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

[g2]

Originally posted by NetDoc
Quality is always more acceptable than quantity.

Totally agree! Same thing with diving certification levels: I know folks with only an open water card that are incredibly capable, experienced divers, better than most folks with zillions of specialty c-cards.

But the "10 minute" rule begs the question: if that is the standard, why do some computers -- including mine -- start a new dive after 5 minutes on the surface?

In my case, I logged a new dive yesterday after only a few minutes because that's how long it took to swap tanks, which I figure is justification enough.

 

[landlocked]

My cert agency says.... at least 15 minutes down and at least 10 minutes on the surface. These numbers correspond to the dive table which use a 10 minute surface interval as the point where the dive category first drops due to a surface interval. Can we assume that some computers use 5 minutes because that is what their program uses in calcutaing your non-decompression limit? In any case, I know several nice folkes that, I think, abuse the rule. They go to the local puddle and start racking up 25 ffw, 15 minute dives, accumulating as many as 8 dives in one day. So, is a certification with dives accumulated this way worth anything? Are they really master divers, etc. or just good counters? Next up, instructions on ethics in all OW classes!

 

[Paul168341]

I only count it as 2 dives if I actually get out of the water.
I would never count the pool as a dive (I'd have thousands, what a waste of log book pages)
OW checkouts, I count the whole day (2-3 dives) as 1 dive.
THere are always some exceptions, however.

 

[ElectricZombie]

Walter is right, 10 minutes.

 

[KZMAN]

Originally posted by 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.

 

[Divevet]

Seems to me that Netdoc has the right idea.
Does it really matter? If you are logging more dives than you have actually done it doesn't make you a better/more experienced diver - aren't there more important things to worry about?

 

[Baroo]

only time it is two dives is either when I change a tank or get out of the water... unless of course I am certifying people then it counts as two if there is a 10 min surface interval! he he he...

 

[DivingGal]

Background:
There I was DMing an OW, when one of the students experienced major problems with equalizing after CESA. The instructor indicated that I buddy with the student. No problem - except she could equalize, so we were at the surface (end of dive according to the computer). We swam at the surface following the class (after indicating to the instructor we were OK, but had problems with equalization) - as it was the last skill, no problem.

As the rest of the students were heading back to the exit point, I told the student to continue on the surface with the other students (who had surfaced at this point), I descended again to retrieve our dive float.

So techinically it was 3 dives for the day. <a 5 min SI from dive 2>

According to the computer 3 dives.. what I wrote in my log book: Dive 2 details eg depth, time
Dive 3 details eg depth, time
but I recorded in the log as 1 dive,

 

[Marlinspike]

If we are just taking a look-see to take a new bearing then no, it is just the continuation of the last dive even though the computer says it is 2 dives. If we do spend more than 10 minutes at the surface doing something substantial (not just waiting for it to be 10 minutes so we can log a new dive) like switching out gear or something of that nature, then I count it as two dives.

~Marlinspike

 

[mddolson]

:blfish:
I am an instructor.
During open water exercises I surface many times with students,
doing octopus assisted and simulated Emergency Swimming Ascents. My surface time between dives is typically 5 -10 minutes,
while breifing the next student for the skills.
This will require 6 - 8 short (10 minute) dives in 25 feet of water, in the morning and again in the afternoon. My computer logs a dive for each of these,
however in my personal log I count one dive in the morning,
and one dive in the afternnoon.

I accumulate the total of all the short dives and count the total as my dive time for each series.

Once skills are completed an experience dive of approximately 20 minutes is conducted typically with a pair of students. I count this as a separate or additional dive.

Mike