Skip to content
Citizen Diving MED-BIOWATCH

Entra

Take part

Divers, freedivers, visitors, residents and students can contribute to the research, each at the level that suits their skills.

Three levels of participation

The research involves tourists and non-tourists alike: diving clients, residents, students and operators.

Osservatore (Observer)

  • Who: visitors, residents and students, with or without a diving certificate, snorkelling with a guide.
  • Training: a 20-minute briefing on board or a classroom lesson, with a species slate.
  • What they record: surface route (P1), surface litter (P4) and individual reports (P6).

Rilevatore (Surveyor)

  • Who: certified divers and experienced freedivers.
  • Training: "MED-BIOWATCH Rilevatore" course of about 3 hours with a practical test.
  • What they record: visual census (P2), marine litter (P4), temperature (P5) and individual reports (P6).

Operatore (Operator)

  • Who: guides of the partner diving centres, biologists, researchers.
  • Training: full training and calibration with the scientific lead.
  • What they record: all the protocols, the reference stations and data validation.

The protocols are described on the page The project. All are non-invasive: no sampling, no contact with organisms, no anchoring on Posidonia.

The MED-BIOWATCH Weeks

All locations survey in the same "MED-BIOWATCH Weeks", using the same protocol, so that the data are comparable for the same period and season. They open the 2027 season with the World Oceans Day BioBlitz, open to the public and to schools. The dates are in the calendar.

How to register

Online registration as Observer or Surveyor, with the choice of location and dates from the calendar, is in preparation. Each partner diving centre will publish its own calendar of courses and briefings on the website. For schools, see the Schools page.

Safety

The research activity does not change the diving centres' procedures. Surveying never takes priority over safety and over the limits of the dive. No collecting or handling of protected species.

What to look for and where

  • The Species page presents the list of species and categories recorded.
  • The map shows the proposed stations in the four locations; they are a proposal to be validated with the management bodies.

Updated on 25 October 2026.