Electronic Dive Log vs. Paper

[Buoyant1]

I ran into a variation of this problem, in Mexico, a year ago. After very carefully packing EVERYTHING, we left, got to a friend's house to carpool to the airport. While waiting there we remembered what we had forgotten -- our C-Cards! We quickly called the housesitter, had her find the cards, put them in the scanner and then emailed them to us and got them saved as JPEGs. I then loaded them onto a chip and put the chip into my camera.

When the dive op asked to see my cards I just reviewed the images on the chip and showed them the cards.

There is no reason why you couldn't do the same thing with your dive log (if you want). Convert the PDF's to JPEGs, load them onto your camera chip and there you have it -- your electronic, and personal and portable, dive log.

Pretty gosh darned slick if ya ask me!!!

Thanks for reminding me to make sure my applicable cards are in my logbook (which is in my gear bag) I'm heading to Florida in a week, and getting things together!

 

[Garrobo]

What Charlie99 said.

 

[String]

I used to carry a summary sheet of last 30 dives or so then stopped bothering doing that. All my records are electronic as its far easier and more detailed. Yet to come across an operator that was in the slightest bit interested in looking at the logs.

 

[SparticleBrane]

I ran into a variation of this problem, in Mexico, a year ago. After very carefully packing EVERYTHING, we left, got to a friend's house to carpool to the airport. While waiting there we remembered what we had forgotten -- our C-Cards! We quickly called the housesitter, had her find the cards, put them in the scanner and then emailed them to us and got them saved as JPEGs. I then loaded them onto a chip and put the chip into my camera.

When the dive op asked to see my cards I just reviewed the images on the chip and showed them the cards.

There is no reason why you couldn't do the same thing with your dive log (if you want). Convert the PDF's to JPEGs, load them onto your camera chip and there you have it -- your electronic, and personal and portable, dive log.

Then I hear stories like I heard awhile ago -- a guy I know keeps scanned copies of all his C-cards on his website for situations just like this. He showed them to a dive op, and the kid there claimed he might have "faked" all the cards.

 

[String]

Surely most agencies now can check online or with a phone call. Would save most of this farce.

(ok not in very remote places).

 

[JRScuba]

Richard,
I also carry my laptop with me on trips so if the need arises I have a log book.

Is your laptop waterproof????? LOL

 

[eponym]

When I go on a dive trip I bring a divelog (3-ring binder) with my most recent thirty or so divelog pages in it (pages of my own design--see here). Some operators (esp. in the Red Sea, in my experience) want to see "evidence" of recent dives or they'll charge you for an evaluation dive. A fellow instructor told me his Red Sea op. gave him a pass based on his dive computer's memory readout, not based on a printed log.

-Bryan

 

[Jandee]

2 years ago in Cozumel I was asked to show my dive log. The DM was picking divers to go out to Devil's Throat. I probably wouldn't of been able to go without the dive log. I only take the current book. My husband doesn't actually log anything but can download everything from his dive computer and then print it off on 1 piece of paper.

 

[james_bond_007]

From this thread, I am understanding that in a few cases, resort-type dive operators may require some sort of proof/verification of the amount of dive time one has (#dives) and the type of experience (deep, drift, etc.) one has.

Recently, in Kona HI, some of the operators had requirements for dives labeled "Advanced Local or Advanced Long Range", such as "Must have at least 50 logged dives; Must be Adv OW certified and dived in last 6 months " etc.
(The only thing I found 'advanced' about the dive was that we dropped below 60' occasionally, but that is a different topic)

They asked for proof, but did not specify what that was. I had a log book and appropriate C-Card. I honestly don't know if they would have accepted the log from my computer or not.

 

[james_bond_007]

For a newer diver that is working through the PADI certification levels towards say a Dive Master or Dive Instructor, some of the certification stages call for 40, 50, 60 logged dives in order to qualify to take or complete the certification.

Can anyone comment on whether a paper log is required for this ?
Is a computer-log (either from an actual dive computer or the downloaded data as displayed by 'electronic log book' software like DM5, Subsurface, etc.) acceptable ?

Or is this not really a 'firm' requirement ?