MyDiveAlbum is the brainchild of Antoine Muskat. Antoine started his diving career in 1977 with a Normal Air Underwater Diving Club (NUC), which is based on Emmerentia Dam, in Johannesburg, South Africa. After doing his 3^rd Class Certification with South African Underwater Union in 1978 (CMAS Advanced Diver 2 Star) he became involved with underwater hockey and spearfishing. Antoine continued to represent his provinces, clubs, university and South Africa in Underwater hockey. Today Antoine is still devoted to diving and all its related activities.

MyDiveAlbum is a community website that encompasses all activities of diving and related activities. We have attempted to provide a platform where divers from all disciplines can meet and exchange information. The development of MyDiveAlbum has been over an extended period and will continue to develop as new ideas and communities embrace the ethos of MyDiveAlbum.

Registration to mydivealbum is free for divers. Commercial entities that want to align themselves to the diving community can register and pay a monthly subscription fee. There are excellent benefits for companies who are registered on MyDiveAlbum. Companies can also list themselves for free but do not qualify for the benefits. For more information contact info@mydivealbum.com

MyDiveAbum differs from other community sites in that in it is based and formed around a powerful database design. The database is there so that divers can research anything related to diving and its activities. The more information divers capture via their logbook entries, the more they contribute to the overall effectiveness and usability of the site. The important thing to remember about databases, is that the more accurate the information you input the better the database. Remember “Rubbish in Rubbish out” so pay attention to detail and help your fellow diver by contributing to the site.

All information is referenced against the different databases, so for example on planning a trip to a destination a diver will be able to research each location by dive site, logbook entries, species found on a site or region, the different dive sites, commercial entities operating in the area and the activities they offer (diving and non diving related)

The online logbook allows divers to log their dives online and also to interact with their buddies online and share information such as pictures and comments about the dive.

Ø      Divers can capture and identify species of fish, coral, plants, shells etc that is added to and referenced against an existing database. We have the support of a number of scientific organisations with whom we will be sharing the information.

Ø      Divers register dive sites, which are added to an online database. All dives and information about dives will be referenced against the online dive site database. We have the support of SANBI Reef Atlas project and will be sharing the information with them.

Ø      The logbook allows divers to upload pictures from their dive and invite friends and buddies to view and make comments

Help identify and register different species of fish, mammals, coral, nudibranchs, shells etc on the site. Use the following sites to help with the identification of species;

1. World Register of Marine Species http://www.marinespecies.org/
2. Algae Base http://www.algaebase.org/index.lasso
3. OBIS http://afrobis.csir.co.za:8000/
4. IT IS http://www.itis.gov/index.html
5. FishBase http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/search.php

We will update reference sites where you can research and get information on species. There will also be a Help Identify section on the website where divers can assist one another in identifying species. Please ensure you don’t infringe any copyrights by uploading pictures or information that are copyright protected. Also add any reference details such as website URL, author etc.

Help identify and register different dive sites around the world; We have loaded over one thousand dive sites worldwide and need your support and help to grow and add more information.

The same applies to dive sites as with species identification. Once you identify a dive site, it becomes your dive site and all references to that site will be to your record.

Please make sure the information is correct and updated correctly as the authenticity of the database depends on divers input. The administrator will verify the initial information.

You can rate dive sites and also recommend information to the administrator and person who registered the dive site if you notice incorrect or additional information.

This is the initial phase of the design of MyDiveAlbum, the next phase of the project will encompass the following;

Divers can create an event album such as holiday, tournaments, diving excursions etc. The participants in the event capture information about the event which can include information outside diving for example if someone goes game viewing while on a diving holiday, can capture information about the commercial entity they used such as accommodation tour guide etc. Anyone visiting the area will be able to research such events to see what happens and how to plan their holiday.

Divers will be able to create clubs where they can invite others to join. The clubs will include facilities such as messaging systems to members. The Club section is excellent for those clubs who want to show case their club activities.

Anyone interested in joining on a commercial entity should contact me for further details. Basically companies offering services to the diving community can be registered as paid or on a free listing. When divers visit an area they rate the commercial entity they used while on holiday and if they are not listed on the system add basic details of the entity. An invite will be sent to the entity to register. The average rating of the entity will be listed against the entity together with peoples comments and feedback. This will assist divers when planning trips to destinations they can research who to use and what facilities they offer.

I trust this gives you a quick overview of MyDiveAlbum. I encourage you to register and add all your logbook entries. You can then invite others to view your logbook entries and also to register on MyDiveAlbum.

Please send me any comments and problems you encounter on the site. Look forward to seeing you on MyDiveAlbum

antoine@mydivealbum.com