Verifying dives

[TheRealScubaSteve]

What is the point of all this paperwork?

Don't know. I stopped doing it as soon as I realized no one cared to look at it. If laying out in the open, I will stamp a blank log page just to collect the op's stamp. Some of them are pretty cool looking.

 

[WinfieldNC]

What is the point of all this paperwork?

When I did a little diving in Europe a few years this was very popular. Even individual divers had custom stamps made for stamping other log books. After the dive people would stamp each other’s log, date it and have a beer.

Definitely extra work but kind of fun. No real point to it though. Before diving with them they did tell me to bring my logbook. I’ve gone away from paper since then.

 

[Ukmc]

I use the SSI diving app on my iPhone and I am very happy with it. I have my training material, c cards, diving logs in it. However, two things bother me. You can only verify dives in a SSI shop. They tell you to go back to your LDS. What if you no longer have a LDS because you relocated? Will you go to any SSI shop and are they supposed to let you verify your dives using the shop QR code if they don’t know you? Second thing is the fact that you cannot input c cards from other agencies. Not even like a photograph. I would hate having two diving apps for my cards and I would hate even more having physical cards. As a result, when I travel and go diving, I search first for SSI shops. Same thing when I travel and want to take an additional training course.

Other than SSI wanting you to stay with SSI network - you got it all wrong.
First of all, SSI verifies award status for your dive which in their system gives you award recognition along with completion of courses. You do not have to have any dives verified and you can keep whichever dive log you want if you do not care about they recognition system. If you do care about “advanced diver”, “master diver” and other recognitions, then you have to establish a relationship with SSI dive shop or SSI resort location.
Furthermore, any SSI dive professional can verify your dive on a spot (you do not need a shop, although by the rules all SSI professionals are affiliated with a shop), including your divemaster or dive guide.
In the nutshell, SSI tries to keep you engaged within their system for education and travel and in return they make it easier for you to achieve the recognition status if that is what you are shooting for. Otherwise you do NOT need to have your dives verified by anybody, maybe your buddy if you would like.

 

[Blackcrusader]

What is the point of all this paperwork?

The only log book I have is what is in my DC. When I dive at a place where they don't know me I just show them the total number of dives logged in my Perdix. I don't bother with all the other years of diving before that on my Suunto and dog logs. Sometimes a vacation instabuddy I will sign their dive book and put in my details but usually also I have probably taken a photo or video of them on the dives and email those to them.

I do not have a LDS.

 

[rongoodman]

I was actually questioning the specific level of detail mentioned in the post, with the dive guides even including their agency credentials. That seems to be quite a bit more than the informal logs kept by many here.

 

[Pearlman]

What is the point of all this paperwork?

When I started out with OW it felt necessary to record verified dives before my AOW cert attempt. Then post that I heard that some specific advanced course I felt I may want to required 250 logged dives. Not sure which one and I’ve long since forgotten about it. But the habit remained. Then all over APAC where I dive, the DM automatically puts the stamp on his signature without me asking for it. Seems to be the norm.

Then going to some difficult locations like Belongas Bay for example where the recommendation is a minimum 100 dives of experience ( and Me being “South-Asian” not known for a water sports culture) the dive shop wanted to verify my experience. Also I am always an individual solo walk-in traveller to any dive shop who needs an insta-buddy and never part of a group booking where the leader or organiser is a well known and experienced dive leader trusted to assess and confirm the experience of his group independently. So I have been careful to log my dives.

But anyways nice to look back and see fancy stamps in your log book. I’ve signed an insta-buddies log book only once in the last 10 years AFAIR.

 

[Centrals]

I use the SSI diving app on my iPhone and I am very happy with it. I have my training material, c cards, diving logs in it. However, two things bother me. You can only verify dives in a SSI shop. They tell you to go back to your LDS. What if you no longer have a LDS because you relocated? Will you go to any SSI shop and are they supposed to let you verify your dives using the shop QR code if they don’t know you? Second thing is the fact that you cannot input c cards from other agencies. Not even like a photograph. I would hate having two diving apps for my cards and I would hate even more having physical cards. As a result, when I travel and go diving, I search first for SSI shops. Same thing when I travel and want to take an additional training course.

I am glad I was NOT qualified by SSI otherwise most of the dives that I had done could/would not be verified. There aren't that many SSI operators around in this part of the world and I have no desire to search for it and this apply to all other agency,
I use log book and always bring along the latest one on every diving trip. Only once or twice had been asked to show it.

 

[Belzelbub]

If the dives are not verified they are not accounted for in the total so as far as SSI is concerned, they do not exist.

That’s strange. Somehow, I managed to get my SSI Verified dive count to be 191. That’s what my SSI app shows. I have more now, but only around 12 of those 191 dives were done in the presence of an SSI instructor or guide. I have an electronic log showing most of those dives, but apart from those 12, none were verified.

In my logbook all my dives are signed and stamped with the LDS official seal and with the dive guides signature and registration number with the certifying agency. Even if diving in a group and my actual buddy on the dive is another tourist. Did you not get your logs stamped and signed?

Totally different ways of diving. Apart from dives associated with a course, exactly zero of my dives have been done in the presence of a dive professional.

 

[Ukmc]

I am glad I was NOT qualified by SSI otherwise most of the dives that I had done could/would not be verified. There aren't that many SSI operators around in this part of the world and I have no desire to search for it and this apply to all other agency,
I use log book and always bring along the latest one on every diving trip. Only once or twice had been asked to show it.

Centrals, I don’t think you or OP get a point. SSI verifies award recognition. You can get certified by SSI but keep track of dives whichever way your choose. Your dives “count” for whichever purpose you choose, regardless wether they verified or not by a SSI shop or SSI professional. The only time it matters is if you want their recognitio…

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Centrals, I don’t think you or OP get a point. SSI verifies award recognition. You can get certified by SSI but keep track of dives whichever way your choose. Your dives “count” for whichever purpose you choose, regardless wether they verified or not by a SSI shop or SSI professional. The only time it matters is if you want their recognitio…

Kudos to SSI for coming up with this gimmick. It means absolutely nothing but yet clearly they have customers who are going out of their way to play the game. Well played SSI.