logging dives

[MarineVet32935]

Me and friends used to do a lot of beach diving, mostly just exploring. Depths rarely got past 15'-20' and bottom times were 45 minutes to an hour. We'd make 2,3,4, sometimes 5 a day, recording things we saw and exactly where they were, then spend the night nearby and do it again the next day. We were recording things we found in a seperate journal, not really a log book. More like how to find again something interesting we'd found, ledges, lobster holes and such.

Logging dozens of dives, every weekend, or extended weekend, just for the sake of increasing ones number of logged dives is kind of silly, you ask me. Especially when you already have dozens of full log books.

Now, deeper dives, from charter boats and the like? Yeah, I log 'em. Like was said, to keep track of how much air I use under different circumstances. Drift diving, neutrally bouyant, 4'-6' off the bottom, off of West Palm, is a lot different kind of dive, than say, a lobster dive in the Andros Bight, during a tide change. Even though they might be at the same depth and for the same bottom times, the air used will be a lot different.

 

[Diveral]

This thread piqued my curiosity. I just found my lost books. I still haven't found my first log book but I did find the one I used while I was in the Navy in the 80's. I enjoyed looking back over some of my old dives. I use up air faster now than I did then, dive with more weight, have better gear, have less tolerance of colder water, and my dives covered more distance then than they do now. I compared that old log to the new log and I have more detail in the new log (a lot of the credit is capturing data from the dive computer). I also spend more time smelling the roses now than I did then, I pay more attention or appreciate the micro life more now than I did then and write more notes about the flora and fauna. I now include information about the dive charter, dive shop, other divers, area of the dive, etc. that was not in the older logs (out of the water stuff).

I stopped logging all my dives when I got my AOW certification (early 80's). Almost 1/2 of the dives I logged in the book I don't remember making and I have many photos of me and other Navy buddies on dives that are not in the log book. For some of these photos I don't even remember where we were when we did the dive. I now wish I had logged more of my dives and included more detail in the dives that I logged and wrote information on the back of the photos about the dive.

 

[tedtim]

<snipped> I enjoyed looking back over some of my old dives. I use up air faster now than I did then, dive with more weight, have better gear, have less tolerance of colder water, and my dives covered more distance then than they do now.

Sounds like you are having more "fun" than when you were in the Navy.

I also spend more time smelling the roses now than I did then, I pay more attention or appreciate the micro life more now than I did then and write more notes about the flora and fauna. I now include information about the dive charter, dive shop, other divers, area of the dive, etc. that was not in the older logs (out of the water stuff).

A function of age. I have only been diving for four years (started in my 40's) and have learned to slow down too. There are still a couple of guys I dive with who insist on seeing "everything" during a dive. I really started to slow down when I got a housing for my camera.

 

[Walter]

I know that I am going to Hate myself for asking this but.......

Why wouldn't you log a 20-30 ft aquarium dive in a large aquarium complex?

The log is a log of open water dives. An aquarium is not open water, it's a pool with fish. Why would anyone even consider logging it?

 

[Charlie99]

The log is a log of open water dives. An aquarium is not open water, it's a pool with fish. Why would anyone even consider logging it?

I'd definitely log it as it sounds like a truly unique experience. My log, my choice of what goes in it

 

[Walter]

Go ahead, I really don't care who logs their pool dives.

 

[GreenDiverDown]

There's plenty to learn any time you get in the water and a log can help us with that. Plus, a log helps us remember things that we might otherwise forget if we don't write it down. There is no reason not to log an aquarium dive.

 

[Diveral]

Some aquarium dives can be very special and deserving a logging. The next time I take the kids to Disney World I am planning on diving the Living Seas at Epcot. That dive is getting logged, photo'ed, and plastered. If I knew it was available on my trip last spring I would have done it then. But I didn't know until I asked one of the Disney guides why two of the divers where horsing around while the other two were working, feeding fish, and doing demonstrations for us tourists looking at the exhibit. When I found out they were diving guests I said sign me up. It's like the Princess breakfast, something you book well in advance.

 

[Diveral]

Sounds like you are having more "fun" than when you were in the Navy.

I had fun both times. When I was younger and a mile swim was just a warm-up, I tried to see and cover as much of an area as possible. Now I have more interest in slowing down and really observing my surroundings.

A function of age. I have only been diving for four years (started in my 40's) and have learned to slow down too. There are still a couple of guys I dive with who insist on seeing "everything" during a dive. I really started to slow down when I got a housing for my camera.

You got it TT now that I am older, fatter, and slower I enjoy seeing more things in detail. Ghost shimp, nudibranches, corals, anemones, clown fish, damsels, etc. are all interesting and things I tended to pass over when I was younger. Good photo subjects too.