An Independent Research Opportunity on Post-Certification Diver Development

Dear Department Chair and Faculty Members

We'd Like to Offer You a Research Opportunity

We are writing not to promote a product, but to share a genuine, original research opportunity.

Rubelis Beyond is a reading-based awareness and development programme designed for certified divers. We have published a comprehensive white paper (enclosed, grounded in 15 academic sources) setting out the research base behind the programme, its theory of change, and — most importantly — the claims we openly acknowledge as not yet proven.

In Section 6 of the White Paper, we proposed a pilot research protocol to measure the programme's actual impact. We are aware, however, that conducting this ourselves would be methodologically insufficient — an organisation evaluating its own product, however well-intentioned, cannot be considered scientifically impartial. The purpose of this document is to close that gap together with you.

The educational methodology underpinning Rubelis Beyond has now been published as an open-access document with a registered DOI. Academics considering collaboration can access the full framework at rubelis.com/en/methodology (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22750736).

In the following pages, we present in detail the conceptual framework behind this invitation, the programme's full structure, concrete research proposals, and possible collaboration models.

We deliberately chose to make this invitation comprehensive. We believe that offering a genuinely considered research foundation, concrete proposed questions, and a clear collaboration framework — rather than simply saying "please review our product" — is both a mark of respect for your valuable time and what a serious invitation requires. This document is not a hastily assembled promotional text, but a considered presentation of a programme we have worked on for months.

Conceptual Framework and Literature Foundation

The problem underlying this invitation is not drawn from a single observation, but is grounded in four mutually reinforcing lines of literature.

1. Human Factors and Non-Technical Skills

The diving safety literature shows that incidents can stem not only from technical inadequacy but from non-technical factors such as communication, attention, and decision-making. A study classifying U.S. Navy diving incidents through a human-factors lens has systematically addressed the non-technical causes of diving accidents. Divers Alert Network's (DAN) active risk-management approach also emphasises that divers are not always aware of their own cognitive biases.

2. The Intention–Behaviour Gap

A 2023 study conducted in Hong Kong (So et al.) reported a measurable gap between recreational divers' environmental intentions and their actual underwater impact. Barker and Roberts' (2004) study in Biological Conservation, conducted with 353 divers, similarly shows that diver behaviour is associated with variables such as briefing, experience, and equipment use.

3. The Ocean Literacy Framework

UNESCO-IOC's ocean literacy framework states that the goal is not merely an informed individual, but one who thinks critically and behaves responsibly. This framework offers a conceptual foundation directly applicable to dive education.

4. The Knowledge–Behaviour Distance

The environmental education literature shows that increased knowledge alone does not produce behavioural change; attitude, social norms, self-efficacy, and context also play a role. This means the question worth researching is not only "what is taught," but "how it is taught" and "how it is connected to behaviour."

The Intervention Under Study: Programme Structure

Rubelis Beyond is a twelve-chapter programme for certified divers, built entirely on reading and reflection. It contains no video; each chapter combines conceptual explanation, case narrative, and reflective questions. The table below sets out the full chapter structure so researchers can assess the scope of the intervention.

The programme is self-paced with no fixed duration (typical completion takes a few weeks). Participants receive a digital, verifiable certificate upon completion. The programme teaches or certifies no technical diving skill — an important safety/ethical limiting factor in research design that minimises participant risk.

Proposed Research Framework

The proposals below are drawn from Section 6 of our White Paper — but are offered only as a starting point. Determining the final research questions, design, sample size, and instruments is entirely at your academic discretion.

Possible Research Questions

1. Does the programme increase participants' ocean literacy and environmental-impact knowledge?
2. Do participants' decision-quality and situational-awareness levels in dive scenarios change?
3. Does the gap between self-reported environmental/behavioural intention and observed behaviour narrow?
4. Are gains retained over time (30–90 days)?
5. Do results differ by experience level, age, gender, or instructor status?

Proposed Timeline (Example)

Ethical Considerations

Participation must be entirely voluntary, with informed consent obtained. Personal data must be coded, and results must not be selectively reported based on positive findings alone. Obtaining the necessary ethics board approval is entirely left to your institution's own process and responsibility.

Concrete Research/Thesis Topic Proposals

The titles below are offered as starting points for faculty members and graduate students across disciplines — they need not be used verbatim; they are intended for inspiration.

Possible Collaboration Models

There is no single correct form of academic collaboration. Below we present a few models you may choose from, depending on your institution's capacity and interest:

Model 1 — Graduate Thesis Study

A master's or doctoral student independently researches the programme as part of their own thesis topic, under their supervisor's guidance. Rubelis Beyond does not intervene in the process beyond providing programme access and technical support.

Model 2 — Undergraduate Term Project / Capstone Study

A smaller-scale, single-semester pilot study can be conducted as part of an undergraduate research methods course.

Model 3 — Faculty-Led Independent Research

A faculty member conducts the study with a team of students as part of their own research programme; results can be prepared for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.

Model 4 — Institutionally Supported Project (e.g. TÜBİTAK)

If the scope is sufficiently broad, this can form the basis for an application to support programmes such as TÜBİTAK 2209 (Research Projects for University Students). Rubelis Beyond is prepared to provide the necessary institutional correspondence and programme access for such an application.

Points to Consider When Choosing a Model

Whichever model you choose, our suggestion is this: scale the scope to your institution's current academic calendar and student capacity. Even a small-scale pilot study — for example, a single-semester pre-test/post-test design with ten to twenty participants — can make a genuine contribution to the literature and form the basis for a larger study.

What We Offer, What We Ask

What We Offer as Rubelis Beyond

• —Free programme access codes for participating students/volunteers.
• —Access to the programme's full content structure and learning objectives.
• —Permission to use the literature review in our White Paper as a starting point.
• —Responses to technical/content questions about the programme throughout the research, as needed.
• —Supporting documentation for applications or institutional correspondence, if required.
• —Sharing of results — positive or negative — through our own channels, with your permission and full credit for your work.

What We Ask of You

• —That the research be conducted entirely independently, according to your own academic and ethical standards.
• —That analysis, interpretation, and reporting be carried out without direction from us.
• —That results be shared transparently, regardless of whether they are positive or negative.

Selected References

• —Barker, N.H.L. & Roberts, C.M. (2004). Scuba Diver Behaviour and the Management of Diving Impacts on Coral Reefs. Biological Conservation, 120(4), 481–489.
• —So, J.Y., Kwok, Y., Lai, C., Fong, H.W., Pang, L.Y. (2023). Underwater Impact and Intention–Behaviour Gap of Scuba Divers on Coral Communities in Hong Kong SAR, China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(5), 3896.
• —Divers Alert Network. "A Culture of Active Risk Management." Alert Diver, 2015.
• —British Sub-Aqua Club. "Awareness of Human Factors in Diving."
• —UNESCO-IOC. Ocean Literacy Portal and Framework.
• —Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society. "The Nontechnical Causes of Diving Accidents: Can U.S. Navy Divers Learn from Other Industries?" 2006.
• —Gómez-García, M.J. et al. "Quantifying the Effects of Diver Interactions on Manta Ray Behavior." Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021.

About the Founder

Taylan Kırali is a PADI IDC Staff Instructor, PADI Emergency First Response (EFR) Instructor, PADI 2025 Elite Instructor, TSSF CMAS 1-star Diving Instructor, and Green Fins Guide Instructor. He has been an active diving instructor for fourteen years.

Prior to Rubelis Beyond, he served as Education Coordinator at a dive centre, helping it become Turkey's only known Green Fins Digital Member and PADI Eco Center. In 2025, he led a marine clean-up project conducted jointly with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Istanbul University, involving approximately 300 participants.

Rubelis Beyond was founded in 2026 following a two-year preparation process, and today comprises four programmes actively used in both Turkish and English. The programme's content has been comprehensively reviewed by an independent industry expert and audited for technical accuracy.

Contact and Next Steps

This invitation is not a firm commitment or binding offer — it is a starting point. If it interests you, we would be glad to shape the scope, timeline, and form of collaboration together, according to your academic judgement.

Enclosed you will find our White Paper, containing the full details of the programme's research foundation and the proposed pilot protocol. We also invite you to experience the programme itself, free of charge, for review purposes.

Thank you in advance for your interest and your valuable time.