Help! Dive log question

[Ziggys_Friend]

Here's a simple Newbie question, just what is “a dive” for log purposes? I know it sounds like a dumb question (well, it probably is but that's why it’s in New 2 Scuba), but seriously I don't know.

Here's an example, I dove at Catalina last weekend as part of a DIR-F class and we made four (4) dives; two Saturday afternoon and two Sunday. However, every dive we did was thumbed by either MHK or one of us (okay, almost all of them by MHK). We'd end the dive and come to the surface where he'd take 5-15 minutes debriefing our dive and then we'd go down again. Now my … Vytec “bottom timer” indicates ten (10) dives since it reset itself upon each surface interval.

So should I log 4 dives? 10 dives? Or can I just just pick a nice number? I suppose it isn't that important, but I'd like to do it in the manner most commonly considered correct.

~<//><

P.S. Of course, MHK won't count any of them as “real” dives so maybe this is moot?

 

[scuberd]

something like that, I would say one diver per tank used (asuming you were using singles) otherwise anything below about 15-20 feet, or longer than about 10 minutes underwater. But, these rules are not absolute and it depends on what I am doing /why I'm there.

What I understand, I would think it would be 4 dives

 

[WreckWriter]

You should log 4 dives.

WW

 

[WillAbbott]

I would log the 4dives... I actually have a dive logged in my book at 9mins@68feet... Almost didn't log it buy my friend said I should stick it in there anyways, and I did... glad I did too... For one thing it reminds me when I had that buddy freak out at 68' Come to think of it now.. hard to belive that was a 9min dive...DANG he descended slowly, we couldn't have spent more than 2mins at 68', the rest of the time was descending a vertical line...

Anyways, Log EM, IMHO

 

[PaulB]

Definatly log 4 dives.

I was hesitant to log 2 of my dives before. They were only 12 feet deep (bad dive spot in Key west so it was only 13 feet deep in places and even more shallow where there was coral) Since they were for over 50 minutes each, I was advised to log them, and did.

 

[Groundhog246]

I'd also vote for logging it as 4 dives. I have an 8 minute@50 feet in my log book. My buddies reg free-flowed just as we hit 50 feet. We did a mid water controlled ascent. No lines etc as a guide. Sure seemed a long way up at 30 fpm. I wasn't going to log it (less than 10 minutes) but an instructor from my LDSwas on site and said log it. He signed along with my buddy with a note that dive was aborted due to equipment failure and the incident was well managed.

 

[landlocked]

It's your log book, so in the end it is up to you to decide what a dive is for you. As far as certifications go, SSI says that 15 minutes at 15 feet, or more, with a 10 minute surface interval consitutes a minimum dive for their cards. (The computers that I have used count in similar ways.) So, are you collecting cards, documenting your dives for future reference or just keeping a journal. It's your book. You get to decide.

No SCUBA police here. :hiding:

 

[Ziggys_Friend]

Groundhog246 once bubbled...
I'd also vote for logging it as 4 dives. I have an 8 minute@50 feet in my log book. My buddies reg free-flowed just as we hit 50 feet. We did a mid water controlled ascent. No lines etc as a guide. Sure seemed a long way up at 30 fpm. I wasn't going to log it (less than 10 minutes) but an instructor from my LDSwas on site and said log it. He signed along with my buddy with a note that dive was aborted due to equipment failure and the incident was well managed.

Yea, well that's different ... you had a note from the teacher!

~<//><

 

[Ziggys_Friend]

landlocked once bubbled...
It's your log book, so in the end it is up to you to decide what a dive is for you. As far as certifications go, SSI says that 15 minutes at 15 feet, or more, with a 10 minute surface interval consitutes a minimum dive for their cards. (The computers that I have used count in similar ways.) So, are you collecting cards, documenting your dives for future reference or just keeping a journal. It's your book. You get to decide.

Just documenting my dives - got more than enough cards for the moment, I'm trying something real different ... trying to learn! (Sadly I've found getting cards and learning isn't exactly the same thing.)

I figured there was some flexibility with log books here, but I also want to be "mainstream" in regards to how I keep my log. I don't see myself leaving short dives out, but it did seem a bit much to call 4 dives 10 (even if my "you know what" said so).

landlocked once bubbled...
No SCUBA police here. :hiding:

Yea, right ~lol~

~<//><

 

[Walter]

I'm not going to address your particular situation, instead I'll talk about logging in general.

Logging was once much more important than it is today. Most people have computers to keep track of their decompression status. That was once one of the primary purposes of a log. We'd record time in, time out, work the tables and record our repetitive group. Since a minimun surface interval on tables is 10 minutes (the relatively new RDP has shorter intervals, I know) any time you entered the water within 10 minutes of finishing a dive, you were continuing a previous dive, not starting a new one. The 10 minute surface interval is for decompression status, not because there is anything magical about being on the surface for 10 minutes.

To count as a training dive, most agencies have established certain minimums. This is because the agencies believe you need to reach a certain depth and spend a certain amount of time on a dive for it to be a learning experience.

As for what is a dive, technically any time you go underwater on SCUBA, it's a dive. Any time you surface that dive ends. You are perfectly within your rights to log them exactly that way. OTOH, don't expect all your dives to be counted toward training. If credit toward training is not an issue, don't sweat it.

You need to decide what is your reason for keeping a log. A numbers game is a waste, there will always be someone with more. I use mine as a record, as an aid to my memory. In your case you might wish to record 4 dives then write a narrative about what was discussed during the debriefings. You need to be happy with the result of your decision. I do suggest recording all dives regardless of depth or duration, because you probably learned something on the particularly short dives. There's a reason the dives were short, learn from it.