Logging Dives?

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I back up my paper logs by xeroxing them and putting the copies in our lead "fire box" so they are safe if the house burns down and in case I ever lose my log book(s). Takes 2 minutes after each dive day.
I've been meaning to scan my paper logs and upload them to my Google Drive. Google seems less likely to suddenly stop existing than many of these programs, and a .pdf document could easily be saved to any number of cloud storage platforms (including just emailing it to myself) and reprinted as needed. I have a scanner at work I could use, but my phone camera works well for this purpose too.
 
I do not log dives, but I do keep recent dives stored on my computer in case an operator wonders "who the hell do you think YOU are?". I can't say I'm sorry I never kept a logbook.
 
Apart from keeping a file on total dives, dive time and time underwater for that year I no longer keep a paper log. I stopped when I ''gave up'' diving abroad. If something of a learning point occurs I do keep a note of that. I do keep a mental note of changes in gas usage in a dive. Like some others I stopped looking at the dive logs, so could not see the point of keeping them.
 
I do look back at past dives to check out depths and other relevant stuff when I plan to dive the same site again. I find it interesting over winters (well, summers too) to compare ocean water temperatures on the same approx. date for various years. Strangely, there can be more than a little difference.
I don't record weights, exposure suits in the log (like many do), as I have 3 setups that I use and this doesn't change.
 
DC registers of course.
I complete my logbook with all data (except entry and exit time which I never manage to recall) and get it signed off by my buddy annex instructor or buddy of the day (have to, must be able to show enough dives)
l log everything in the PADI-app as well, just in case...
 
I do look back at past dives to check out depths and other relevant stuff when I plan to dive the same site again. I find it interesting over winters (well, summers too) to compare ocean water temperatures on the same approx. date for various years. Strangely, there can be more than a little difference.
I don't record weights, exposure suits in the log (like many do), as I have 3 setups that I use and this doesn't change.
I do as well. I find that aspect of logging useful. But paper logs to me are useless for this purpose. I'm not about to flip through the pages to try to find a specific site. With SubSurface (or I'm sure many other logging tools) I can just type in a site name and easily flip through the dives to see what the temp was, or what gear I used.

I have a huge gap in my log from my first certification to the point where I got second dive computer. First DC actually had logging capability, but I just never got the cable. I think that was probably due to me not really seeing the benefit at that time due to my experience with paper logs. So, basically, 17 years of very sparse logs (I think only checkout dives, and maybe a couple others).

Now, I do see the benefit. If I had to do it again, I'm not sure if I would go the paper log route, but I might have gone with some sort of electronic log. My kids both have logging computers, and both are set up with SubSurface Cloud backed up to their computers.
 
The only reason flipping through the paper isn't a big deal for me is my dives are pretty routine--ie. same sites, same times of year, etc. But I can see the advantage of electronic for sure, especially if you're diving all over the place.
 
I kept a paper log for a while and then transcribed them all over to an Excel file. I use the Excel file now to log dives. I can sort and search for particular dates, dive sites, water temps, etc. It lives on my hard drive so there's little risk of it suddenly disappearing. I periodically upload it to Google Docs so that I can access and edit it from my phone while travelling. After I get back I'll download the new edited copy from Google Docs back on my hard drive so that it's stored locally.

I include a lot of qualitative info about dive sites and dive procedures (entries, exits, hazards) in my logs so they are indispensable to me. There's no way I'd be able to remember the details of all my dives without a log.
 
To those divers using a spreadsheet because they're concerned about a dive log software company going out of business I will say this: There is dive software such as Subsurface that uses universal data files that can be exported in a format that can be imported into spreadsheets or other dive company software. Perhaps more importantly, Subsurface in particular as well as probably others- runs locally and offers backup storage in their cloud- but if they should disappear one day the software will continue to run, and the data is also saved to your local computer which can be backed up to the cloud to services such as Google Drive.

There are numerous advantages of using dive log software over spreadsheets- easy to use interface to enter and view data, you can attach photos and sometimes even videos to individual dives- I tend to take pictures of the dive briefing photos and add those, in Subsurface you can enter GPS coordinates or make a good guess using the built in map and viola.. there's a map of the world with dive flags showing all the places you've been. Zoom in, click on one and you are brought right to the log of that dive- or multiple dives will highlight if they are the same dive site. Try THAT with your spreadsheet as well as automatic calculation of your SAC or RMV if you're using air integration, as well as automatic import from your dive computer of data including but not limited to your EAN %, time of dive, temperature, and of course depth and bottom times.

Software such as Subsurface include an app so you've got all that information right there on your phone, to show to a dive operator your recent dive history or to check in real time for things such as dive site particulars, weights last used, etc.

It goes without saying that a paper logbook does none of those things automatically and is much more difficult to store and back up and is so technologically backwards it isn't even a practical consideration anymore.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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