Citizen Science

Supporting wildlife awareness through Data Analysis, underwater monitoring, and scientific fundraising

Nautilus Dive Tech is committed to offer services that have little to null negative impact on our environment, at the same time we are actively creating and participating in several conservation programs that go hand in hand with researchers of different study areas. NDT active programs include: 

Proyecto de Monitoreo de Megafauna PMM (Megafauna Survey Project)  

Keeping track of marine mammals and pelagic species across Baja

Programa de Monitoreo de Arrecifes Rocosos para PROMARES (Rocky Reefs Survey Program) 

Anual Survey program, volunteers, service providers and experts coming together for a bigger cause

Proyecto Ojos Bajo el Agua (Eyes Underwater Project) 

Monitoring Reefs and fish population with volunteers and researchers

PADI Reef Survey Diver Specialty

Expand your abilities as a diver, and learn tool use and survey techniques for wildlife associations

Programa de Colecta de Plancton (Plankton Collection Program) 

Recovering seawater samples for nutrient differences and sea pollution records.

Sinergia Azul is based on 4 fundamental processes:

- Training 

  • The training consists of giving access and teaching how to use the tools needed and how to fill in the electronic form. 

  • Several presentations, workshops, and meetings taught by specialists in their topic focused on the different species of megafauna found in Mexico, to achieve the basic knowledge to properly identify a species, identify damage to an organism or an area, and basic knowledge about the norms to recognize illegal activities or bad practices and to encourage the good use of resources. 

 - Data Collection

  • Participants collect data with geolocators in real time using their phones or tablets 

  • Participants fill in their digital forms which do not require internet data, and later they can upload them once they have access to the internet. 

- Data Analysis 

  • Scientists will maintain and upload databases, write reports, and create graphs and maps from all the collected data. 

- Communication 

  • There is a biweekly report that gets sent to every participant. It includes an update of the project in general, the number of registries entered, species observed, and the maps where the observations occurred. 

Sinergia Azul

Sharing people’s interest in ocean protection.

The cornerstone of Sinergia Azul is the collaboration of each of its members, promoting close collaboration between the scientific sector, tourism business, and civil society. This cooperation is fundamental to achieving effective goals in the conservation of marine ecosystems. Sinergia Azul not only aims to improve the management and conservation of these resources but also enriches the tourist experience by providing tour operators directly with tools and knowledge to offer more sustainable and responsible activities.

What´s the situation?

In Mexico exists the possibility of interacting with a great variety of groups or species of megafauna in different regions of the country. Most of these species are protected under the NOM-059, CITES, IUCN, or some other institution. Even though these species represent an attractive area for tourism (whales, sharks, and mantas among others), there aren’t any protocols or regulations surrounding the activities to use the resources sustainably and respectably. Furthermore, a great number of these species of megafauna are still the primary objective of a lot of fisheries in the country.  

 Nowadays there is a great need to develop strategies that creates an incentive to the community to integrate and participate in conservation programs where there must be a benefit to all participants. In this context is pivotal to design conservation programs in which all sectors that benefit from the megafauna in Mexico can participate, this is when in a discussion between Nautilus Dive Tech, Dr. Carlos Sanchez, and PhD Ramiro Arcos, Sinergia Azul was born. Sinergia Azul is a multi-project program that uses digital forms to collect data from all the participants and then all this data is analyzed by scientists and reported back to the rest of the participants.