Conditions guide
How to read PickADive condition estimates
PickADive condition estimates are planning context. They are meant to help divers decide what to research next, not to decide whether a dive is safe. Local operators, current observations, training, equipment, and personal limits matter more than any estimate.
What condition pages can show
Where enough context is available, a dive-site page can show useful planning details such as weather, marine conditions, water temperature, wind, waves, daylight, and diver or operator reports.
- Ocean sites: wind, waves, swell, water temperature, and recent local reports are often the most useful context.
- Lakes, quarries, and springs: weather, temperature, precipitation, daylight, and diver reports can matter more than wave details.
- Unknown context: missing condition details should be treated as unknown, not automatically good.
How to read a condition estimate
| What you may see | What it means | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Condition window | A time range that currently looks more promising than nearby alternatives. | Treat it as a shortlist for deeper local research, not as a go/no-go instruction. |
| Condition details | Plain-language context such as wind, waves, water temperature, daylight, or recent reports. | Compare details against your training, equipment, and local advice. |
| Limited or unknown | The page does not yet have enough useful context for a confident estimate. | Check local operators or recent reports before relying on the page. |
| Local report | A diver or operator has shared current site observations. | Recent local context can make a page more useful for the next person researching the site. |
How model confidence works
PickADive does not decide that an API is perfectly accurate. It checks whether the provider returned usable signal for the site, records when that data was gathered, and labels the result by how much context exists.
- Model-backed estimate: the forecast returned usable wave and wind context, so PickADive can score daylight hours against the site’s access and exposure.
- Local report needed: the provider did not return enough marine signal for that site, so PickADive avoids inventing a favorable window.
- Last updated: site pages show when the forecast data was gathered or when the dive-window score was computed, so stale context is visible.
When condition context is limited
Condition detail varies by site and geography. Some pages have recent context, while others have limited or no useful condition detail yet. A missing detail should be shown clearly instead of being treated as a positive dive window.
Pages become more useful when divers, dive shops, boats, and operators add recent observations or corrections.
How to use condition context
Use the current dive-site page for site-specific condition context, and use this guide to understand how estimates, reports, and unknown states should be interpreted.
For broader trust standards, see the PickADive Trust Center. For catalog quality and public dive-site coverage, see the dive-site data quality page.
Common questions about dive conditions
What are PickADive condition estimates?
PickADive condition estimates are planning context shown on some dive-site pages. They can help divers compare timing, weather, water, and recent reports, but they are not a safety decision or a replacement for local judgment.
Why does a dive site show limited condition context?
A dive site can show limited condition context when there is not enough useful recent information for that place. In that case, PickADive should show the gap clearly instead of making the site look better than it is.
What condition details matter for ocean dive sites?
Ocean dive sites often depend on wind, waves, swell, water temperature, daylight, currents, and recent local reports. The useful mix changes by site, entry type, season, and diver experience.
What condition details matter for lakes, quarries, and springs?
Inland dive sites often depend more on weather, water temperature, visibility reports, recent rain, daylight, access rules, and local observations. Wave context may be less useful for protected or inland sites.
Can PickADive tell me whether a dive is safe today?
No. PickADive helps divers research and compare site context. Divers still need to evaluate current local conditions, training, equipment, operator guidance, and personal limits before any dive.