits. Map tiles and style licences are documented on our map & style credits page.
- OBIS — Ocean Biodiversity Information System
- OpenStreetMap contributors (basemap data)
- OpenFreeMap (vector tiles)
- ReefRadar map & style credits
Research for the current catalogue was refreshed in October 2026. If you spot an error or a missing source, we want to fix it—start from the destination or species profile and follow the cited links.