Dive log?

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mac66

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Location
SE Mich
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Recently got OW certified. Haven't done any certified dives yet. I've read of people using dive logs. With everything being online these days (PADI) is having/taking a physical dive log with you necessary?

If so what and where do you get?
 
I am relatively a newer diver, but a physical dive log has not been an issue for my family diving off boats in FL.

I thought that I wanted a paper dive log but rarely ended up using it. It you want to collect dive center stickers or stamps, obviously physical is the way to go.

Look at Subsurface as an online divelog. It is compatible with servel different OS. With cloud storage, you can see it on your phone, home computer, etc. That is why I like it anyway. It supports a good catalog of compatible dive computers. It's dive planer is also pretty nice.

Not the only option but one to consider.
 
I don't carry round a physical log anymore, and don't get asked for one. The main use for a physical dive log would be if you want to show practical real world experience in support of being allowed to do dives seen as 'beyond your certification level.'

Back in 2013 I saw it play out on a dive boat out of Key Largo. 2 Guys with OW cert., but not Advanced OW cert., were on the boat and wanted to do the deep dive. Captain was willing to take a look at their log books, but they didn't have them. No dive.

If you have the certifications for what you want to do, I don't think this is likely to be a problem.

Some electronic logs have a phone option; MacDive on my desktop computer and my iPhone, for example. So I can show a log if I need to.

Richard.
 
Recently got OW certified. Haven't done any certified dives yet. I've read of people using dive logs. With everything being online these days (PADI) is having/taking a physical dive log with you necessary?

If so what and where do you get?
Plenty of apps and programs out there now for logging your dives, but most training dives still need to be logged and stamped by an instructor or dive centre.

I personally like having the paper logs to look back on years from now, but if I was in the water every day, several times a day, I'd get bored of logging real fast.
 
A digital dive log is the way to go. Preferrably one that has a mobile app so you've got the dives available on your phone, in the off chance that you'd need to produce them, or more likely, you want to check a gear/weight configuration at a later date, or if you can't recall if you were cold in that 82 degree water with a 3/2 skin, that sort of thing.

Even better is one that allows you to hook your dive computer to a PC and upload data including date, time, depth, bottom time, and additional information such as SAC rates which are automatically calculated by most air integrated computers. The data builds and travels with you as you progress through your dive career and can make diving safer and more fun.

Don't use a log that is entirely website based because if goes defunct and you can't download your data you're going to either lose it or have a lot of work to do in order to rebuild it elsewhere. Diverrecord.com is one such example.

I use Subsurface- it has all these features, is easy to use, and best of all it's free. It has a local and cloud based storage so you're not dependent on them for your data. You can import and export your dive data if needed, for another application.

P.S. You should log your OW checkout dives, including the weights you used, the temperature of the water if you know it or can retrieve it from your dive computer should you happen to own one, and any notable things about the dive itself that might be worth reviewing at a later date.

most training dives still need to be logged and stamped by an instructor or dive centre..

That's news to me.
 
If you ever want to become a dive master, you will need to show your logged dives (and therefore a dive log). I don't have a desire to go any further in my training, but it is something to consider when you're starting out. I'm not sure any agency will accept an electronic log as proof of completed dives.
 
It's worth it for recording your weight requirements, particularly if you do different types of dive (i.e wet / dry, fresh / salt, warm / cold, steel / ali, etc)
 
I'm not sure any agency will accept an electronic log as proof of completed dives.
Any instructor, agency, etc. doesn't accept electronic logbooks in this day and age, isn't worth doing any training or earning certifications with them at all. Properly filled out electronic log that includes all pertinent and essential information should be sufficient to comply with experience requirements.
 
If you ever want to become a dive master, you will need to show your logged dives (and therefore a dive log)

Whip out your cellphone with your Subsurface dive log right there in a handly litte app and you're good to go.

I'm not sure any agency will accept an electronic log as proof of completed dives.

Many or most or all, certainly will do so.
 

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