To log pool "dives" or not to log...

[Esprise Me]

Yeah, we've had threads on this. It's rare but not unheard-of to be asked to show a logbook. But I took Hoag's comment to be more in the vein of expecting to be asked when his last dive was, which is not even rare. And whether he "logs" that pool session in the sense of writing it down or not, he's intending to "count" it in the sense of telling the dive op about it, rather than having to say he hasn't dived since 2019. Which I have nothing against, assuming he calls it a pool session like he did here. Again, putting myself in the shoes of his assigned instabuddy, I'm going to approach things a little differently with someone who went diving last week vs someone who hasn't dived in three years, with my approach to someone who hasn't dived in the ocean in three years but recently did a pool session falling somewhere in between.

 

[Searcaigh]

How about some of those deep pools such a Dive Dubai, etc. Those look worthy of logging.

I logged mine, max depth 59.7m total run time 64 mins.

The only freshwater dive I have done.

I understand @Hoag 's choice here. Many people will not have dived for a couple of years due to Covid and distance from dive sites, and it's a good idea to maintain skills and check out new gear before heading off to a dive holiday.

 

[DanBMW]

Is anyone ever asked to show his/her log book? I have been diving since 1986 (certified in 1987), and I have never been asked. I haven't written a log book entry in several decades, not since the late 1990's, IIRC. I suppose if I ever need a recent log book entry in order to be permitted to dive some particular place or other, I will simply grab a pencil and an old, neglected log book the night before, and "recollect" something.

rx7diver

Since 1980, NEVER.......

 

[saxman242]

I typically get one dive trip a year. Due to let's call them "circumstances beyond my control" that affected the ability to travel easily, my last dive trip was in 2019. It has been 3 years since my last dive trip. Additionally, I have lost a significant amount of weight (and more than 6 inches off my waist). I have a trip booked to Cayman Brac in the late fall. I also have 2 new dive computers (a PERDIX AI and a TERIC) that I have never dove with.

IMHO, it would be foolish for me to NOT do a pool session (or two) to sort out the changes in my buoyancy, refresh my skills and muscle memory as well as to get a couple dives in with my new DCs before I head south. Will I log this pool dive? Absolutely - especially if there are any glitches. Do I think every pool dive needs to be logged? Well, like I said earlier in this post, I will leave that entirely up to the individual.

For me, however, when I show up in Cayman Brac, if anybody asks when my last dive was, I would rather be able to show them that I did a pool dive in prep for the trip than to hang my head and say not since 2019.

I did the exact same thing recently. Have an upcoming trip at a resort that wants anyone that hasn't dove in the past 12 months to pay to take a refresher course. Did a pool session recently to do gear checks, skill checks, etc, and I made sure it's in my log, noted as a pool dive, for their appeasement.

 

[Hoag]

Is anyone ever asked to show his/her log book? I have been diving since 1986 (certified in 1987), and I have never been asked. I haven't written a log book entry in several decades, not since the late 1990's, IIRC. I suppose if I ever need a recent log book entry in order to be permitted to dive some particular place or other, I will simply grab a pencil and an old, neglected log book the night before, and "recollect" something.

rx7diver

I have been to places (one particular Live Aboard for example) where on the first night as a part of the "routine admin", they ask to see your applicable C-Cards and to to take a quick peek at your log book. So to answer your question, yes, I have been asked if someone could look at my logbook.

 

[Hoag]

Another thing which may influence my decision to log my dives, even pool dives might be that for over 30 years, I worked in a career in which every action, no matter how trivial was logged. I don't do it to "inflate my numbers" (one pool dive a year before a trip is not going to cause much inflation), I do it simply because I am used to logging everything I do so that there is a record of it.

As I said, IMHO, I think that this falls into the "Dive & Let Dive" realm. If I choose to log my one or two pool dives that I do as a refresher before a trip each year (or every few years), it should have no bearing on if you choose to log (or to not log) yours.

 

[ktchan]

Log your dive, in the sense of writing it down so you can refer to it in the future to see what you did, when, where, what weights etc. sure. If you think the information may be useful to you at any point in the future, go for it. If you don't, then don't.

Log as in count it towards the minimum number of dives required for a course, then no. The answer here is easy because the number is an agency minimum and they define what they mean by "logged dives" anyway so there's no arguing.

 

[GameChanger]

Is anyone ever asked to show his/her log book? I have been diving since 1986 (certified in 1987), and I have never been asked. I haven't written a log book entry in several decades, not since the late 1990's, IIRC. I suppose if I ever need a recent log book entry in order to be permitted to dive some particular place or other, I will simply grab a pencil and an old, neglected log book the night before, and "recollect" something.

rx7diver

Or C-Cards...Never been asked to produce one.

 

[SpaceCat]

Or C-Cards...Never been asked to produce one.

I am impressed with that one. Unless you do all shores dives you took yourself to, I can't imagine not producing one. Every time I have done a dive with some sort of charter (well, almost every one, my normal tooth finding charter never asked), I have needed to produce it on arrival when signing my forms. I also need to show it to even enter the property of my local quarry.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Or C-Cards...Never been asked to produce one.

I will typically hire a private DM for a full day of diving, so not necessary. If I plan ahead, I send scans of my relevant cards. If I am not sure if I will dive/hire a DM, I take the highest certification for training and my instructor card to be on a longer leash.