logging dives

[MarineVet32935]

Whether one logs all their dives, on not, is purely a personal choice. I've probably made as many unlogged dives as logged. I now log those that might be of future benefit, such as good bug spots.

The important thing is to plan your dive and dive your plan.

 

[tjmills]

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?

 

[DivesWithTurtles]

I log it when I take a bath.

 

[Eagle-scuba]

training dives as recognized by some agencies, has to be a min. of 20ft for 20 minutes.....but that is TRAINING DIVES, use your head for the others,,,it could be embarrassing to show another diver, or ask an instructor to merit you for dives, that are less than a few minutes..i.e. pool time,

 

[SeaHorseWoman]

I log it when I take a bath.

Balony---i've seen you take a bath-- and forget to log it

 

[SeaHorseWoman]

It's really fun to look back after you've been diving awhile and see how much weight and air you used then and now. Have fun.[/QUOTE]

looking forward to this......
SHW:05:

 

[2Tours N Iraq`]

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?

Aquarium dives are in a controlled environment where there is little risk of external forces of nature affecting you (such as a strong current). Additionally, as aquarium dives tend to not have the same rigors/stressors associated with them, most people do not log it in their dive counts as it is nearly the same as a pool dive but with a few creatures and their habitats thrown in for fun.

I do agree that the log book is for your personal knowledge and learning and no one else. I think the best answer I have seen is to log the dive in your book but do not count it towards your total number of OW dives or cumulative bottom time total. Additionally, I use a day planner binder for my log book as I can keep my cert cards and business cards in there to my LDS and people I meet along the way in addition to the useful info like fish identification cards. This allows me to have all of my necessary info in one handy location so when I check my equipment prior to a dive trip, I know I have all the necessary documentation to go with me.

Also, having a back-up log (such as an Acrobat file or photo-copy as mentioned earlier) is a good idea in that if it were to get stolen or damaged, your dive history is still on hand and not lost. As a final recommendation, waterproof paper in your dive log is a good idea (but not necessary by any means) if you are like me and like do log your dives right away as the old noggin doesn't remember things as well as it used to (thanks to radiation exposure on my first tour to Iraq but that's another story).

Good luck and happy diving. Just remember, it all boils down to your dive log being a tool for you to use so when you dive similiar conditions in the future as you know what worked well and what didn't work so well when planning your next dive.

 

[billtodive]

I logged about 50 dives with only two lines..noting only major sights or "finds".

Those logs are almost useless. Had I read SB threads on logging earlier,
those logs would include all the info I now include. esp weighting, trim, etc.
...thanks SBers

 

[subaquaman]

After nearly 1000 dives in 8 countries, 20 liveaboard trips, and 10 certifications, not a single person has ever asked me to provide a log.

y'all should come to Ireland and I'll check your logs for you!

While I don't practice it myself someone did once suggest to me that you should log everything as your computer does, even if it splits a dive into two. This way, if something were to happen and the emergency services had your log your repeditive dive series is clear and if there were ups and downs, they can easily see a sawtooth profile. Just thought it sounded logical so I would share!

 

[isurus]

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?

I did log mine for reference and I gave it a number because hey its my log and I wanted to. If I was an aquarium volunteer doing it all the time i probably wouldn't but as it was a new experience in diving i didn't see any reason why not to. I did not however count the species I saw on my various fish lists for obvious reasons.