Does anyone ask to see your logbook?

[Kimela]

Nope

 

[rongoodman]

On the liveaboards I've been on they ask to see OW, Nitrox, and insurance cards, along with asking when my last dive was and about how many dives I have. I've never been asked for a log book, which is a good thing because I don't bother logging dives. There are probably a couple of hundred on the Shearwater cloud server.

 

[Centrals]

I always travel with my log book and have been asked coupe of times for it.
And if travel to new places I will show it to them without asking.

 

[ChuckP]

Cert number or card, how many dives you had and what type of diving, when was your last dive are the questions I've been asked.

Log books are great for data points for different reasons - wetsuit type, weight, issues or items of interest. More advanced training, they help keep track of types of dives - deep, sidemount, backmount, deco, ccr etc....

Paper ones are ok, digital ones are great for sorting and quickly reviewing. I use Dive Log 6.0, not free but I like it better than the others for what I keep track of.

 

[boulderjohn]

So, in the 70’s we never (me and everyone I dove with) kept logs of our dives. No one asked, or seemed to care. In fact, I don’t remember ever having to show my cert card to rent gear, buy air or go on a boat. After a long break, I’ve recertified and am diving again. Has it changed in the last 40+ years? I don’t plan on a diving career, just recreation diving on nice days.

Your experience is your experience. Others had different experiences. In 1967, Jean Michel Cousteau was very nearly denied a week of diving on a boat in Australia because he did not have a certification card. In 1985 a group of divers planning to dive the Andrea Doria had their dive logs carefully scrutinized before they were allowed to dive. The one who was the most reluctant to show it (had to be forced) was John Ormsby, who died on the dive.

Logged dives are required for professional certifications. Other than that, I have been asked to show my logbook once, about 20 years ago. When I read in these pages about people not having to show certification cards, I am baffled. I am always asked, unless they already have me in their system.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Not one single time. Cards, yes, if they don't already know me.

Last dive, etc., as has been mentioned a few times above.

 

[SlugLife]

So, in the 70’s we never (me and everyone I dove with) kept logs of our dives. No one asked, or seemed to care. In fact, I don’t remember ever having to show my cert card to rent gear, buy air or go on a boat. After a long break, I’ve recertified and am diving again. Has it changed in the last 40+ years? I don’t plan on a diving career, just recreation diving on nice days.

The SSI Agency (Dive Training) demanded I put my log-book in their (garbage) SSI Logbook and not my own logbook, and have a certain number of dives for Advanced Open Water certification. So, it's been demanded as part of training courses/certifications. However, beyond that, nobody has ever asked to look at my logbook, and most of the time I don't have my logbook on me.

Certifications are different issue. Every time I fill a scuba-tank or rent equipment, I've been asked to show my (basic) dive-certification. I've never been asked to show anything above the basic "Open Water" certification, but I also haven't done a lot of travel-dives.

 

[Jafo19D]

To dive Gorgona in Colombia’s Pacific you have to turn in your log book to ensure you have the required minimum of dives. It’s the nsoecyrd by the government, not the dive operator.

 

[NothingClever]

No on logbook. I stopped keeping one at about 20 dives anyways. If somebody needs proof of dives, I’ll pull up my dive profiles on the Shearwater cloud or my Perdix.

I have a neck lanyard with a card holder I keep in my dry bag. I have all my cert cards in my diver smart book (technical planning info, gas laws, etc). I wear the lanyard when boarding with whichever card works best. One time I got on a boat in the Gulf Coast with my Trimix card and the DM said, “I have no idea what TDI or Trimix is....is that like Advanced OW?”. I learned then it was best to use whatever card suits the proficiency of the crew so most of the time I keep the Advanced OW card in there.

 

[NothingClever]

To dive Gorgona in Colombia’s Pacific you have to turn in your log book to ensure you have the required minimum of dives. It’s the nsoecyrd by the government, not the dive operator.

I’d just print off a bunch of profiles from my slice of the Shearwater cloud.