Do you log ‘gear test’ dives?

[Lorenzoid]

That sounds complex, maintaining different databases. Wouldn't it be better to just log all your dives in the same database, and then if you want to be able to sort out separate types of dives use metadata? Like a tag for a training dive or something? What do you do if some dives in the future that overlap categories - like if you have a fun dive in a lake, or a training dive at a resort? Obviously, this is just a conversation, we all do whatever we like with our logs, and if this works well for you, that's great. But I like having all of my dives accessible and searchable, and available to me everywhere (the MacDive log is synced with the app on my phone).

For example, I have three CCR tags: CCR_Training, CCR_Demo and CCR_JJ. If I were, for example, to buy a different rebreather someday, I would just add a tag for that. So now, when I want to see how many hours I have on the JJ outside of training, I just search for CCR_JJ, and the number appears in the bottom of the screen. If I wanted to see the total including training, then I would just search for CCR_Training and CCR_JJ. If I trained on another unit, I would make another tag for that and then just edit the tags so that the previous CCR_Training tags became CCR_Training_JJ, to keep it consistent...

Yes, that would be the 21st century way to do it, and the consistency of it does appeal to me. But my "databases" are paper. The vacation-diving log is the traditional compact 3-ring binder style with a format to record all the usual data, but especially marine life observations. The training log is a spiral notebook where most of the space is devoted to my stream-of-consciousness thoughts--the kind of thing a 21st century diver might keep a blog for. When I leave for a trip or a course, I take the corresponding log with me.

I gave electronic logging a try and did not like it. I deleted Subsurface from this computer yesterday to free up disk space. Maybe it was the very fact that, but for tags, all log entries "look" the same that did not appeal to me.

 

[drl]

Did you learn something? If so, it’s worth logging the dive to record what you learned. I find those are the ones I’m most likely to look back at anyway. YMMV.

 

[doctormike]

Yes, that would be the 21st century way to do it, and the consistency of it does appeal to me. But my "databases" are paper. The vacation-diving log is the traditional compact 3-ring binder style with a format to record all the usual data, but especially marine life observations. The training log is a spiral notebook where most of the space is devoted to my stream-of-consciousness thoughts--the kind of thing a 21st century diver might keep a blog for. When I leave for a trip or a course, I take the corresponding log with me.

I gave electronic logging a try and did not like it. I deleted Subsurface from this computer yesterday to free up disk space. Maybe it was the very fact that, but for tags, all log entries "look" the same that did not appeal to me.

Aha! That makes sense....

 

[Kharon]

I log eveything, even aborted dives. It's something to refer back to. I don't necessarily count aborted, class, and checkout dives as part of my total dives.

 

[TMHeimer]

I log eveything, even aborted dives. It's something to refer back to. I don't necessarily count aborted, class, and checkout dives as part of my total dives.

An interesting take. Not at all being critical, just curious why you don't count class or checkout dives as part of your total. By checkout dives do you mean like when a dive charter op takes you to a dive where they can check out your abilities?

 

[KentB]

I set my perdix to I think it’s a 5 or 10 min surface interval before the dive is over and another one begins.

I log all of my dives. But I don’t do pool stuff so I’m reality all my dives were actual dives for some length of time and to some depth.
A more interesting thing for me is logging total time underwater.apart from OW and a couple dives in Mexico on Al80s the smallest tanks I’ve dove were 117s
Normally I dive a 149 so my dives are usually long
Now that air has gotten better I just picked up some 117s for shore diving and less than 100’

 

[WillHartNZ]

If it's deeper than 5m it goes in my logbook but that doesn't always mean it'll get given a number to count towards total number of dives. I'll just record the time, the purpose of the dive and add it to my total bottom time. It's only once a dive is over 20 minutes that I'll count it as an actual dive.

A common time that I'll put a dive in the logbook but not number it is when I'm teaching a rescue course. I'll just add up all the short dive times from the day and put them as one un-numbered dive simply to have a reference of what I've done.

 

[boulderjohn]

A common time that I'll put a dive in the logbook but not number it is when I'm teaching a rescue course. I'll just add up all the short dive times from the day and put them as one un-numbered dive simply to have a reference of what I've done.

The Rescue Diver course has been mentioned a couple of times because of its many descents and ascents. I have not taught it in a long time, but at one point in its history, PADI recommended that a diver count the full course as four dives.

 

[Colliam7]

My logbook is a personal diary. Yes, I have needed it on occasion to verify pre-requisite credentials for training.And, yes, it is a running dive number tally. But, I tend to log virtually all dives, IF I have something to say about the dive. That 'something' might be simply rig, weight and exposure suit - the log gives me a summary of my weighting requirements across environments. I have logged gear test dives, to keep track of experiences, issues, etc. Now, if I jump in the pool to try out a piece of equipment, I don't log that. But, if I am in open water, chances are I am going to log it, and comment on it.

The Rescue Diver course has been mentioned a couple of times because of its many descents and ascents. I have not taught it in a long time, but at one point in its history, PADI recommended that a diver count the full course as four dives.

In fact, when I took it quite some time ago, I believe we were told to log 5 dives. Now, it is two. to reflect the two Rescue Scenarios.

 

[tbone1004]

I log everything outside of a pool, ESPECIALLY gear test dives, which I do a lot of. Only reason for not logging pool dives when doing gear checks is I usually don't have a computer on me and I let my computer log stuff for me. I'm also just going up and down for a few minutes at a time and there are often email exchanges on what's going on. I think it's important to log those kinds of dives in some manner to remember what you did and why, how it felt etc.

Now, what I do when I'm diving in lakes/quarries is change the dive number to 0. I do that for all teaching dives, gear check dives etc. It doesn't inflate the "number of dives" if you are worried about that, but it keeps the record of information should you need to reference it.