NO. You are not alone on keeping paper log book.What I've learned from reading this fun thread is that I'm apparently the only person in the world still keeping a paper logbook.I do it because I enjoy reflecting on the dives as I lounge around in the room with a cerveza after all the gear rinsing is done for the day. And it is fun to go back through and remember all the people I've dived with over the years.
I've only been asked to see it once outside of a training class. That was from an insta-buddy from England who wanted to put his verification stamp on my log page. I didn't even know that was a thing, and it's never happened since. Other than 2 instructors, he's the only one that ever 'signed' one of my log pages!
Does anyone ask to see your logbook?
- Thread starter Reef Madness
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I've never even seen a computer log print out.What I've learned from reading this fun thread is that I'm apparently the only person in the world still keeping a paper logbook.
I've only been asked to see it once outside of a training class. That was from an insta-buddy from England who wanted to put his verification stamp on my log page. I didn't even know that was a thing, and it's never happened since. Other than 2 instructors, he's the only one that ever 'signed' one of my log pages!
Blackcrusader
Contributor
I've never been asked to see my log book.
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Had to prove that I met the pre-requisites for an advanced course. Can't remember which, but it was to prove the depth and numbers. I simply exported a list from Subsurface (which I'd imported from Suunto's logfile).
Good to see that instructor took it seriously.
Good to see that instructor took it seriously.
EFX
Contributor
In order to get my master diver's cert from PADI, the shop wanted to copy a page out of my log book to prove I had at least 50 dives. I gave them a log of my 77th dive. I don't know if the shop kept it or they sent it to PADI with the rest of the paperwork. No one else has asked to see my dive logs.
Here, the dive shops are required by law to verify that you've dived in the past six months before they rent you gear or provide air fills; if not, you have to do a refresher. Past a certain period (don't remember how long exactly, it's a few years) you have to do a deep refresher, which is basically a 1-day course with two or three dives. Oh, and solo diving is completely prohibited.
bubbly noob
Registered
"I've never even seen a computer log print out."
"I've never been asked to see my log book."
Again proof that certs are absolute BS
How about:
I've always been asked to show my money.
"I've never been asked to see my log book."
Again proof that certs are absolute BS
How about:
I've always been asked to show my money.
That's going a bit far isn't it? A cert just says you passed the bare minimum learning for whatever activity you're certified in. It doesn't mean you're good at it, and neither do log book entries. Same is true for many other skills that have some form of certification. Unfortunately it's really damn hard to judge someone's ability from a piece of paper. Anyone with a career in IT certainly knows this. I bet there are more than a few terrible divers out there with triple digit dives in their log. I know from firsthand experience there are some with really bad judgement.
I feel like any dive op that knows their stuff isn't going to put any faith in a log book, nor should they, because they aren't verifiable anyway. And that's why they don't ask. They'll watch you on your first couple dives to see if you know what you're doing, which is as it should be.
I'm sure it's a different story in more advanced / tech / cave diving, and it should be since the stakes are way higher, but I can't speak to that since I'm just a warm water wimp.
What I've learned from reading this fun thread is that I'm apparently the only person in the world still keeping a paper logbook.
I've only been asked to see it once outside of a training class. That was from an insta-buddy from England who wanted to put his verification stamp on my log page. I didn't even know that was a thing, and it's never happened since. Other than 2 instructors, he's the only one that ever 'signed' one of my log pages!
You aren't the only one who still keeps a log book.
I use MacDive for the details, but use the paper log to capture things I want to remember: what I saw, conditions, things I need to improve, buddy name, DM name, name of the boat's doggo. For me the paper log is more a scrapbook or a journal than a log. But I can look at the handwritten notes in a paper log about a dive 4 years ago at Kona and it's enough to trigger the visual memories of that awesome dive. Just looking at the profile on MacDive doesn't bring it all back. I could type notes into MacDive, but who takes a laptop on a single day boat trip?
For some tougher dives where I wasn't known, for example if I (West Coast diver) was to go to the Great Lakes or some tougher New England dives, I'd kinda expect them to take a peek. I've seen so many learned-at-a-resort-and-vacation-every-4-years-warm-water-only divers, that if I was running an op where diving is tougher, I'd want to know you were at least probably ready for it. Some of those folks have trouble in San Diego, I can only imagine the issues they'd have in GL or NE.
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