About
A model of the ocean, not a replacement for it.
CalVis forecasts underwater visibility at California dive sites — clarity, green-water level, runoff impact, and a plain go / no-go condition — every three hours for the next five days. Built and operated by Henry Cooper, an underwater photographer in San Diego. Free, public, no account.
Why this exists
Visibility forecasting for California has been mostly guesswork. Pull up a surf forecast and squint. The problem is that visibility is driven by half a dozen overlapping processes — wave bottom resuspension, runoff plumes, biological blooms, currents, kelp, sediment type — that interact differently at every site. We can do much better than guessing.
How accurate is it?
Honestly? In MVP, calibrated mostly against Henry's memory of La Jolla Cove. Every forecast ships with a P10/P90 range and a confidence score that drops when data sources are stale, when the model extends further into the future, or when satellite ocean colour is unavailable. We never show you a single number without context.
The model improves as divers submit reports of what they actually saw. After enough reports, a calibrated ML layer (LightGBM with SHAP explainability) replaces the hand-tuned coefficients. If you dive, please submit a report. That's how this gets accurate.
What we don't do
- —Never reveal exact GPS for sensitive dive sites.
- —No account required. No marketing emails.
- —Don't sell your data. There's nothing to sell.
- —No AI buzzwords. This is applied oceanography.
Disclaimer
CalVis is a model. The ocean is real. Conditions can change rapidly and unpredictably. Always verify in person before diving. CalVis takes no responsibility for decisions made based on its forecasts.