What constitutes a dive?

[fjpatrum]

Your personal dive log is just that - personal. You can count whatever you choose as a dive. My diving group feels that amount of time in the water is more important than number of dives. As a result, we don't consider it a loggable dive unless the dive is at least an hour, or has some specific purpose.

So let me ask a question, what happens to all those hours in the water that were less than an hour-long dive? You can do a lot of 45 minute dives that will certainly count towards a total "amount of time in the water" but wouldn't count as dives for your group.

As for specific purpose, that's simple. Diving!

 

[fjpatrum]

Another twist on this question-- do you log aquarium dives, for those that volunteer in aquariums around the country/world?

 

[keesmon]

Rescue dive #4 was 12' for 4 minutes.
Found the body, brought the body to the surface, towed the body, brought her on board and performed CPR.
Did I count it? sure!
I worked my butt off on that dive, saying nothing about all the surface rescues immediately prior to and following that dive.
On a recreational level, if I surface during a dive, but use the same tank to go down again, my computer will log 2 dives, but I'll combine them into 1 in my log book.

 

[Cave Diver]

So let me ask a question, what happens to all those hours in the water that were less than an hour-long dive?

Nothing "happens" to them. Does anything need to?

I can do a lot of 45 minute dives that will certainly count towards a total "amount of time in the water" but wouldn't count as dives for your group.

So? That is a choice that *my* group made. Any individual, either inside our outside our group is free to count their dives however they see fit. If you joined our group and we spend 20 minutes on a dive and you wanted to log it feel free. We might give you a little friendly harassment, but other than that its *your* dive.

When I say it's about the "amount of time in the water" that's because I believe that doing longer dives does more to reinforce skills than doing a bunch of short ones. I don't number dives, I don't track cumulative hours. Frankly it's just not that important to me to say I've got more dives, or more hours than someone else.

I dive for my enjoyment, not as a competition to see who can rack up the most time or dives. Since our local diving is rather sparse, and going somewhere else involves a fair degree of effort and preparation, we want to spend as much time in the water as we can, so our diving is geared around that.

 

[The Chairman]

Another twist on this question-- do you log aquarium dives, for those that volunteer in aquariums around the country/world?

I would!

 

[boulderjohn]

Rescue dive #4 was 12' for 4 minutes.
Found the body, brought the body to the surface, towed the body, brought her on board and performed CPR.
Did I count it? sure!
I worked my butt off on that dive, saying nothing about all the surface rescues immediately prior to and following that dive.
On a recreational level, if I surface during a dive, but use the same tank to go down again, my computer will log 2 dives, but I'll combine them into 1 in my log book.

PADI specifically gives exception to the normal training dive limits for the Rescue class for the reasons you list.

 

[Rubber Duckie]

I was taught that in order to count a dive as a "real" dive, you need to be in open water at a minimum depth of 15 feet for 15 minutes. This is the standard that I have been holding myself too, although my dives are at least 3-4 times that in length and depth.

Does anyone count pool dives towards their overall dive tally?
Do certifying agencies have different standards for this?

Most pools are only 8'-14' max depth and of course are not open water. I seem to recall a thread in the past where there were some that counted their pool dives.

Its almost warm enough here in Texas to start diving the lakes again but for now I often dive in the Comal river. The Comal has an average depth of about 10ft with a max of about 15ft depending on how much the aquifer is putting out. They are easy dives and an al80 can last you about 1 1/2 hours unless you swim against the current. Even though they are shallower than what some would consider a real dive I still have bettered some skills like buoyancy control, dogging tubers... ect..
Until I can talk the wife into a dry-suit most of my logged winter dives will be in the Comal.

 

[seaducer]

Another twist on this question-- do you log aquarium dives, for those that volunteer in aquariums around the country/world?

I logged the first couple of dives for the novelty of it. Then I started using a page for the whole day. Then I began only logging the really cool or exciting dives. Then I stopped logging them altogether in my personal log. I do still log the data in my aquarium dive log, but my personal log is for OW dives only.

I suppose if I was loaned to another institution or paid for a dive in someplace like Georgia I would log those.

 

[Dive Bug Bit Me]

I was taught that in order to count a dive as a "real" dive, you need to be in open water at a minimum depth of 15 feet for 15 minutes. This is the standard that I have been holding myself too, although my dives are at least 3-4 times that in length and depth.

I did a great white cage dive in South Africa a few years ago. Max depth in the cage is only 9 ft. Did I log it? - Absolutely . My log is for me to memorialize interesting / fun aspects of diving as well.

 

[jar546]

I log my morning showers if the drain backs up and the water gets to my ankle bones