User:Pbsouthwood/Dive guide topic status criteria

Dive guide article status criteria

These criteria are the suggestion of User:(WT-en) Pbsouthwood and do not constitute a consensus on this subject. Discussion by any interested parties is invited.

Regional dive guide

Guide status criteria for regional diving guide

Wikivoyage criteria:

• Effectively covers most aspects of the topic with no obvious omissions.
• If practical, it should contain a listing of relevant destinations.
• The format should closely match the manual of style.

Diver criteria:

• Must contain a listing of relevant dive sites.
• Some of the dive sites must be of Guide standard.
• Most of the dive sites must be of Usable standard.
• Information should be provided in most of the headings.
• Sufficient information should be provided that a competent diver with some local knowledge can use the guide and any included dive site sub-article to plan a safe dive at the relevant site. (involvement of a local guide may be required where appropriate)

Checklist:

• All subheadings have useful information ("No special equipment required" IS useful information, a blank space is not.)

Star status criteria for regional diving guide

This is a guideline. If you have a better idea, Plunge forward, but try to explain your reasons.

Wikivoyage criteria

• Covers the topic fully.
• Layout and listings either match the manual of style exactly or are the exception that proves the rule.
• Prose is not only near-perfect grammatically but also tight, effective, and enjoyable.
• At least one good-quality photo or illustration accompanies the article.
• If practical it has a map identifying relevant destinations.

Diver criteria

• A diver unfamiliar with the region should be able to decide if it will be to his/her liking, and within his/her competence/skills/fitness to dive in the region at a typical site.
• The diver should also be able to decide on what equipment to bring, and what to rent or buy when in the region.
• The diver should be able to plan for emergencies, both medical and equipment related, and know what support is available in both these fields.
• Pricing need not be in great detail, but it should be possible to use the guide to contact suppliers of ordinary recreational diving equipment and services most convenient to the region (If such exists - offshore atolls may have no facilities whatsoever. In this case refer to the most appropriate major centre)

Checklist

General

• Standard template used or other appropriate layout complying with the Wikivoyage style conventions.
• Correct English usage: Spelling, grammar, consistent with either local English usage or UK or US English conventions.
• Correct technical terminology understandable by native English speaking recreational divers.

• All sections of the template contain substantial and useful information unless not applicable to the region, in which case this should be specified.

Section checklist

Leader paragraph

• Leader paragraph explains what the article is about and who it is for.
• Basic geographic extent of the region is stated.

Understand

General topography

• Some information is provided on the physical geography of the region.
• Extent of the region is clearly defined. (a map or other illustration is sufficient)
• Major landforms defining the region are mentioned and named and if necessary, explained.
• Topography of both underwater and land is described. Some form of relief map drawing or illustration should be present.

Climate, weather and sea conditions

• If applicable, a description of the regional climate, weather systems, oceanogrphy in terms of tides, currents, seasonal water condition variations, max and min values

Marine ecology

• If applicable, a description of the regionsl marine/aquatic ecology.

Equipment

• Special equipment and training required or recommended for diving in the region, both general and sub-region specific.

Respect

• Explain any special procedures or precautions to avoid ecological or archaeological damage.
• Any local legislation affecting diving in the region is explained sufficiently to allow a reasonably prudent diver to confidently avoid contravention. Information must be accurate and current.

Get help

• List of emergency contact phone numbers for the region, and where there is no appropriate emergency service within the region, contact details for the most appropriate services outside the region.
• These numbers should include where possible: Recompression chamber facilities, Hospital, Clinic or doctor, Diving medical practitioner (specialist), DAN local contact number, Police, Ambulance, Fire department, any specialist rescue organisations that may be of use, Sea rescue/Coastguard.

Get service

• A listing of Dive schools, Dive shops, Air filling facilities, Scuba and cylinder service facilities, Dive charter boats, liveaboards, etc IN the region should be provided. Any known idiosyncracies or specialist abilities (such as affiliated training agency, or foreign languages spoken) should be mentioned.
• If there is no representative of any specific class of service business in the region, the nearest convenient agency outside the region should be listed, with approximate distance and any other critical information.
• It is not necessary to list every dive school, shop, charter business, air filling station, or equipment service agent in the region, but at least one reputable representative of each of these classes should be listed with adequate contact information. If dry suits are recommended in the region, a dry-suit repair agent should be listed.

Learn

• List names of dive schools in the region

Buy

• List names of dive shops in the region

Rent

• List names of places that rent dive gear

Do

• List names of operators, charter boats, liveaboards operating in or from the area.

Fix

• List names of people or organisations which service and repair: Scuba regulators, BCDs, Cylinders, Drysuits.

Details

• List contact details of places listed in "Learn", "Buy", "Rent", "Do" and "Fix". Use the Other listings insertion template.

Get around

• Explains how to get around the region to dive sites and launch areas as a diver with dive equipment. Options of private and public transport as available should be discussed.

Stay safe

• A comprehensive description of regional hazards, the risks connected to them, and appropriate mitigation where applicable.
• Information should apply to a significant percentage of the sites in the region.
• Hazards specific to only a few sites should be covered in the dive site sub-articles.

See (Listing of dive sites)

Number of dive sites listed should be appropriate to region size. In general a region should not contain less than one city or other significant destination unit. Sites which would ordinarily be reached on a day excursion from a destination such as a city would be in one dive guide, even if there are a large number of them. Alternatively, unless there is a good reason, such as the conditions are very different from the nearest other sites, it would not be appropriate to have a regional guide for a smaller number of sites than about 5, even if the sites are on different islands or near different cities. A guide should not cross national borders except in special circumstances.

• At least three listed local dive sites must be at star standard (unless there are fewer than three sites in the region, in which case all must be of star standard.
• At least 90% of locally known named sites should be listed.
• At least 50% of the listed sites should be of guide standard or better.
• At least 75% of the listed sites should be of usable standard or better.
• All listed sites should at least be described to outline level, unless newly discovered or potential sites, and not yet explored,
• If there are more than 100 local sites in the region, the number of sites may be limited to 100, and this number used for the percentage calculations.

• listing of dive sites should normally provide a paragraph describing each site in general terms. No great detail is required.

Dive Sites

Usable status criteria for dive site

Diver criteria:

• A suitably competent diver with moderate local knowledge should be able to plan a safe dive using the information provided. (in conjunction with a regional diving guide if applicable.)

Checklist:

• Template present
• Information on position of the site is sufficient to get there, possibly with help of local guide.

Guide status criteria for dive site

Wikivoyage criteria:

• Effectively covers most aspects of the topic with no obvious omissions.
• If practical, it should contain a listing of relevant destinations. (not relevant to dive site)
• The format should closely match the manual of style.

Diver criteria:

• A suitably competent diver with little local knowledge should be able to plan a safe dive using the information provided.(in conjunction with a regional diving guide if applicable.)

Checklist:

• Template present, all appropriate headings present
• Style basically correct and complies with Wikivoyage recommendations.
• A map or aerial photo is present for shore access sites, and displays useful information.
• GPS position data or other means of identifying position accurately without local knowledge.
• All subheadings contain useful information unless the subheading does not apply to the site, in which case it is not shown.
• At least one photograph of marine organism or feature of the site.
• The site should be a sub-article of a regional dive guide. (if there are very few sites in the region the sites may be included in the regional guide to a number not exceeding 9).

Star status criteria for dive site

Wikivoyage criteria:

• Covers the topic fully.
• Layout and listings either match the manual of style exactly or are the exception that proves the rule.
• Prose is not only near-perfect grammatically but also tight, effective, and enjoyable.
• At least one good-quality photo or illustration accompanies the article.
• If practical it has a map identifying relevant destinations.

Diver criteria:

• A diver competent to dive the site but without any local knowledge should be able to plan a safe and enjoyable dive using the information provided (in conjunction with a regional diving guide if applicable.)
• Conditions during the dive should come as no surprise.

Checklist:

Leader paragraph

• The site is named
• Type of site specified
• Geographical location given in general terms
  • Nearest major landmark, near
  • Nearest City in
  • Region in
  • Country.

Understand

• A map showing the position and layout of the site in some detail, preferably to scale.
• Reason/s why one would choose to dive the site.

Position

• GPS position for the site. Should put a diver at least somewhere on the site, specify where if possible
• Alternative range and bearing or cross bearings to well defined and reasonably close landmarks. Photos of landmarks desirable.
• distance from launch site or harbour for boat access (km or N.miles)

Name

• Optional image of whatever the site is named after
• Explanation of origin of the site name, translation if applicable.

Depth

• Maximum depth to be expected on the site
• If applicable, shallowest point of the site

Visibility

• Range of visibility to be expected when conditions are generally considered suitable for diving.

Topography

• Description of the layout of the site
• General idea of slope, profile and rugosity
• Description of major features and landmarks
• Condition of wreckage if applicable

Geology

• Only for rocky reefs
• Type of rock, (geological age, name of formation optional)
• Strike and dip optional if applicable

Conditions

• What weather conditions will result in good diving conditions.
• Any specific weather conditions which will result in unpleasant or hazardous diving conditions.
• Any special oceanographic or weather conditions the site is known for. (sudden offshore winds, upwellings, currents, plankton blooms, thermoclines etc)if applicable
• Information sufficient to allow a reasonably competent diver with a moderate understanding of the local weather and climate to forecast conditions during a planned dive over a short period (3 to 4 hours) when on site.

Facilities

• Generally only for shore access dives
• Facilities must be in close walking range of parking area or entry points
• Facilities appropriate to divers and accompanying family only.(parking, ablution, fast food, dive services, picnic areas, security, beach, shade, etc)

Get in

• Adequate directions to reach the site
• A map or aerial photo indicating the position of entry/exit areas (only for shore entry ) if the main site map is not sufficient.
• Sufficient text for a person who has no local knowledge at all to find the site and identify any access areas with confidence.
• Photos of the standard entry and exit points if applicable.

See

Marine life and/or Features

• Photos of at least three organisms or features one may reasonably expect to see at the site
• Description of what a diver may see during a dive

Photography

• advice on photographic equipment (macro/wide angle, need for external lighting) if appropriate.
• photographic opportunities that may be expected or hoped for if applicable.

Suggested Routes

• generally at least one suggested or recommended route, with an indication of what the diver may expect to see. This may be a drift dive if applicable. "Follow the divemaster" is not really a route and will only be accepted if there are really good reasons, which are adequately explained

Stay safe

Hazards

• Site specific hazards of any kind, including access hazards if applicable. "No site specific hazards known" is null default.
• Comprehensive listing of site related hazards (not regional hazards already in regional guide, ordinary diving hazards nor obvious sea/weather condition hazards). Advice on mitigation is optional.
• security problems and land based hazards may also be mentioned if applicable. (theft/mugging risk, animals stealing food etc)

Skills

• Skills or competence required for diving at the site, if any. It may be assumed that a diver is certified to at least Open Water level and is of at least moderate fitness, is able to control his or her buoyancy, can fin 100m on the surface in low swell, and is not physically disabled in any way.
• Skills recommended for diving at the site, if any.
• "No special skills required/recommended" is null default.

Equipment

• any equipment beyond the standard equipment listed for the region in the regional guide, either reqired or recommended for the site for safety of convenience. Reason should be specified if not obvious.
• "No special equipment required/recommended" is null default

See also

• Project:Article status
• Project:Manual of style
• Project:Internal links
• Project:What is an article
• Project:Travel topic status

Wikivoyage:What is a dive guide

This article is intended to provide guidance to persons wishing to create or edit a Dive guide on Wikivoyage. The procedure listed will result in a substantially complete and useful guide, but plunge forward and input whatever useful information you have available. It can be completed later.

Create the new Dive guide article

Choose a suitable name for the proposed Dive Guide. Diving in RegionName is the suggested style.

Add an internal link to the proposed new Dive guide at an appropriate place in a higher level guide (Scuba diving#destinations or the destination section of a national dive guide for the appropriate country). Save the page to create a red link.

Click on this red link, to take you to the new article page, which will have your chosen name.

The substitution template: {{subst:DiveRegion}} should be used to prepare the outline. Type this in and save the page. This will create the outline of section headings.

Add content

Content should be added as follows: Click the "Edit" tab of the newly created article, and scroll down to the edit window to add your text. The explanation below will help you to add the desired content to each section. Enter as much as you can, and leave the unused headings for others to complete. If you need help while editing, click the "Editing help" link a few paragraphs below the editing window. This will open a help file in a new window. Your original window will remain unchanged and you can switch between windows without affecting edits.

Leader paragraph

• The leader paragraph should explain what the article is about and who it is for.
• The basic geographic extent of the region which is covered by the guide is stated.

Understand

General topography

• Some information is provided on the physical geography of the region.
• Extent of the region is clearly defined. (a map or other illustration may be sufficient)
• Major landforms defining the region are mentioned and named and if necessary, explained.
• The general topography of both underwater and land is described. Some form of relief map drawing or illustration should be present.

Climate, weather and sea conditions

• If applicable, a description of the regional climate, weather systems, oceanography in terms of tides, currents, seasonal water condition variations, max and min values for water temperature, air temperature etc.

Marine ecology

• If applicable, a description of the regionsl marine/aquatic ecology.

Equipment

• Special equipment and training required or recommended for diving in the region, both general and sub-region specific.

Respect

• Any vulnerable ecological or archaeological material, its particular vulnerabilities, and its distribution in the region
• Special procedures or precautions to avoud ecological or archaeological damage.
• Any local legislation affecting diving in the region is explained sufficiently to allow a reasonably prudent diver to confidently avoid contravention.

Get help

• Provide a list of emergency contact phone numbers for the region, or where there is no appropriate emergency service within the region, contact details for the most appropriate services outside the region.
• These numbers should include where possible: Recompression chamber facilities, Hospital, Clinic or doctor, Diving medical practitioner (specialist), DAN local contact number, Police, Ambulance, Fire department, any specialist rescue organisations that may be of use, Sea rescue/Coastguard.

Get service

• A listing of Dive schools, Dive shops, Cylinder filling facilities, Scuba and cylinder service facilities, Dive charter boats, liveaboards, etc IN the region should be provided. Any known idiosyncracies or specialist abilities (such as affiliated training agency, or foreign languages spoken) should be mentioned.
• Only if there is no representative of any specific class of service business in the region, the nearest convenient agency outside the region should be listed, with approximate distance and any other critical information.
• It is not necessary to list every dive school, shop, charter business, air filling station, or equipment service agent in the region, but at least one reputable representative of each of these classes should be listed with adequate contact information. If dry suits are recommended in the region, a dry-suit repair agent should be listed.

Learn

• List names of dive schools in the region

Buy

• List names of dive shops in the region

Rent

• List names of places that rent dive gear

Do

• List names of operators, charter boats, liveaboards operating in or from the area.

Fix

• List organisations which service and repair Scuba regulators, BCDs, Cylinders, Drysuits. Specify the range of services for each

Details

• List contact details of places listed in "Learn", "Buy", "Rent", "Do" and "Fix". Include a list of the services provided for each. (use "Other listings" insertion template)

Get around

• Explains how to get around the region as a diver, particularly a diver with dive gear. Options of private and public transport as available should be discussed.

Stay safe

• Should be appropriate to most of the sites in the region.
• A comprehensive description of regional hazards, the risks connected to them, and appropriate mitigation where applicable.

See (Listing of dive sites)

• listing of dive sites should normally provide a paragraph describing each site in general terms. No great detail is required.
  • Site name
  • Location
  • Reasons why one might choose to dive there (optional)

• The number of dive sites listed in a guide should be appropriate to region size. In general a region should not contain less than one city or other significant destination unit.
• Sites which would ordinarily be reached on a day excursion from a destination such as a city would be in one dive guide, even if there are a large number of them. If there are major differences betreen two regions accessible from the same city as day excursions, and there are enough sites to justify a split, this may be appropriate.
• Unless there is a good reason, such as the conditions are very different from the nearest other sites, it would not be appropriate to have a regional guide for a smaller number of sites than about 5, even if the sites are on different islands or near different cities.
• A guide region should not cross national borders except in special circumstances.

Add Images (Maps and photos)

Images should be uploaded to Wikivoyage Shared by using the Upload page. See How to upload files, and How to add an image.

Create the new Dive Site sub-articles

Dive sites within the region covered by a Dive guide should be created as sub-articles to the Dive guide. This avoids problems of ambiguous site names by referencing the sites to the region.

Each dive site should have a link from the regional guide. Create this link at the appropriate place in the site listing under secion heading See in either alphabetic or geographical order, by typing in a link starting with the main article name, followed by a slash and the sub article name, which should be the most commonly used name for the dive site by English speaking divers. Follow this by a pipe "|" and the site name again.

For example: [[Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Castle Rocks|Castle Rocks]] will display as Castle Rocks.

When first entered this should be a red link. Click on the red link to create the sub article.

The substitution template: {{subst:Divesite}} should be used to prepare the outline. Type this in and save the page. This will create the outline of section headings.

Add content

Content should be added in the same way as for the regional dive guide. The explanation below will help you to add the desired content to each section. Enter as much as you can, and leave the unused headings for others to complete. If you need help while editing, click the "Editing help" link a few paragraphs below the editing window. This will open a help file in a new window. Your original window will remain unchanged and you can switch between windows without affecting edits.

Leader paragraph

• The site is named, with alternative names where applicable
• Type of site specified
  • Water temperature class (Tropical, temperate or polar.)
  • Proximity to coast. (Inland, shoreline, inshore or offshore.)
  • Bottom type (Sand, shingle, rocky or coral reef)
  • Wreck age if applicable (recent or historical wreck.)
  • Other classification. (Deep, cavern or cave. Fresh water, lake, river, high altitude etc if applicable)
• Geographical location given in general terms
  • Nearest major landmark,
  • near [[Nearest City]] (internal link)
  • in [[Region]] (internal link)
  • in [[Country]]. (internal link)

Understand

• A map showing the position and layout of the site in some detail, preferably to scale.
• Reason/s why one would choose to dive the site.

Position

• GPS position for the site. Should put a diver at least somewhere on the site, specify where if possible
• Alternative range and bearing or cross bearings to well defined and reasonably close landmarks. Photos of landmarks desirable.
• distance from launch site or harbour for boat access (km or N.miles)

Name

• Optional image of whatever the site is named after
• Explanation of origin of the site name, translation if applicable.

Depth

• Maximum depth to be expected on the site
• If applicable, shallowest point of the site

Visibility

• Range of visibility to be expected when conditions are generally considered suitable for diving.

Topography

• Description of the layout of the site
• General idea of slope, profile and rugosity
• Description of major feateres and landmarks
• Condition of wreckage if applicable

Geology

• Only for rocky reefs
• Type of rock, (geological age, name of formation optional)
• Strike and dip optional if applicable

Conditions

• What weather conditions will result in good diving conditions.
• Any specific weather conditions which will result in unpleasant or hazardous diving conditions.
• Any special oceanographic or weather conditions the site is known for. (sudden offshore winds, upwellings, currents, plankton blooms, thermoclines etc)if applicable
• Information sufficient to allow a reasonably competent diver with a moderate understanding of the local weather and climate to forecast conditions during a planned dive over a short period (3 to 4 hours) when on site.

Facilities

• Generally only for shore access dives
• Facilities must be in close walking range of parking area or entry points
• Facilities appropriate to divers and accompanying family only.(parking, ablution, fast food, dive services, picnic areas, security, beach, shade, etc)

Get in

• Adequate directions to reach the site
• A map or aerial photo indicating the position of entry/exit areas (only for shore entry ) if the main site map is not sufficient.
• Sufficient text for a person who has no local knowledge at all to find the site and identify any access areas with confidence.
• Photos of the standard entry and exit points if applicable.

See

Marine life and/or Features

• Photos of at least three organisms or features one may reasonably expect to see at the site
• Description of what a diver may see during a dive

Photography

• advice on photographic equipment (macro/wide angle, need for external lighting) if appropriate.
• photographic opportunities that may be expected or hoped for if applicable.

Suggested Routes

• generally at least one suggested or recommended route, with an indication of what the diver may expect to see. This may be a drift dive if applicable. "Follow the divemaster" is not really a route and will only be accepted if there are really good reasons, which are adequately explained

Stay safe

Hazards

• Site specific hazards of any kind, including access hazards if applicable. "No site specific hazards known" is null default.
• Comprehensive listing of site related hazards (not regional hazards already in regional guide, ordinary diving hazards nor obvious sea/weather condition hazards). Advice on mitigation is optional.
• security problems and land based hazards may also be mentioned if applicable. (theft/mugging risk, animals stealing food etc)

Skills

• Skills or competence required for diving at the site, if any.
• Skills recommended for diving at the site, if any.
• "No special skills required/recommended" is null default.

Equipment

• any equipment beyond the standard equipment listed for the region in the regional guide, either reqired or recommended for the site for safety of convenience. Reason should be specified if not obvious.
• "No special equipment required/recommended" is null default

See also

• Project:Manual of style
• Project:What is an article
• Project:Other_ways_of_seeing_travel#Travel_topics
• Project:Dive guide article status criteria
• Template:DiveRegion
• Template:Divesite

Use of material

Any content on Wikivoyage may be used by anybody as long as the conditions of the CC-by-SA licence are complied with. All the dive guide material for the Cape Peninsula and False Bay is dual licenced under CC-by-SA versions 1 and 3, including the pictures. You can Google the details. In short, you must acknowledge the source and the licence can not be changed and must be specified at every place where it is used. It means that you can use it, modify it and sell it as you like, but can not copyright it or any derivatives. As long as this is understood, the use of Wikivoyage material to provide improved services for travellers is encouraged. Providing a link to the Wikivoyage site is not obligatory, but is considered polite. It is also a convenient way of acknowledging the source. There are dive shops in greater Cape Town which link to "Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay" direct as it is the simplest procedure, and just mail the URL to clients who enquire about local diving. It may be most convenient for you to just link to the sites in this way, as this will cost you less in bandwidth, but it will depend on what you plan to do with the material. If you intend to change it to suit your marketing, it may be better to keep it on your own site where you have contol over editing, however it will then not be automatically updated as the Wikivoyage pages are changed. You may also consider contributing to the sites on Wikivoyage when you have useful information to improve them. If you decide to do this, I recommend that you create an account on Wikivoyage, as it is free and allows users to communicate with you if any problems come up.

Launch site/harbour template

Understand

The (facility) is used by divers (times and conditions), due to (reasons)

Controlled by (authority). Responsible person is (name/position).

Position

• S34°??'??" E018°??'??" (Main entrance)
• S34°??'??" E018°??'??" (Slipway/jetty/boarding area)

About (distance)km from (local centre), and (distance)km from (major centre) by (road/rail/boat).

Facilities

Open (hours). .

Stay safe

Blurb for FTT nomination for Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay

Recreational Scuba diving is a major travel activity. Most divers can not dive at their home towns, or the available sites are severely limited, and must travel at least a short distance to reach suitable dive sites. The Cape Peninsula and False Bay is the local diving region within a day trip from any part of Cape Town, South Africa, This regional dive guide is intended to provide the already qualified Scuba diver with information which will help to plan dives in these waters, whether as a local resident or a visitor.

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