Why I love the idea of Scuba Network
You know that feeling when someone describes an idea and you immediately think "yes, why doesn't this exist already!?" That's how I felt when I first heard about Scuba Network.
I'm a scuba diver. Not a professional, not an instructor, just someone who loves being underwater and cares deeply about what's happening to our oceans. And like most divers, I've experienced the same frustrations: logging dives in one place, tracking marine life sightings in another, trying to remember which dive centre had the best guides, wishing I could connect with that brilliant divemaster I met in Belize three years ago.
The diving world is fragmented. We've got amazing individual pieces — numerous training agencies, various logging apps, marine debris databases, social media groups — but nothing that brings it all together in a way that makes sense for how divers actually want to engage with the underwater world.
What Scuba Network gets right
Scuba Network isn't trying to replace everything. It's trying to be the connective tissue between divers, dive centres, conservation efforts, and the ocean itself.
Here's what excites me:
It's built for the community, not just the industry. Yes, dive centres and training agencies are important, but Scuba Network puts divers at the centre. It asks: what do divers actually want? How do they want to share their experiences? How can we make their passion for the ocean more impactful?
It connects diving to conservation. Every dive is an opportunity to observe, document, and contribute to our understanding of ocean health. Scuba Network makes that easy. Whether you're logging marine debris, tracking species, or simply sharing what you saw, you're contributing to something bigger.
It recognises that diving is social. Some of my best dive memories aren't just about what I saw underwater — they're about the people I met, the stories we shared, the dive buddies who became friends. Scuba Network understands that divers want to connect with each other, learn from each other, and build a genuine community.
Scuba Network isn't trying to replace everything — it's the connective tissue between divers, dive centres, conservation efforts, and the ocean itself. Every dive becomes an opportunity to contribute to something bigger.
Testing it in the wild
I had the privilege of testing the Scuba Network prototype during a trip to Bimini in November 2025. Swimming with Caribbean reef sharks, exploring stunning wall dives, meeting incredible people like Annie Gutteridge at the Shark Lab — and throughout it all, seeing how Scuba Network could enhance rather than distract from those experiences.
The app didn't get in the way. It didn't turn diving into a social media performance. It simply made it easier to capture the things I wanted to remember and share the observations that matter for conservation.
Why this matters now
Our oceans are under pressure. Climate change, pollution, overfishing — we all know the list. But here's the thing: there are millions of scuba divers around the world who care deeply about these issues. We're already out there, eyes on the reef, witnessing the changes firsthand.
What if we could harness that collective knowledge and passion? What if every dive could contribute to conservation science? What if the diving community became one of the most powerful forces for ocean advocacy?
There are millions of scuba divers around the world who care deeply about our oceans. We're already out there, eyes on the reef, witnessing the changes firsthand. Together, we can become one of the most powerful forces for ocean advocacy.
That's not just idealistic thinking. It's entirely possible. And Scuba Network is building the platform to make it happen.
Join us
Scuba Network is still early. It's still evolving. But that's exactly when your voice matters most.
If you're a diver who wants to see the community become more connected and more impactful, this is for you. If you're frustrated by fragmented tools and want something that actually works the way divers think, this is for you. If you believe our oceans deserve a community of advocates as passionate and knowledgeable as scuba divers, this is absolutely for you.
I'm now on the Scuba Network team as a founding partner because I believe in what they're building. Not because it's perfect — nothing is — but because it's asking the right questions and building something the diving world genuinely needs.
Come dive with us.
Neil Gunn is a scuba diver, digital strategist, and founding partner of the Scuba Network. When he's not underwater, he works with conservation charities and mission-driven organisations through Eagle Ray Digital.