MADS Terms of Use

Last updated: October 17, 2026

MADS (Mid-Atlantic Dive Sites) is run by New England Dive Sites LLC ("we", "us"). By using MADS you agree to these terms, which are an agreement between you and New England Dive Sites LLC.

Scores are estimates, not a safety call

Dive scores, visibility estimates and site guides come from public forecasts, tide predictions and other divers' reports. They can be wrong. Always check conditions on site, follow your training and certification limits, and never dive beyond your ability. Diving carries risk of serious injury or death, and you dive at your own risk.

Diving with other people

MADS helps divers find each other, but we don't vet anyone, and we don't organize, run or supervise any dive, including group dives posted in the app. Whoever posts a dive is responsible for it, and everyone who joins is responsible for their own safety. Meet in a public place, agree on a dive plan and limits before you gear up, check each other's certification and gear, and end the dive if anything feels wrong.

What you can post

Post honest dive plans, replies and conditions reports, and log only dives you actually made. There's no tolerance for objectionable content or abusive users. Don't post: - harassment, threats, hate or sexual content - spam, ads or links - other people's personal information - dangerous advice

We may remove posts, replies and dive logs and suspend accounts that break these rules. Dive logs are limited to 2 a day, logged within a month of the dive, to keep stats and the leaderboard fair. Report a post or a profile, or block a person, from the "⋯" menu on any post; we review reports within 24 hours.

Photos and dive logs you share

You keep the rights to the photos and dive logs you post. When you share one (shared is the default), you let MADS show it in the app, on the dive site's page and on the home screen as a featured photo, along with your first name and last initial. You also let MADS use shared photos to promote MADS (for example on the MADS Facebook page or app store listings), always crediting you by first name and last initial. This permission is free, worldwide and non-exclusive, and it ends for any photo you delete or switch to "just for me," except for promotion already published.

Only post photos you took or have permission to share, and don't post photos of people who haven't agreed to it. Dives marked "just for me" are visible only to you and are never featured or used to promote MADS.

Copyright complaints

If something posted in MADS, such as a photo, uses your work without permission, email [email protected] with: a link to or description of the post, the work you own, your name and contact details, and a statement that you believe in good faith the use isn't authorized and that your notice is accurate. We'll take down material that infringes, and we close the accounts of people who repeatedly post others' work.

Where our information comes from

Forecasts, tides, buoy readings and river levels come from NOAA, the National Weather Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. Recent rainfall comes from FAA and National Weather Service airport stations, by way of the Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Water clarity comes from NOAA CoastWatch satellite data. The map shows land from © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and state lines from the U.S. Census Bureau. Dive site descriptions are written by MADS from public sources, including government reef and wreck programs, NOAA sanctuaries and dive community sites; each site's page lists its sources. Visibility and conditions also come from divers' own reports.

Sponsors

Some spots in the app, such as the featured card on the home screen, may show sponsors like dive shops and charters. Sponsored content is always labeled "Sponsored." MADS doesn't endorse sponsors' services; check a shop's or charter's credentials yourself. Sponsors don't get your personal information from MADS.

Tips

MADS is free. The "Chip in to keep it running" link at the bottom of the app's screens opens our Ko-fi page, where you can leave an optional tip. Tips are voluntary gifts to support the app: they don't unlock anything, aren't tax-deductible donations, and are handled by Ko-fi under its own terms.

Your account

You're responsible for what you post. You can delete your posts or your whole account at any time in the app.

Changes

We may update these terms; the date above shows the latest version. Continuing to use MADS means you accept the changes.

Limits of our responsibility

MADS is provided "as is", without warranties of any kind. To the fullest extent the law allows, New England Dive Sites LLC is not liable for any injury, loss or damage arising from diving, from meeting other divers, or from relying on scores, forecasts, site guides or posts in the app.

Contact

New England Dive Sites LLC. Email [email protected] (also shown in the app on the welcome and sign-in screens and under Profile).