Free dive-logging app launches on iOS and Android; divers’ species sightings will flow to marine research organisations as structured biodiversity data.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Free dive-logging app launches on iOS and Android; divers’ species sightings will flow to marine research organisations as structured biodiversity data.
Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 6 August 2026. Recreational divers make millions of dives every year and collectively see more of the ocean than any research fleet. Almost none of what they observe is ever used. DIVR, a free dive-logging app launching today, was built to change that: every logged dive becomes a structured data point for marine research.
Divers use DIVR to log a dive in under 30 seconds, share photos with their buddies, and record the species they encounter. Under the hood, each sighting is validated against the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) and structured in Darwin Core, the international standard for biodiversity data. DIVR’s pipeline is built and has been reviewed by the EMODnet Biology team at VLIZ. Once divers begin logging, those observations are expected to be published in EMODnet Biology and also flow to OBIS and GBIF. DIVR also works with Coral.org.
At launch the platform covers more than 4,500 marine species and 5,600 dive sites worldwide. The app is free for divers.
“Every diver has a drawer full of observations no scientist will ever read. Divers notice first what is changing under water. DIVR makes sure those observations count.”
Joep Weterman, founder of DIVR
Weterman, a scuba instructor and econometrics master’s student, built the entire platform himself: the iOS and Android apps, the web platform and the research data pipeline.
About DIVR
DIVR is a Dutch data company that turns recreational diving into research-grade ocean data. Divers log dives, photos and species sightings in a free app; DIVR validates and structures those observations for delivery to marine research organisations. DIVR was founded by Joep Weterman and launched in August 2026. More at divr-connect.com.
Press contact
Joep Weterman, founder joep@divr-connect.com
Press kit and imagery: divr-connect.com/press
