New iPhone App helps scuba divers share their travels through the underwater world.

Available now in the App Store, the Diveplanit App allows divers to log dives quickly and easily, and share their experiences on the Diveplanit social network, as well as Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

The team at Diveplanit has been working hard for just over a year now, inspiring readers to explore the underwater world with their dive travel website Diveplanit.com.

The newly launched App gives divers everywhere the tools to do the same – share their underwater world with friends, followers and dive buddies, and makes it easy to log the details of each new dive with a few taps.

You can include up to 10 images per dive, and share in Diveplanit's Scubafeed, as well as Facebook, Twitter and/or Google+.

The App has a built-in directory of dive sites and dive resorts as well as a fish identification guide making it easy to tag as much (or as little) information about each dive as you like.

“If you just want to share an awesome photo, you can do that too,” says Simon Mallender, who first envisioned the concept.

“Buddies can follow you, to see where you've been diving, and you can follow them. It's the perfect social media platform for divers, and it has Dive Sites, Dive Centres and Fish ID built-in.”

Importantly, users are able to tag Dive Centres and Dive Sites in each dive log or post.

This means that when they share a dive log or post with their friends or followers – on Facebook, Twitter or Google+, they are also promoting the dive resort or dive centre they are diving with.

“This is a great marketing tool for dive centre and dive resorts. It gives them the ability to promote their business using their guests social media networks,” says co-founder Deborah Dickson-Smith.

With built-in directories of dive centres, dive sites, dive buddies and fish ID, you can also use the App to search for new places to dive, new friends to dive with – or to identify the fish you just saw on your last dive.

Importantly, if a dive centre is tagged in a user's dive log or post, it will also appear under that centre's directory listing. So when you are searching for dive centres, this feature gives you a better understanding of what you might see if you choose to dive with them.

“The more posts you have on your profile listing the better. It makes it much easier for people to choose where they want to dive, and who they want to dive with, when using the App's search function,” explains Simon.

“For example, if more guests have tagged your dive resort than a neighbouring resort, potential guests are more likely to choose you when they are booking a diving holiday. It gives them a better idea of what to expect.”

The App also maps your dives, creating a world map with a growing number of pins – one for each dive you have logged – allowing you to easily review your dives without having to scroll through a long list. Simply click on the map and it will take you straight to that dive log.

“We hope that people use the App to share their love of the underwater world with their friends, and in the process inspire more people to jump in the ocean and start exploring. Our ultimate goal is to create more ocean advocates.”

Please download and have a play:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/diveplanit/id1002262830?ls=1&mt=8

Key points:

• Enables scuba divers to log a dive and see it on a map
• Post your dive log straight to your social media platform of choice
• The built-in Fish ID helps you accurately identify the critters you see during your dive.
• Enables dive centres to promote their business through their guests' social media networks.

About Diveplanit

We think the world needs more ocean ambassadors. It's our mission is to build a greater understanding, Appreciation and advocacy for our oceans.

In short, we'd like to get more people underwater. We want to get more people diving and ensure newly qualified divers become lifelong divers with a greater Appreciation of life beneath the waves. We'd like to create a global community of divers sharing their experiences, so we're creating a dive travel guide to help you do just that.

We will do this by providing rich media content on diving destinations, the operators that serve them, and all the information you need on how to travel to those destinations, where to stay, where to eat – even what to do on your no-dive days.

As the site grows we plan to offer additional capabilities including comments and reviews, the ability to organise and promote group trips, and other promotions. Right now we're getting the conversation started via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, so join us there, subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter, or comment on our Blog.

www.Diveplanit.com

 

Deborah Dickson-Smith

Mother, travel blogger, social media diva, scuba girl and passionate eco-warrior.

Deb's relatively new to diving, having managed (finally) to get her PADI Open Water certification four years ago, but in that time has logged over 200 dives locally, around Australia and overseas. Her favourite dive site so far is Perpendicular Wall on Christmas Island.

Deb has over 25 years experience in the world of publishing, working on titles such as Australian Geographic, DMAG, Out & About With Kids and Cruise Passenger.

Simon Mallender

Diver, videographer, writer, corporate escapee and equally passionate eco-warrior.

Simon has been diving for over 30 years, qualifying with BSAC in the cold murky waters of the west coast of England and Scotland.

Simon and Deb met through Eco-Divers and that's perhaps when their fate was sealed.

The idea for DivePlanIt came about after their first Big Excursion – to Palau, when they realised there were few practical resources to find out about the rather remote destination they were visiting – online or otherwise.

Travelling blind isn't something that a lot of people will do, so they made it their mission to provide detailed destination information for travelling divers, enabling them to make informed decisions about their next diving holiday.