Using social media to monitor diving pressure and diver–wildlife interactions in the northern Red Sea

The rapid global expansion of recreational diving and its associated pressures are increasingly recognized as significant local anthropogenic stressors on coral reefs. Addressing these impacts requires innovative monitoring techniques, as the effects of intensive diving tourism remain unclear and may hinder conservation and restoration efforts. We monitored diving pressure at Eilat's reefs, a prominent diving destination in the northern Red Sea, by analyzing social media data from underwater experiences posted on Facebook by divers. Analysis of 568 Facebook posts (2014–2016) revealed divers' demographics, site preferences, and wildlife interactions. Results aligned with previous questionnaire data, verifying social media records as reliable indicators of dive site distribution and showing that artificial reefs may relieve pressure on natural ones. Content analysis logged 129 taxa from 77 families and two main contributor profiles. Certified divers posted 54.8% marine life, 36.9% fellow divers, and 8.3% artificial reefs; their wildlife posts covered five phyla, of which 83% were chordates. Underwater photographers, comprising only 11% of users, produced 43% of all posts. Of these, 99.1% focused on marine life, capturing all nine phyla and did not feature artificial reefs as the focal subject. Human–wildlife interactions were captured in 69.8% of posts, with 80.3% placing divers within 2 m of marine animals, raising concerns about potential disturbances. Our study demonstrates social media data mining as a valuable, cost-effective tool to quantify recreational diving spatial use and impacts. This approach complements traditional methods, offering novel insights for marine conservation management in data-limited or highly utilized regions.