Shotline Diving

Connecting You to the Depths of the Great Lakes

Privacy Policy

Who we are Suggested text: Our website address is: https://shotlinediving.com. Comments Suggested text: When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection. An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a…

Who we are

Suggested text: Our website address is: https://shotlinediving.com.

Comments

Suggested text: When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.

An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

Media

Suggested text: If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.

Cookies

Suggested text: If you leave a comment on our site you may opt-in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.

If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.

When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.

If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after 1 day.

Embedded content from other websites

Suggested text: Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.

These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.

Who we share your data with

Suggested text: If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.

How long we retain your data

Suggested text: If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognize and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.

For users that register on our website (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.

What rights you have over your data

Suggested text: If you have an account on this site, or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

Shotline Diving Policy: Publication of Diver Fatality Information

Purpose
Shotline Diving is committed to documenting, preserving, and sharing information related to diving and maritime history in a manner that prioritizes safety, accuracy, and respect. This policy outlines how diver fatality information is handled within the Shotline Diving platform.

Guiding Principle
The primary purpose of recording diver incidents is to improve understanding, education, and safety outcomes—not to identify individuals.

Public Data Standards
All publicly presented diver fatality or incident data will:

  • Exclude personal identifiers such as names unless justified under specific conditions (see below)
  • Focus on:
    • Environmental conditions
    • Dive profile and circumstances
    • Equipment and procedural factors
    • Contributing causes (where known)
  • Be structured to support learning and prevention, not speculation

Use of Names and Identifiable Information
Names of individuals involved in diving fatalities will not be included in standard incident datasets.

Exceptions may be considered only under the following conditions:

  • The information is part of verified historical documentation
  • The inclusion serves a clear research or archival purpose
  • The context is complete, accurate, and responsibly presented

Under no circumstances will names be included in a way that promotes speculation, assigns blame without evidence, or diminishes the dignity of the individual.

Research and Archival Integrity
Shotline Diving may retain identifying information in restricted internal records for:

  • Source verification
  • Cross-referencing archival materials
  • Maintaining historical accuracy

These records are not intended for public dissemination.

Memorialization
Where appropriate, Shotline Diving supports the respectful recognition of individuals through:

  • Dedicated In Memorial sections
  • Separation from incident analysis or causal discussion
  • A tone focused on respect and remembrance, not circumstance

Community Responsibility
The diving community is interconnected, particularly within the Great Lakes region. Shotline Diving recognizes a responsibility to:

  • Respect families, colleagues, and dive partners
  • Avoid unnecessary exposure or harm
  • Uphold professional and ethical standards in all published material

Conclusion
Shotline Diving prioritizes education over curiosity, and respect over completeness. The intent is to ensure that all information shared contributes meaningfully to diver safety while honoring those who have been lost.

In Memorial, individuals are recognized for who they were—not solely for how they were lost.

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