Documentation

edit

This template is used for implementing dive site listings.

Dive sites may be described in stand-alone articles if there is sufficient information, or as listings in regional dive guides. If you can't find a suitable dive guide article, you can create one or you can add a dive site listing in the Do section of a destination article. Someone else can move the listing to a more appropriate article later. (the template will add a maintenance category to the article to notify the janitorial staff)

We have a standardized format for dive site listings, and a template, Template:Divesitelisting, to help you format them.


Formatting listings

edit

When listing dive site options within a regional diving article (or temporarily in a destination article), use the following format.

 {{Divesitelisting| name=Name of dive site | alt=local or alternative name | site-type=Coral reef, Rocky reef, Wreck, Muck, Lake, Quarry, River etc | region=Region in which the dive site is located| site-image= Example.jpg | site-image_width= (NNNpx) | site-image_alt=Description of image for people who cant see it | site-image_caption=Caption to display under site image| site-map= Example.jpg | site-map_width= (NNNpx) | site-map_alt=Description of site map for people who cant see it | site-map_caption=Caption to display under site map image| location=Location of dive site relative to landmarks | lat=latitude | long=longitude | directions=extra directions if useful | locationtype=Offshore, inshore, shoreline, inland| access=Live-aboard, day boat or shore entry| altitude=Altitude (if not a sea dive)| max-depth= Maximum depth at the site | min-depth=Minimum depth of the site. 0 for sites that extend to the surface. | dive-depth=Typical maximum depth of a dive at the site| visibility=Usual range of visibility in feet or metres | temperature=Usual temperature range in degrees Farenheit or Celsius. warm cool or cold if you don't know the temperature more accurately| topography=Description of the layout of the site. (Paragraph)| ecology=Animals and plants commonly seen or notable. (Paragraph)| features=Notable natural or artificial landmarks. (Paragraph)| hazards=Site-specific hazards. (Paragraph)| equipment=Special equipment recommended for any dive at the site. (Paragraph)| skills=Special skills required for the site. (Paragraph)| permits=Permits, permission or fees payable to dive at the site. (Paragraph)| respect=Special cultural or ecological values. (Paragraph)| other=One to five sentences about why this site is worth diving, things to pay special attention to, warnings, notes, historical or other background information.}}

Here's the Wiki markup:

* {{Divesitelisting
| name= | alt= | site-type= | region=
| site-image= | site-image_width= | site-image_alt= | site-image_caption=
| site-map= | site-map_width= | site-map_alt= | site-map_caption=
| location= | lat= | long= | directions= | location-type=
| access= 
| altitude=
| max-depth= | min-depth= | dive-depth=
| visibility= | temperature=
| topography=
| ecology=
| features=
| hazards=
| equipment=
| skills=
| permits=
| respect=
| other=
}}

The fields used in this template are:

name
The name of the dive site. Required.
region
The reion in which the dive site is located. Required.
site-image
Image file of something characteristic of the site. To display as right aligned thumbnail. Optional
site-map
Image file of a map of the site. To display as right aligned thumbnail with optional size parameter. Optional
ecology-image
Image file of a notable animal or plant photographed at the site. To display as right aligned thumbnail. Optional
feature-image
Image file of a notable feature of the site. To display as right aligned thumbnail. Optional
alt
If the dive site has a different name in the local language, add it here. Non-Latin scripts like Japanese, Devanagari, Cyrillic etc can be used. Optional
location
location of the dive site relative to easily recognizable landmarks. Abbreviate "Road", "Street", "Avenue", etc.
directions
Additional (local) directions for how to find the dive site (if useful). Do not include directions to the (article) destination.
lat
Latitude. Recommended.
long
Longitude. Recommended.
locationtype
Location type - Offshore, inshore, shoreline, or inland. Recommended
access
Access mode - Liveaboard, day boat or shore access. Recommended
altitude
Altitude of the water surface above sea level. Leave out for sea dives. Recommended for high altitudes
maxdepth
Maximum depth of water at the dive site. Recommended
mindepth
Minimum depth of water at the dive site. Recommended
divedepth
Maximum depth of a typical dive at the site. Optional
visibility
Typical range of underwater visibility at the site in conditions suitable for diving. Optional
temperature
Typical range of water temperature at the site in conditions suitable for diving. Optional
type
Coral reef, Rocky reef, Wreck, Muck, Lake, Quarry, River etc. Recommended
topography
Geographical layout of the site. Text description. Paragraph. Optional
ecology
Marine/aquatic organisms likely to be seen or for which the site is known. Paragraph. Optional
features
Notable permanent natural or artificial features at the site. Paragraph. Optional
hazards
Site specific hazards (not general hazards of diving or ubiquitous in the region) Paragraph. Optional
equipment
Special equipment needed or strongly recommended at the site, but not in general use in the region. Paragraph. Optional
skills
Special skills required to dive at the site. Paragraph. Optional
permits
Special permits, conditions of use or taxes related to the site. Paragraph. Optional.
respect
other
Any other information you think should be added. Paragraph. Optional


All fields above are optional except for "name". If you don't know some information, just leave that field empty, then somebody else can add those details later. Please do not delete any unused listing fields, change the name of the fields or add any extra ones. Doing so may create display irregularities and will certainly frustrate future edits and the addition of extra information to the listing.

Examples

edit

Full listing:

* {{Divesitelisting| name= Smits Reef | alt=Birthday Reef, Horseshoe Reef | location-type= offshore | site-type= rocky reef | region=Smitswinkel Bay on the east side of the [[Cape Peninsula]] in the [[Western Cape]]| site-image= | site-image_width= | site-image_alt= | site-image_caption=| site-map= Smits reef map.png | site-map_width= 300px | site-map_alt= Contour map of the dive site at Smits Reef | site-map_caption= Map of the dive sites at Smits Reef| location= South side of Smitswinkel Bay, just north of Batsata Rock | lat= | long= | directions= Launch at Miller's Point slipway, travel south parallel to the coast and across Smitswinkel Bay.| access= Day boat| altitude= Sea level| max-depth= 25m | min-depth= 6m | dive-depth= 18 to 21m| visibility= 4 to 12m| temperature= 12 to 17°C| topography= A large granite outcrop with many large and small boulders. The south end of the reef is very complex. Sand bottom surrounds the reef which is about 100m long north to south.| ecology= Kelp forest and red bait colonies on top of the shallower areas, and the deeper areas are dominated by echinoderms, particularly sea cucumbers and brittlestars. A moderate variety of local reef fish can be seen. | features= The Maze at the south end has several swim-throughs, and there is a large pinnacle to the west.| hazards= When the local fishing boats are working the area they tend to pass overhead at speed.| equipment= A dive light is useful for looking into the many crevices and holes, and a reel with surface marker buoy will help passing boats avoid you when surfacing| skills= Good buoyancy control is recommended| permits= The site is in the Table mountain National Park Marine Protected Area. Scuba divers are required to buy an annual or monthly permit to dive in this MPA| respect= Some of the bryozoans are very fragile. Try not to bang around on the reef.
| other= This is a good area for macro photography.
}}

...shows up like this:

  • Contour map of the dive site at Smits Reef
    Map of the dive sites at Smits Reef
    Smits Reef, (also known as Birthday Reef, Horseshoe Reef) is an offshore rocky reef dive site in Smitswinkel Bay on the east side of the Cape Peninsula in the Western Cape
    Location: South side of Smitswinkel Bay, just north of Batsata Rock
    Access: Day boat
    Directions: Launch at Miller's Point slipway, travel south parallel to the coast and across Smitswinkel Bay.
    Maximum depth at the site is 25m and minimum depth is 6m. Most dives will not exceed 18 to 21m.
    Visibility is likely to be 4 to 12m, and water temperature 12 to 17°C
    Topography: A large granite outcrop with many large and small boulders. The south end of the reef is very complex. Sand bottom surrounds the reef which is about 100m long north to south.
    Ecology: Kelp forest and red bait colonies on top of the shallower areas, and the deeper areas are dominated by echinoderms, particularly sea cucumbers and brittlestars. A moderate variety of local reef fish can be seen.
    Features: The Maze at the south end has several swim-throughs, and there is a large pinnacle to the west.
    Hazards: When the local fishing boats are working the area they tend to pass overhead at speed.
    Recommended equipment: A dive light is useful for looking into the many crevices and holes, and a reel with surface marker buoy will help passing boats avoid you when surfacing
    Special skills required: Good buoyancy control is recommended
    Permits: The site is in the Table mountain National Park Marine Protected Area. Scuba divers are required to buy an annual or monthly permit to dive in this MPA
    Some of the bryozoans are very fragile. Try not to bang around on the reef. This is a good area for macro photography.

Minimal listing:

* {{Divesitelisting
| name=Pinnacle | alt= | site-type= rocky reef | region=eastern False Bay
| site-image= | site-image_width= | site-image_alt= | site-image_caption=
| site-map= | site-map_width= | site-map_alt= | site-map_caption=
| location= Just south of Gordon's Bay | lat= | long= | directions= | location-type=Shoreline
| access= 
| altitude=
| max-depth= | min-depth= | dive-depth=
| visibility= | temperature=
| topography=
| ecology=
| features=
| hazards=
| equipment=
| skills=
| permits=
| respect=
| other=
}}

...shows up like this:

  • Pinnacle is a shoreline Rocky reef dive site in Eastern False Bay
    Location: Just south of Gordon's Bay

Images

edit

Images of dive sites are encouraged, provided the photo was actually taken at that site, and shows something characteristic of the site. Photos of yourself, your dive buddy or the dive leader are not appropriate unless they show something of interest to other divers who may wish to dive there. Photos of the dive shop are almost never appropriate.

Avoid long lists

edit

If there are more than 9 dive sites listed in a regular destination article, it qualifies for a regional diving article. Consider writing one, or leave a message on the talk page suggesting that someone should write one. You can also leave a note at the Travellers' pub or on the talk page of Scuba diving.

Listing order

edit

Alphabetical order should be the norm within each section. If another standard is used, it should be clearly stated so any new listing can be added to the appropriate place. Leading articles, such as "The", or "A", in the accommodation name should be ignored for the purposes of determining the order.

Template Data

edit

Standard format listings for dive sites

Template parameters

ParameterDescriptionTypeStatus
Namename

The name of the dive site.

Stringrequired
Site typesite-type

Coral reef, Rocky reef, Sand, Wreck, Muck, Lake, Quarry, River, Cavern, Cave, Ice, Drift, Aquarium etc. As many as appropriate.

Stringrequired
Regionregion

Region in which the dive site is located.

Stringrequired
Site imagesite-image

Image file of something characteristic of the site, do not include the 'File:' part of the image file name. (To display as right aligned thumbnail.)

Fileoptional
Site image widthsite-image_width

Width to display the site image at. Should not normally be set. e.g. 320px

Stringoptional
Site image alt textsite-image_alt

Alt text which describes the site image to someone who can't see it

Stringoptional
Site image captionsite-image_caption

Caption displayed under the site image

Stringoptional
Site mapsite-map

Map of dive site. Do not include the 'File:' part of the image file name. (To display as right aligned thumbnail.)

Fileoptional
Site map widthsite-map_width

Width to display site map. Set if necessary for legibility. Should not normally be set. e.g. 320px

Stringoptional
Site map alt textsite-map_alt

Alt text describing the site map

Stringoptional
Site map captionsite-map_caption

Caption for the site map

Stringoptional
Alternative namealt

If the dive site has a different name in the local language, add it here. Non-Latin scripts like Japanese, Devanagari, Cyrillic etc can be used.

Stringoptional
Site locationlocation

Location of the dive site relative to easily recognizable landmarks. Abbreviate 'Road', 'Street', 'Avenue', etc

Stringoptional
Directionsdirections

Additional (local) directions for how to find the dive site (if useful). Do not include directions to the (article) destination.

Stringoptional
Latitudelat latitude

Latitude of the usual entry point. Format to suit geo-tagging.

Stringoptional
Longitudelong longitude

Longitude of the usual entry point. Format to suit geo-tagging.

Stringoptional
Location typelocation-type

Offshore, inshore, shoreline, or inland.

Stringoptional
Access optionsaccess

Live-aboard, day boat or shore entry.

Stringoptional
Altitudealtitude

Altitude of the water surface for inland dive sites.

Stringoptional
Maximum depthmax-depth

Maximum depth of water at the site

Stringoptional
Minimum depthmin-depth

Minimum depth of water at the site. For shoreline dives minimum depth = 0.

Stringoptional
Dive depthdive-depth

Maximum depth usually reached during a dive at this site.

Stringoptional
Visibilityvisibility

Normal range of underwater visibility when conditions are suitable for diving at the site.

Stringoptional
Temperaturetemperature

Normal range of water temperature when conditions are suitable for diving at the site.

Stringoptional
Site topographytopography

Describe the layout and profile of the bottom.

Stringoptional
Ecologyecology

Habitat and life forms likely to be seen, or for which the site is notable.

Stringoptional
Featuresfeatures

Noteworthy permanent natural and artificial features at the site.

Stringoptional
Site specific hazardshazards

Hazards which are specific to this site, not necessarily the whole region and not general diving hazards.

Stringoptional
Special equipmentequipment

Equipment not normally used in the region which is strongly recommended for this site.

Stringoptional
Skillsskills

Skills beyond normal recreational diving level which are necessary to dive safely at this site

Stringoptional
Permits and feespermits

Permits, licences, special permission, fees or taxes payable to access this site

Stringoptional
Respectrespect

Special cultural or ecological values to be considered. War graves, sacred places, fragile features or sensitive habitat etc.

Stringoptional
Other commentsother

Anything else of value to someone planning to dive at the site.

Stringoptional

See also

edit