Log Books- Is Yours Up To Date?

[AquaTec]

a funny story to start.
when you go to Tom Mounts house sometime thoughout the evening he will ask you what day you were born, then he will go to his libray of dive logs, and find the dive he did on the day you were born.

I never even thought about logging my dives until I was working on a dive boat and didn't think I was getting paid for all my trips. I then strated keeping a record.
this evolved into including girls phone numbers, cool things i saw, photos of cool underwater stuff. gear configurations, and dive planning.

this of course evolved into a log book.

I never log dives that are part of training either teaching or learning - they are just not counted as dives to me.

I started this book after diving for more than 10 years

I have only logged dives that offer something to remember,
being atacked by a tiger shark, getting stuck in a blow hole, finding as cave on land that led several hundered yards out to sea, diving naked with some girl [cant go into that one], finding dead bodies at 340 ft, diving with whales, sharks, whale sharks, anything cool, doing somerthing fun, crazy, or interesting. My log book is more of a journal stuffed full of pictures and held together with a giant rubber band. my first entry in it was exactly twenty years ago and I just finished it this year.
there is very little info about depth and time, etc unless it is pertinant to the dive itself like say 240ft on air

I now use it to tell my kids bed time stories.

I found out this year when I went for my TDI intructor Trainer certification, they take a close look at your log book, mine needless to say was a little unique. they spent all day reading it and then gave me a whole bunch of specialties I could teach

logging you dives is very important for two reasons.

1 - if you are a profesional or plan to be some day they are going to ask for proof

2 - some day you will want to remember the dives you no longer are able to do

I started a new log book my first entry was dive #1076
I have done about 75 dives this last year but only about ten were worthy of entering the log book.

 

[KoralKat]

Yep, I log all my dives. I try to keep records of fresh/salt water, how much weight I used, water temp, thickness of wetsuit/diveskin, PSI at beginning of dive, PSI at end of dive, cool things to see underwater, fish IDs, bottom time, and if I'd do that particular dive again. Also any special equipment I took along, and/or equipment not to bother taking along on the next one.

It makes it real easy to go back and remember every individual dive. However, I don't have that many dives logged yet, so they may become foggy after a while. I don't log pool dives though - just 'real' dives.

 

[vicky]

Why? For several reasons.
A small sketch of the site will always be handy when you return to the same site after a long period, especially if you want to repeat the same scenario or do the opposite side, etc. I can assure you that after hundreds of dive sites you will not remember where did you go in each one of them.

If you don't dive too often, it is a good advice to write down which suit you used, how many parts (if you don't always wear the same configuration or if you have several suits) and how many weights you took. Also, if it was too heavy or not enough.

In many countries they'll check how many dives you have done recently. According to that they may you to take a "refresh" dive, etc. The whole attitude is different if you have only 20 logged files, or 500.

It is also nice to remember all of the dives. A short glimpse in the logbook and you can start the whole journey again and again and again (until you go there again).

 

[Manogr]

Yes I log all of my dives !

Except from the usual stuff (average depth, max depth, bottom time, safety stop, Bottom time up to date etc) I log what I wear, weights, water temp, time in - time our, air temp, weather conditions, current etc...air consumption and other technical stuff... Moreover I log with whom I dive...dive club...place... and of course whatever worth mentioning like fishes i saw...formation ... history if available (in case of wrecks etc) and everything else important, funny or worth mentioning..

I try to stamp it always (it is like a collection !) and I will always keep updated my "paper" log book...it is more personal than computer logs...

I read my past dives a lot and not only I remember each one of them but I measure my progress in terms of weights decrease or air comsumption...

I love my Log Book !!!!!!!

Manogr

 

[The Chairman]

I have many, many logs, and most them are average... the most complete log I have ever seen though belongs to Walter... Incredibly detailed and varied in how it records the 1000+ dives this man has done.

 

[Ari]

So I keep everything logged.

I also use my Vyper to log, so I really don't miss a dive.

Ari

 

[seaangel]

Gottcha Uncle Pug. I kinda thought that is where your angle was comin from.

 

[lakesdiver]

Yep, I log every single one. I like to review when I return to a site I haven't been to in awhile. Sketches for wrecks are helpful, too.

Besides, makes fun reading when I can't dive.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by seaangel
Gottcha Uncle Pug. I kinda thought that is where your angle was comin from.

I have to admit that my laziness has kept me from being able to look back and re-live certain past dives...

Course it has allowed me to remember some incredible dives that may or may not have happened...

(sigh) If only I had discipline in this area...
And I do admire those who do...

 

[dc4bs]

Originally posted by Uncle Pug
(sigh) If only I had discipline in this area...
And I do admire those who do...

Me too.

I usualy "catch-up" and log dives when I download the computer the next day unless I need a signature for a training dive and must drag out the log and fill it in right then.

Also don't put in much detail. Just where, when, how long, how deep... Maybe a note if something really out of the ordinary happened. I mean, hey, that's what the photos are for... Now if I could just figure out what photos go to what dive.

I'm SURE I have a few (but not many) more dives than I have logged. I don't log pool dives.