Logging Dives - why exactly?
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BluewaterSail
Happy in Doubles
In Israel its law that operators must see a log book before renting any gear. They will make you do a refresh otherwise. Also they ask to see a cert card, and will keep it while you're diving. I actually saw a tourist who forgot his cert card being told that all that could be done for him was a 1 on 1 with an instructor, like a discover scuba.
I forgot my cert card(s) when I went to rent some equipment once, and the shop employee just need my name and dob to verify it online, probably not an option on a lot of boats though, but a quick call to HQ should suffice.
I skipped a couple of years logs, but now my computer captures most of the details. I just add where and some gear info. Quick and easy.
Sent from my ADR6350 using my Fumble Thumbs
Sent from my ADR6350 using my Fumble Thumbs
ScubaSteve1962
Contributor
With no proff of cert when it's required is understandable.
PADI is good like that- from the best of my knowledge NAUI, CMAS and BSAC don't operate such a database- please correct me if I'm wrong.
By law I also cannot allow certified divers in the water without showing a cert or logbook as proof of experience. If they're PADI/SSI I can look them up. If they're from another agency, the onus is on them to get their certifying instructor/shop to fax something through. That can be a..... challenge.
Them
Contributor
NAUI and SDI/TDI have diver lookup features. Not sure about any others.
NAUI Diver Lookup
https://www.tdisdi.com/userportal/?type=2&flex=cert_search_sdi
I log my dives because it is cool .... and easy 
.
As soon as I get back to the car / or on the boat I get my smartphone, I push a buttoon on my Predator and voila' .... dive logged.
Alberto (aka eDiver)
. As soon as I get back to the car / or on the boat I get my smartphone, I push a buttoon on my Predator and voila' .... dive logged.
Alberto (aka eDiver)
freewillie
Contributor
The practical reason is to keep track of how much weight for what type of exposure gear. I also dove once with steel tanks instead of standard AL80's. I now know what weight I used and if I felt heavy or light during that dive.
I also need to document a minimum 50 logged dives (they don't have to be verified or signed, just recorded) to volunteer at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA for a volunteer diver position. No log, no volunteer.
It is also a fun reminder of special things I saw while diving, like the time a seal kept swimming around me once. It also is nice to collect some of the resort stamps from the various places I've been diving. It also makes me smile when I see the entry my daughter put in her log book when we went on her first night dive together while on vacation in Maui. She wrote in all caps, "BEST DIVE EVER WITH DADDY!!!"
I also need to document a minimum 50 logged dives (they don't have to be verified or signed, just recorded) to volunteer at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA for a volunteer diver position. No log, no volunteer.
It is also a fun reminder of special things I saw while diving, like the time a seal kept swimming around me once. It also is nice to collect some of the resort stamps from the various places I've been diving. It also makes me smile when I see the entry my daughter put in her log book when we went on her first night dive together while on vacation in Maui. She wrote in all caps, "BEST DIVE EVER WITH DADDY!!!"
from my blog entry on the subject:
LOGGING DIVES: IT'S A GOOD THING TO DO
I just read the latest thread discussing logging dives. There is a new one almost every week. Some people don't log dives at all. My good friend Steve, who has been a dive pro as long as I have and a diver even longer than I have been diving, doesn't log dives. Others I know are content to retain the data their computer records, like my sometimes dive buddy Pete. Many others, like me, actually log every dive in a log book that has actual pages. I have logged every dive I have ever been on that was in a lake or the ocean. Pool dives don't get logged because they are not dives in my book. I log the date, location, dive site name, time in, time out, air consumption, gear used, exposure suit worn, weight used, and water and air temperature. I also note if the dive was from a boat or shore, and I note any current or surge or surf issues. I even note my weight, which can vary enough from from time to time to affect the weight I will use for diving. I note who I dove with, and I write down what we did and saw. I have never regretted doing this, and I intend to continue to do it. From my dive log I have created a weighting chart for various locations, gear worn, exposure suit worn, and how much weight I used when properly weighted. I also note my own weight as it can vary enough to impact proper weighting now and then. If I am diving in a fresh water lake here in Colorado in a semi-dry suit with a hood and gloves, with an 80 AL tank, I know what weight to use. I can look it up. I can do the same when planning for a dive in a 3 mil wetsuit with no hood or gloves, using a different bc, in warm salt water. In my log I also note whether I was cold on a dive, especially after the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th dive of the day, so I will know if I need to "dress warmer" next time out. My weighting and exposure suit charts are each valuable tools for planning a local dive outing or a trip to a far away dive destination.
In between dive trips, I tally total underwater time and average time per dive. I keep a summary sheet of number of dives to different depth ranges. (under 30, 30-39, 40-49, on up to 130 + ) I note the number of dives at different destinations, and other nerdy stats when I review and read my log book. I put a lot of information in it. It's also full of diver contact information and stickers and stamps from dive boats, dive shops and liveaboards around the world. I even have my own stamp to mark other diver's' logs if they want. All of those things are for my personal use. I like to read my log book from time to time, and refer to it for material when I have a public appearance or book signing coming up. I sometimes take it, actually I take "them" as I have several volumes compiled, to those appearances. People seem to like to look through the logs, as many pages are really colorful, some are funny, and others just interesting.
I also use my log to show dive operators where I last dove, and the extent of my experience, life long as well as recent, so there is no hassle over doing any given dive. This is a really good reason to keep an up-to- date dive log. Some dives require a showing of recent diving in similar conditions, or a certain number of dives. In addition, if you ever opt to "go pro," you will need to document your dive experience in this way. And once you are a pro, it's still a good idea to keep your dive log current for both personal as well as professional reasons.
Digital downloads or not, I log my dives with a pen and log sheets, and I log them every day. I get basic data off my computer, and fill in the rest while I still remember it. I encourage you to keep a log book, and fill it with useful as well as fun stuff. You will be glad you did!
DivemasterDennis
LOGGING DIVES: IT'S A GOOD THING TO DO
I just read the latest thread discussing logging dives. There is a new one almost every week. Some people don't log dives at all. My good friend Steve, who has been a dive pro as long as I have and a diver even longer than I have been diving, doesn't log dives. Others I know are content to retain the data their computer records, like my sometimes dive buddy Pete. Many others, like me, actually log every dive in a log book that has actual pages. I have logged every dive I have ever been on that was in a lake or the ocean. Pool dives don't get logged because they are not dives in my book. I log the date, location, dive site name, time in, time out, air consumption, gear used, exposure suit worn, weight used, and water and air temperature. I also note if the dive was from a boat or shore, and I note any current or surge or surf issues. I even note my weight, which can vary enough from from time to time to affect the weight I will use for diving. I note who I dove with, and I write down what we did and saw. I have never regretted doing this, and I intend to continue to do it. From my dive log I have created a weighting chart for various locations, gear worn, exposure suit worn, and how much weight I used when properly weighted. I also note my own weight as it can vary enough to impact proper weighting now and then. If I am diving in a fresh water lake here in Colorado in a semi-dry suit with a hood and gloves, with an 80 AL tank, I know what weight to use. I can look it up. I can do the same when planning for a dive in a 3 mil wetsuit with no hood or gloves, using a different bc, in warm salt water. In my log I also note whether I was cold on a dive, especially after the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th dive of the day, so I will know if I need to "dress warmer" next time out. My weighting and exposure suit charts are each valuable tools for planning a local dive outing or a trip to a far away dive destination.
In between dive trips, I tally total underwater time and average time per dive. I keep a summary sheet of number of dives to different depth ranges. (under 30, 30-39, 40-49, on up to 130 + ) I note the number of dives at different destinations, and other nerdy stats when I review and read my log book. I put a lot of information in it. It's also full of diver contact information and stickers and stamps from dive boats, dive shops and liveaboards around the world. I even have my own stamp to mark other diver's' logs if they want. All of those things are for my personal use. I like to read my log book from time to time, and refer to it for material when I have a public appearance or book signing coming up. I sometimes take it, actually I take "them" as I have several volumes compiled, to those appearances. People seem to like to look through the logs, as many pages are really colorful, some are funny, and others just interesting.
I also use my log to show dive operators where I last dove, and the extent of my experience, life long as well as recent, so there is no hassle over doing any given dive. This is a really good reason to keep an up-to- date dive log. Some dives require a showing of recent diving in similar conditions, or a certain number of dives. In addition, if you ever opt to "go pro," you will need to document your dive experience in this way. And once you are a pro, it's still a good idea to keep your dive log current for both personal as well as professional reasons.
Digital downloads or not, I log my dives with a pen and log sheets, and I log them every day. I get basic data off my computer, and fill in the rest while I still remember it. I encourage you to keep a log book, and fill it with useful as well as fun stuff. You will be glad you did!
DivemasterDennis
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