Self reliant diver - 100 dives

[Texasguy]

I don't log my dives, I have done 70-80 dives in the past year. Also, in the beginning I was making two 45mins dives a single day, now I do one 3 hour dive (different tanks, sac rate).

Anyway, I was thinking of getting Self Reliant Diver cert, just in case someone will need to see it (plus, a chance I might learn something). However, since I don't log my dives, I will not be able to prove my 100 dives when I'll reach that abstract magic number. Maybe I should do 10 dives of 15 mins each to speed up? As you see, number of dives does not mean crap.

Do you think it is a possibility an instructor would be able to forgo with the requirement after observing me in the water?

 

[redacted]

I don't log my dives, I have done 70-80 dives in the past year. Also, in the beginning I was making two 45mins dives a single day, now I do one 3 hour dive (different tanks, sac rate).

Anyway, I was thinking of getting Self Reliant Diver cert, just in case someone will need to see it (plus, a chance I might learn something). However, since I don't log my dives, I will not be able to prove my 100 dives when I'll reach that abstract magic number. Maybe I should do 10 dives of 15 mins each to speed up? As you see, number of dives does not mean crap.

Do you think it is a possibility an instructor would be able to forgo with the requirement after observing me in the water?

I found SDI to be quite reasonable in assessing my dive background when I took their solo course ( I have never taken an advanced course). See if you can find an SDI instructor in your area to talk over your situation.

 

[chrpai]

Where are you diving that 3 hours is interesting? You have a buddy that wants to do this?

I don't keep a log book so my instructor took my word for it.

 

[DiverGirl1972]

My SDI solo instructor didn't check my logbook. He was pretty laid back and when I asked about whether or not he needed to see it (after the class), he told me that he could easily determine someone's experience level after only a few minutes in the water. +1 on finding and speaking to an instructor in your area.

 

[Scott]

I would rather rather talk directly to a student than trust what was in the log. He could have just done 10 dives of 15 minutes each to speed things up.

 

[chrpai]

I would rather rather talk directly to a student than trust what was in the log. He could have just done 10 dives of 15 minutes each to speed things up.

Funny, every time I see someone out at the Lake doing that they are a dive master candidate.

 

[DevonDiver]

Log books don't count for much (but more than c-cards), but it is an agency requirement to provide 'proof' of logged dives. An instructor may accept a check-out dive in lieu, but it would be a breach of their agency standards (putting them in liability and also risk of censure).

I've obtained references in the past, in lieu of dive logs (I lost my electronic log years ago when my HDD died and never bothered again). That'd still be 'proof' in my eyes. So would a dive computer, with logged dives on it.

Personally, I'd accept a student without a dive logbook on the basis of a check-out dive. I'd get them to write and sign a declaration though, stating their dive experience.

... a chance I might learn something

That'd depend on your selection of instructor. It's the sort of course where a good instructor is going to humble you. True story.

 

[tracydr]

I lost my first logbook when I went through an ugly divorce, I was lucky that my instructor allowed mr to try to reconstruct much of my log before further courses together.

 

[Searcaigh]

I brought a 20+yr old log book with me with 150 dives in it, that satisfied my instructor.

Log books are useful, you never know when you might need to show one

 

[Kharon]

Log books are useful, you never know when you might need to show one

There's another reason to keep a log (IMO). I'm going to Bonaire again this November. I used my log to check the dives I did, the ones I missed and the one's I want to do again. I've got a book with all dive sites there and over the winter I could plan my first 6 days of dives. The log made it easier to include or discard sites.