If You Surface During A Dive, Do You Log Two?

[g2]

When filling out my log book today I was faced with a dilemma: I had sufaced (on purpose) during a long, shallow dive, and wasn't sure whether to log it as one dive or two. I chose two because of the duration of the surface interval -- 5 minutes or thereabouts.

Usually I side with my computer's opinion, but in this case I wasn't wearing one. It got me curious about what other folks do...

Cheers,

g2

 

[Zept]

If the computer says it was two dives, I log two dives -- just makes the bookkeeping easier. I think mine allows about five minutes on the surface before it starts a new dive.

Zept

 

[-=>Larry<=-]

to make it 2 dives. In my case, though, my computer is attached to my reg's - so I just log what it says.

I do a lot of shallow diving also - and I don't recall any instances where I was close to that 10 minute type of time, that I wasn't out for a real surface interval. i.e. my surfacing tends to be a 3-5 minute lookaround, then right back down.

 

[tchil01]

My Computer starts a new dive after 10 minutes of SI, so that's what I go by. I've had occasions where my dive buddy had too little weight so we went up while he got more weight. The computer logged it as two dives, so I did so too.

Ty

 

[jasondbaker]

If you return to the boat, shore, switch gear, etc, I see it as two dives. Otherwise, ascending to the surface to find a navigational cue or a lost buddy shouldn't count as another dive. Just because the computer says it's a separate dive doesn't make it so. Unfortunately computers, and the related software packages, don't seem to handle these situations well.

 

[art.chick]

I surface during dives when a student sails upwards. Hopefully, I catch them before they get to the surface, but sometimes, despite my best efforts, they evade me. We both hang on the surface for a minute while the student gains composure & prepares to head back down. We have never spent 10 minutes on the surface. The instructor won't let the student count it as 2 training dives, so I don't count it as 2 either; it's just 1 experience. I calculat SIT with the tables.

 

[Walter]

10 minutes is the magic number.

 

[Mike Newman]

Originally posted by g2
It got me curious about what other folks do...
g2

Yep! my computer (Uwatec) considers a surface stop in excess of 5 minutes a new start. It then 'logs' the preceding period as a dive and makes a new start to any second descent. Can't imagine that I'd very often want to spend that long topsides, but it could happen. If it does, I will log the two dives the computer records.

Mike N

 

[The Chairman]

As has been pointed out... 10 minutes minimum for the interval seems to be industry standard, with a recommended minimum SIT of one hour.

However, I feel it important to point out, that there should be no race to run up dives. My buddy who has been diving longer than me has far fewer dives total. So what? We harrass each other unmercifully about most things... but not about this. Actually, we dive for different reasons and I have a larger passion for the sport. That's OK. But I am not going down to "log" dives.

Consider an instructor I know... he has been diving for less than five years and claims to have over a 500 dives to his credit... hmmnnnnnn... well it seems he counts pool sessions too. I would imagine that over 150 dives (maybe more) are merely pool sessions training students. I have a hard time counting some of my OW sessions training students. I guess that's me though.

So take your time, count dives as you see fit, but don't get caught in the numbers game. They only tell us part of the picture. Quality is always more acceptable than quantity.

 

[JamesK]

It all depends. My buddy and I will do a dive, float on the surface for 15-30 minutes, and then do another dive. I consider that two dives. If I just come up to the surface to talk for a minute or two, he no. I usually use 10-15 minute interval on the surfcae before I count it as two, otherwise it goes in as one, regardless of what the computer says.