Log book mockery?!

[-hh]

I log all my dives and all my wife's dives. But I do have to smile when I see divers filling out the one dive per page dive log. I started that way with the Padi book. But I quickly went looking for a more efficient alternative. Went to a home made form that fit 4 pairs of dives on a page. That got old also. Now I'm recording 20+ dives on a page - one line for site info and another line per dive at that site.

I gave up on buying logbooks years ago ... what I do today is hit the local 'Office Supply' store (eg, Staples) and buy their three pack of 3"x5" spiral bound cardboard index cards. They're dirt cheap and because the paper stock is thick, it is wind and spray resistant.

Something new on my latest one is that I took a color glossy printout of a scan of a bunch of my C-Cards and with 2" wide clear packing tape, fixed it to the front cover ... now I have a backup copy of the relevant C-Cards that most diveshops will want to see in case I forgot to have my C-Cards with me too.

Typically, I'll put two, sometimes three, dives on a single page and I'll leave the backs of each page blank; these get used in the event of additional info .. someone's email address, a dive site map, etc. And since they're just blank index cards, in case someone needs a piece of paper for something - - just rip one out of the spiral bound. Jamb a pen into the sprial and drop the whole thing into a small ziplock bag and you're good to go.

Am curious that a lot of divers use the log book to keep track of weighting as they change exposure suits. I've got 3 wetsuits, each which could be used in salt or fresh water-- That's only 6 possiblilities for weight. Three actually if you just figure out what you need in salt and subtract 5 pounds for fresh, etc. So, unless you're changing equipment a lot, possibly a tech. diver, why would you note weights in the log all the time or often? I also have both steel and AL tanks and add or subtract 5-6 pounds accordingly for that. I have this stuff on one list--My body weight rarely changes and my scuba weightings have not changed. Of course it would be wise to do a weight check often and note it if you are in the process of gaining or losing a lot of weight or are perhaps a growing teenage diver.

Keeping a running log on weightings helps one identify things when equipment changes ... or in the case of wetsuits, get old and start to lose their buoyancy. Plus the info can be useful when one hits nonstandard stuff - - for example, just last month, we had a "not so warm" dive charter where we knew that the 3mm's we had with us would be inadequate (and they had already dried out), so we rented full 5mm's to use instead. I've never dived in a 5, so how much weight should I take? Interprolated between the data I had on my 3mm and my 7mm FJ to come up with the answer.

This is a YMMV, but typically what I keep track of includes:

---------------------------------------------------------------
Date .... General Dive Location ... notes on Weather

Dive Site #1 .... PSI begin-end .... thermal/weights
(Buddy) .... time @ depth .... UW camera setup
{special notes} {water temp/PPO2} {special notes}

Dive Site #2 .... PSI begin-end .... ditto marks (if no change)
(Buddy) .... time @ depth .... UW camera setup
{special notes} {water temp/PPO2} {special notes}

Dive Site #3 .... PSI begin-end .... ditto marks (if no changes)
(Buddy) .... time @ depth .... UW camera setup
{special notes} {water temp/PPO2} {special notes}

Diveboat Staff (useful also for end-of-week tips calcuations)
---------------------------------------------------------------

Naturally, SI values can get slipped in too in the middle column. Any differences in tanks would go on the right.

...I get tired of writing, "Viz 20-ft, Temp 55-F, Heavy Surge, lots of sheepheads and nudiebranchs." I dive in SoCal for the majority of the time. There's only so many different things to see.

This is a good point: what one records in your log is up to you, and will be influenced by your experiences. For example, back in the days of film, it was quite useful to record what noteworthy critters you had photographed, as this let you re-associate a particular roll of film to a particular site if other ID systems failed. Today with digital and instant time-stamps, its not so important anymore.

Most divers I have met and those I dive with all keep log books, very few don't

I have never seen anyone mocked for keeping a log book.

Clearly, it will vary. In my most recent dive trip, I was the only one on a diveboat of ~14 who was overtly logging dives (ie, on paper, during surface intervals). For one of my more typical dive trips, I so see a few, but it does appear that a lot of people may be relying on downloading from the dive computer after they get home, as well as dive operations who provide a computer printout of each of the week's dive sites as a customer convenience. Of course, such conveniences doesn't usually capture nonstandard stuff, such as a "Start at Mooring A and finish at B".



-hh

 

[cruiser]

I haven't been mocked for keeping a logbook, but I do get a lot of comments about it. Usually after every dive I start writing, while it's still fresh in my head, using notes I've taken on my underwater slate. During one trip in Roatan, a geezer with our group would come up to me as I was filling out my book and say, "When I get home I'll just write down Roatan--32 dives." He felt the need to tell me this numerous times during the week; I got the feeling that my logging was bothering him. The info I've gathered has been invaluable when planning return trips to the same spot; it jogs my memory of what I did on those dives, and my notes remind me what would be useful and helpful for the next trip to that location (like extra gear configurations and googaws). This is important when you're traveling to some backwater dive spot that doesn't have a full dive shop inventory. I've also found myself just reading my dive logs; this brings back the memories of the dive almost completely and it's like I'm there again. YMMV. I have only 535 dives but still fill out my log. One day I may get tired of it, who knows? But for now, it's still part of my routine.

Added: And I get my log pages stamped every place I've been.

 

[Lorenzoid]

One data item that I always log--and I'm not sure if this has been mentioned as I have only been checking this thread sporadically--is the name of the dive operator I dove with. Considering that almost all of my diving is with a day boat, liveaboard, or dive resort, I make good notes of what I thought of the dive op's procedures, facilities, boats, divemaster, etc. Logging the hard data is certainly important, but what I really want to be able to do is look back a few years later and see who I dove with last time I was in __________ and whether I might want to try a different dive op. I also use the dive op information to reply to requests for recommendations from others.

 

[Tjack]

I can recall being razzed for logging dives. "Are you balancing your check book" was a good one.

Noting dive ops and prices for dives are both useful as well.

 

[2905luvsbubbles]

I log all of my dives, if just my gear configuration and location. I change my configuration based on wet or dry, aluminum or steel tanks and tank size. My wet configurations vary between 3 and 5 mm and hooded vest. I find that very beneficial. As an instructor I go over all the dives with my students and give them viz, depth, water temp, surface temp, etc for the first dive of the day. If conditions change on subsequent dives I will give them updated information. I have been asked by a fair number of divers that are divine "with" the class to sign their log books as an instructor and gladly do that. I always encourage everyone to keep a log book for any one of a variety of reasons varrying from a diary of what they saw to the less frequent diver knowing how much weight they will need the next time they dive. SSI does have dive requirements for advanced open water, DM and instructor. I do check the log book to see if they person has the requiste number of dives for AOW. If not I won't endorse the the card. Just my personal practice.

 

[mdax]

I plan all my dives and write that info down in a log. After the dive I record the information my computer stores. It helps to ensure my plan is accurate and if there is any variation to run time on scooters, distance for turn or pressure in tanks I check it out and figure out why.
Ignore others if they demean you for keeping a log; I'd be surprised if they were actually as good as they talked in the water.

 

[TMHeimer]

Keeping a running log on weightings helps one identify things when equipment changes ... or in the case of wetsuits, get old and start to lose their buoyancy. Plus the info can be useful when one hits nonstandard stuff - - for example, just last month, we had a "not so warm" dive charter where we knew that the 3mm's we had with us would be inadequate (and they had already dried out), so we rented full 5mm's to use instead. I've never dived in a 5, so how much weight should I take? Interprolated between the data I had on my 3mm and my 7mm FJ to come up with the answer.


*********************

I know it happens, but after 7 years of the same used wetsuit I haven't needed to change my weight. If you change to a wetsuit thickness you've never worn before it may help to estimate based on your other data, but a weight check is the only real way to get it "exact". All I am saying is that once you do this you can just add that new weighting to a list of the exposure suit weightings you already have. Seems easier than looking it up in a log book, but to each his own. I would guess that hardly anyone continuously lists weighting in a log when using the same set up(s) over & over. Change of equipment or switching back & forth with equipment, adding pony bottle, etc.--of course. But you can just add those setups to your existing list. Just seems easier--a minor point.