What can I log?

[airizzy]

I am a new diver with about 15 logged dives. I have a question about what I can log. I know I don't log pool dives but what about aquariums. We have a local aquarium that is about 30 feet deep and our dive instructor made some friends of mine white out the dives from their logbook and would not count it for the SSI Advanced Open Water card. Also I have had some people tell me that to log a dive it must have a bottom time of at least 15 min. Is that true or is that just for a training dive for certification? I can't see why I couldn't log a dive if I was at 12 feet for 10 min if I finished what I went down to do. Does any one have an official answer for why she would require a 15 min dive. I have read PADI wants a 20 min dive for certification but I can't find anything about a 15 min dive. I have had more than one of her other students and dive cons tell me what ever I do just stay down for 15 min. I have even seen some fudge the numbers a bit to make it work. To me that is worse than just logging what you did. As for open water, she is fine with a 12 foot pond essentially man made that is even covered by a lexan roof but won't except a 30 foot aquarium. If I had another dive shop I would be checking it out. Any thoughts?

 

[D_B]

Log whatever you want to
Pool dives, maybe not, and maybe not a dive that lasts only 5, 10 minutes.

I don't think an instructor should white out anything in your log book, if he does not want to sign off as an instructor on the dive, that's his prerogative, but he has no business erasing anything you write in your logbook .. if a dive does not meet the criteria to be used for SSI AOW , then it will plainly show that in your dive time, or depth recorded in your log book

I log anything thats different or worth remembering , like my rescue training class that was called on poor visibility after only 6 minutes (about 3ft vis)
I've also found myself using my log book to collect the signatures of the people I've dived with and their SB names

An aquarium dive certainly meets the different requirement

 

[Michael Kazma]

You can log whatever dives you consider a dive. This is different for everyone, for instance: some one who always dives deeper than 200feet and longer than 1 hour might not log a dive to 10 feet for 15 minutes to test some equipment, however, some one who just dives to inspect boat hulls at 8' for 5 minutes might log all those dives.

The instructor must have considered the aquarium a confined water dive, which it is, however, I would have logged it if I did that dive and I have been a technical instructor for 8 years.

The bottom line is that you log dives for yourself. You may sometimes need to show them to an instructor or charter boat but if you have logged a dive they do not like just tell them not to ignore it. Your log is YOUR record.

 

[tracydr]

Log whatever you want to
Pool dives, maybe not, and maybe not a dive that lasts only 5, 10 minutes.

I don't think an instructor should white out anything in your log book, if he does not want to sign off as an instructor on the dive, that's his prerogative, but he has no business erasing anything you write in your logbook .. if a dive does not meet the criteria to be used for SSI AOW , then it will plainly show that in your dive time, or depth recorded in your log book

I log anything thats different or worth remembering , like my rescue training class that was called on poor visibility after only 6 minutes (about 3ft vis)
I've also found myself using my log book to collect the signatures of the people I've dived with and their SB names

An aquarium dive certainly meets the different requirement

Wow, your class was called on 3 foot vis? That's what I got to do my search in. I ended up drifting to one side of the search area and dove in that crappy lake for 75 minutes, barely able to see my gauges and compass!
I would log the aquarium dives for memories. It's fun to look back at your logbook years later and remember those things. I only wish my first logbook wasn't lost in divorce chaos.

 

[PatW]

Well, I would not log pool dives. Also, to "trigger" a dive, it would need to have a minimum time and depth. No 10', 2 minute dives.

It is an individual sort of thing.

But when you go someplace, the dive operator wants to know the number of dives you have, your certification (training) and how recently you have been diving.

The thing is if you "pad" your dive log, it is not a good thing for you. You do not want to give a dive operator and the DM the notion that you are a much more capable diver than you are.

For pilots, there was the saying: "there are old pilots and bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots". Scuba diving has a certain level of hazard. It can be safe if the diver has a realistic knowledge of their abilities and dives within their safety envelope. If you leave your safety envelope, you are asking for trouble. Inflating your abilities is part of leaving your safety envelope.

 

[Scott]

Logbooks are used for a few things but most divers look at it as number of dives and or time. Consider it a journal and log the dives you want to remember. I've logged dives shorter than 10 minutes before because there were lessons to be learned from that dive. In one case it took longer to write the comments than the actual dive time.
I don't agree with 'erasing' a dive because an instructor told you to. They can turn to the next page and continue counting from there.

 

[Cave Diver]

You can log anything you wish to. After all it is your log. People log things for different reasons and logs can be a way of showing proof experience when taking more advanced classes. So keep in mind that some things you may log won't count towards that but that doesn't mean you can't log it if you choose.

For that matter, you could even log things that aren't dives. If for example you showed up at a dive site and conditions kept you from diving, you could log that as well for future reference. It's really up to you.

 

[D_B]

Thinking about it, I still do not understand why an instructor would erase anything in my log book, or think that it would be OK for him to do so .. he COULD explain what and why it might not meet his criteria for logging, but your not changing anything I wrote there


Tracydr .. Well, we could not see each other, had to descend by holding each others BC straps ... me and my buddy were the only ones to think to follow the line down to meet up with instructor at the dive float anchor .. so with no other students at the botttom I think did not instill confidence in the instructor as to how it would go

 

[DanBMW]

In 30+ years of diving I have NEVER had anyone request to look at my log book. C-Card or other restriction, yes!

It is YOUR log book to do with as you wish. It can be a diary or anything you wish.... You instructor has a real power complex......

 

[Bob DBF]

Your log is yours, keep it as you see fit.

When you are telling me you have 15 dives before we hit the water, please don't count aquarium dives, 12' for 10 min, or any dives along those lines 'cause I don't like surprises.

After you get more experience you will see this isn't a numbers race it's SCUBA diving and your experience is more important than having a big number. Just think, Tech divers are down for hours and deco can take them longer than I dive all day and they log 1 dive.


Bob
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I may be old but I’m not dead yet.