log book checks?

[Sam Miller III]

...

As a DiveCon, my logbook is always subject to inspection and rightly so. There are just so many really good reasons to keep your dive log up to date and filled out as accuratley as possible, and not one single reason not to!

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What the heck is a DiveCon?

Educate me and the masses--is it some sort of a supper duper pooper title for a "diver?"

FYI Us Divers made a regulator based on the Conshelf but military black marketed as the "Divcon" in the 1960s.

sdm

 

[Ex-Aquanaut]

Speaking only for us, we do not require log books for the regular (tourist) fun diver as long as they have a c-card. We are rock-solid stict on depth standards so if you give us a Scuba Diver card, you only go to 12m. Period.

If you cannot produce a c-card, we can (if you're PADI certified) look it up online. If the info does not appear online, then you must produce a log book or you don't dive. Period.

We have no issues with computer logs, as long as they are the ones generated by a manufacturer's software (Suunto's Dive Manager, for example). My thinking is those are actually harder to forge than paper logs.

Now, we DO require dive logs in situations where you must meet specific prerequistes for a course. PADI Tec Deep, for example, requires X number of dives deeper than 30m, X number of nitrox dives, etc. We need proof of those before you can take the course.

Likewise, all our dive insturctor intens must produce logs. We had a couple interns who lost their books in Hurricane Katrina, but when they came to us we treated them as if they had 9 logged dives (they started as AOW). Of course, our internship program for themn is 4 months long, so they had plenty of time to get the 100 needed for the IDC (and much more).

Log books alone, however, won't necessarily get you on our boat. We had one customer show up with a collection of the rattiest log books you'll ever see. However, he admitted he was not certified, but he'd still done "500 dives" in his lifetime. He'd been having increasing problems getting to dive and now wanted to get his Open Water cert.

Using PADI's standard for "Experienced Divers" we arranged a shorter OW course for him only to discover that despite him saying he had 500 dives, he was, to put it kindly, crap in the water. Then we game him the exam and he failed.

He continued to insist he was too experienced to have to take a full Open Water course, so we kindly showed him the door. Sadly, I'm sure he probably found some other shop to probably accommodate him for some quick cash.

 

[ClayJar]

I've never been asked for my logbook, but that's probably because I've never been to any of those places people go on vacation. At quarries and commercial springs, I've had to proffer a card, but that's about the size of it.

I wouldn't mind getting to show my logbook sometime, but if it ever happens, I'd hope they won't mind most of my dives not being signed, stamped, and notarized. There aren't any stamps at unimproved shore dives, and it's hard to have a buddy sign when you're diving solo.

 

[Divenomad]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What the heck is a DiveCon?

Educate me and the masses--is it some sort of a supper duper pooper title for a "diver?"

FYI Us Divers made a regulator based on the Conshelf but military black marketed as the "Divcon" in the 1960s.

sdm

Divecon is shorthand for Dive Control Specialist. It's an SSI Divemaster/Assistant Instructor. It's a professional level cert, and as the poster stated, it's only right that the log can and should be produced upon request. I feel perfectly confortable asking to see any dive professional's log if I've entered a business relationship with them, and if they hem and haw, I find someone else to receive traning from/dive with. I hope this helps.

 

[CompuDude]

A C Card only means that you passed training, and that you are qualified to dive in same or better conditions than experienced in class. I think what we mean with digital dive logs, is that we keep them in our home computer. Not so easy to take on the road.

Sez you.

My logs get input into an application on my Palm Treo cellphone, which goes with me everywhere since it has my datebook, phone book, etc in it, in addition to my dive log (whether I expect to have cell service or not). In addition, my Uwatec computer beams new dives directly into the logbook via infrared.

So yes, I really mean it when I have ALL my logged dives with my at all times, and can show notes, water temps, dive profiles, etc. for any dive I've ever done. (Ok, I can only show the actual bar graphs for the ones I've with this latest computer, but still, I hand entered the basic info from all the other dives in as well, so every dive is truly listed.)

My Treo, of course, gets synced to my home computer, so everything is duplicated there, for backup purposes, should something ever happen to my phone.

 

[Gilldiver]

We have no issues with computer logs, as long as they are the ones generated by a manufacturer's software (Suunto's Dive Manager, for example). My thinking is those are actually harder to forge than paper logs.

Now, we DO require dive logs in situations where you must meet specific prerequistes for a course. PADI Tec Deep, for example, requires X number of dives deeper than 30m, X number of nitrox dives, etc. We need proof of those before you can take the course.

.

So, will you accept a hand writen log? After all, they are the easiest to forge.

Don't go asking for DM sign offs or stamps, just about all the places I have been to in the US have no procedures to do such and, again there is no way for you to confirm that they are real or not. I could have just writen it up the night before and used diffrent pens doing it.

It all comes down to watching a diver, their gear and how they work with it. I can pick out a cluster pretty quick, even before they splash, and in the water it will be very apparent. That is why I have never had a problem with the check out dive.

 

[Rhino_Portland_Oregon]

In the 10+ years I have been diving I was only required to have a log book once. It was at Sandels Antigua. I had my cert card, but no log book, so they had me do a few tests setting up the equipment, and then jump in the pool and swim around under water ( my 5 year old daughter could have done the swim challenges)..

As far as the ditital log book goes, I dive a Uwatec and have run into a few problems as I climb the "scuba ladder", so now I print all my dives, and store them in a 3 ring binder... It's a little stupid to have to do, but I have found that it really stops all the questions from the LDS....

Great thread....

 

[Goose75]

I had an instructor once who lost her logbook and all her gear as the dive boat she was on sank. I guess to some people she immediately became a "new diver".

I believe they went back and salvaged most of the gear but the paper log was past repair.

 

[Teamcasa]

Speaking only for us, we do not require log books for the regular (tourist) fun diver as long as they have a c-card. We are rock-solid stict on depth standards so if you give us a Scuba Diver card, you only go to 12m. Period.

40'! If my card allows me to dive to 40m and I am capable to dive to that depth, showed you my dive plan why would you not allow it? It just seems silly. Many of us are not card collectors and simply enjoy diving as a recreation. 95% of my dives are in the 50-80 (15m-25m) range. If I showed up at your shop and was told I could only dive to 12m, I'll find a new shop to dive with.

Dave

 

[CompuDude]

40'! If my card allows me to dive to 40m and I am capable to dive to that depth, showed you my dive plan why would you not allow it? It just seems silly. Many of us are not card collectors and simply enjoy diving as a recreation. 95% of my dives are in the 50-80 (15m-25m) range. If I showed up at your shop and was told I could only dive to 12m, I'll find a new shop to dive with.

Dave

I think he is referring to a very basic cert that only allows for 12m. Kinda like how PADI's basic open water cert technically only allows for 60' depth.

Of course, I could be wrong...