Faking Logbook Entries Fact or Fiction?

[Charlie99]

I don't know about cases where the logbook was actually faked, but there have been several instances of divers claiming to have more experience than they really did.

One famous case was Christopher Murley, who died while in the water, getting ready to descend to the Andrea Doria. Only 5 dives to below 130' !!!!! According to this Newsday article, "On a liability form he signed in April, 1999, Murley stated that he had recorded 130 dives in his career, but his personal diving logs showed he had made only 70 dives."

 

[asklouis]

On a related note, I can't open my log book now. It's in a cover, and I had it in a water proof sack, but it somehow became completly encrusted shut after a boat dive a few months ago. I didn't even know it was wet.

Any hints on getting it open? The pages appear to be clued shut. I'd think salt somehow, but it's really stuck.

Put the logbook in a microwave for a few seconds at a time. This will unstick the pages.

 

[mstevens]

I've got about 40 logged dives. I say "about" because my first logbook went through a hurricane and is nearly impossible to read (except the pages written in pencil, which are just fine). I've got 22 dives logged on a computer I got in August. In between are a couple hundred. We only tended to log dives for some specific reason (such as having to for a class or something very unusual) and never logged many dozens of dives we did as teaching assistants or divemasters. I guess course entry requirements have changed, but I've never really seen the use of logging dives the way I logged flights.

 

[TheRedHead]

I don't know about cases where the logbook was actually faked, but there have been several instances of divers claiming to have more experience than they really did.

One famous case was Christopher Murley, who died while in the water, getting ready to descend to the Andrea Doria. Only 5 dives to below 130' !!!!! According to this Newsday article, "On a liability form he signed in April, 1999, Murley stated that he had recorded 130 dives in his career, but his personal diving logs showed he had made only 70 dives."

You're kidding!? He dived with Doria with fewer dives than me? I read about his death in several books, but haven't read the article. Thanks for pointing that out. ..

 

[MoonWrasse]

More common I hear is "I used to log my dives, but I've so many....". Not from divers who are obviously experienced, but from those and DMs who don't demonstrate confidence underwater.

This happened last week with me, it was the DM, and I suspected he was greener than the 4 of us in our group. At 19, he couldn't tell me how many dives he had made, just "too many to count".
It really became evident on a dive when he lost 2 of the group by swiftly swimming arond a large boulder. Fortunately those 2 , one of which was a DAN member, managed to control the situation.

Later on, while takling to the boat leader it was confirmed that DM was indeed green and it was the company's habit to group a green DM with experienced divers.

 

[ardaiel]

Why in the world would you do that?? I suppose I understand that he wanted to take the class... but you totally miss out on sense of accomplishment. It's easy to say, "Oh yeah, I've got 100 dives under my belt!" But it just doesn't mean anything if you haven't actually done it... That's insane.

I just got certified in October, and they definately pushed the dive log, although on the few dives I've been able to do since, no one has asked to see mine.

 

[KidK9]

That guy and all others like him will die one way or another. They just created their own little "lifeguard to the gene pool".

 

[Kevfin]

My first instructor was very strict about logging dives. It was something you always did. That and use dive tables. Oh well, not everybody has the same values.

Personally, I like logging dives and putting info about the dive. Kind of neat looking back and reading about a dive you did years ago. Unfortunately, the dive log I had in 1995 has vanished…

 

[LittleFish]

I have found that logging dives is more about tracking our own progress and changes to environments you frequent. Filling out the logbook is also a great way to chat about the dive with your buddy and friends during the post dive lunch.

I personally do not know of anyone who has faked log entries but I can see why someone new would be tempted when a class they want to take requires a minimum number. I would guess though, that anyone who has done it would quickly learn that the only one they are shortchanging is themselves. Whether you have a minimum required number of dives or not is really irrelevant in the end. You need to have the skills, which you still may not have even if you do meet the dive number requirement. Faking log entries will not give you the skills no matter how many you do

 

[fairybasslet]

It happens every month. Someone reads the Lessons for Life in Scuba Diving, then bashes the article, claiming it was faked. If you don't like the magazine, don't read it. Unless you have absolute proof that the articles have been made up, then you are just as bad as you claim the magazine is. BTW, I have no stake the in magazine at all. However, I have been a journalist and I am just sick and tired of know-it-alls who think, because of Jayson Blaire and others of his ilk, all reporting is fake. It's like saying all car mechanics are thieves, all lawyers are dishonest, etc. Some people obviously have it in for the magazine and come on this board posting absolute nonsense every time a new issue come out. It's getting old.