Logging Dives - why exactly?

[Jill from Phoenix]

My best reason for logging dives other than to show your experience is that there will be something you'll want to remember that eventually you'll forget. You'll forget where you've been, you'll forget what you saw, you'll forget your buddies' names & your instructors' names.

And I admire people that were diligent in their logging. One instructor I know has 120,000 logged dives after 40 years. That's super cool.

 

[Searcaigh]

I have all of mine logged, I recently had to show my log book for the Self Reliant Diver Course to prove I had done 100 dives. I have also had to show a recent log for some dive resorts.

Other than that, it's my dive history, where when who etc., water temperatures, exposure protection, weight used, film used camera used, lens used etc. Lots of useful information to refer to

 

[spectrum]

And I admire people that were diligent in their logging. One instructor I know has 120,000 logged dives after 40 years. That's super cool.

Plese tell me there is a typo in there.

 

[Them]

Plese tell me there is a typo in there.

You mean you don't believe the man averaged 8 dives a day over 40 years? Shame on you for being such a Doubting Thomas!

 

[Akimbo]

My own theory is that dives are logged because a lot of early civilian divers were ex-military and pushed the habit onto recreational divers because it was habitual for them...

I never saw a personal logbook for divers to keep themselves until about the time I got out of the Navy in 1973. Very detailed logs were kept by the diving supervisor, in a 3-ring binder mostly.

I hung onto it for some strange reason (still blank). To my knowledge, it is the first one ever issued to US Navy divers. See attached images. The second image indicates it isn't all that important.

I could be wrong, but I seem to remember some of the recreational dive instruction groups pushing logs in the late 60s — NAUI or NASDS???. Maybe some of the guys in the Vintage forum can fill in the holes?

---------- Post Merged at 02:17 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 02:11 PM ----------

... One instructor I know has 120,000 logged dives after 40 years. That's super cool.

That might be about right for an active freediver in tropical water… but who can keep the count accurate without a computer?

 

[eelnoraa]

I only do it to for sorting out equipments, weights or if things happen. If no equipments changes, dive went well, I don't log it. If I make a equpment change, something is not right, I put it down so that I can made adjustment next time. Or if something went wrong in a dive, I will also put it down, so I know what to avoid later.

I have read log books from friends, they have an entire different idea about logging dives.

 

[TMHeimer]

Reasons to log:
--info. that helps you on future dives
--info. that's interesting you want to look back & remember
--requirements for some courses (DM, Instructor, or possibly in your case, Solo Diver--maybe others)
--in case charter ops want to see your log (never happened yet with me)
--PADI (or whoever) says you should. Can't think of anything else.

 

[rhwestfall]

I just dove a wreck (as part of a certification) that the last time I dove it was 19 years ago..... I only knew that because it was in my log book..... it helped in being prepared for the dive (which was what the class was about)..

It was depressing the changes that had happened to it........

 

[Jill from Phoenix]

HAHA yes. typo sorry. I meant 120,000 logged hours.

 

[Akimbo]

HAHA yes. typo sorry. I meant 120,000 logged hours.

Check my arithmetic but 40 years is 14,610 days, allowing for leap year. That is almost 8¼ hours per day??? That is better than your average sea lion.