Why do you keep a logbook?

[novadiver]

I like to pull out the log on rainy days and laugh at some of the early dives I've made. I think my first zero viz dive was a HOOT! I remember things like, my first ooa,My first solo wreck dive. all these dives made me a better diver or made me want to take a course to become a better diver.

On top of all of that, I throw in some pictures of people and places and the log book is great tool for watching your own life.

 

[miketsp]

I see a lot of people saying they use their logbook to track their weighting and air consumption, but don't understand why you need a logbook to do that... I guess if you don't dive often, and you rent your grear you could forget what you last dived with. I can always go check my belt to see what my weighting was last time, and I never have trouble remembering if I was floaty or unstable on the last dive... ..snip

...

I dive quite a lot but I do so with a lot of different wet suit combinations from nothing, through 2mm partial, to 5mm full coverage. I have 3 BCs, one light weight, one medium weight and one heavy semi-technical with wing and integrated weights.

Then I like to remember if we had particular problems with currents, do I take a big sausage or a little sausage, do I take my hinging fins for an effortless relaxing dive or do I need more propulsion?

So my kitting and weighting varies quite a lot.

 

[ScubaFreak]

I carry my log book to all dive sites, but I generally only tend to log dives if there's an incident, or if its in a location that I've never been before. So that when I dive it in the future i can refer back and check dive site details. When i started diving, I logged every single solitary dive, but since I started teaching, my logbook was kinda phased out! logged i have about 600 me thinks.

But on the other side of the coin, all my details are logged via my Stinger computer, which i can upload to my PC.


SF

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I first started logging dives because I was taught to in my OW certification and I did-so for a few months and then started not to log anything(basically procrastinating until later since I had most of the info on a computer). 4 months down the road, I had alotta info on my computer and I wasn't sure where/how to log it At the time, I also considered logging the dive more of a hassle, but earlier this year I find it kinda fun.

I log because I was taught to
I log for verification on my skills
I log for future certification
I log in order to know what to expect at the site next time I dive at whichever site
I log for fun I actually like loggin now, for whatever reason
I log new dive buddies contact info if they want to dive more often
I usually log whatever marine life I come across during the dives so I can look back and cross-refrence whats there now and what might be there later on in the year
I even draw pictures in my log book at times

 

[diveaussie]

I mostly dive tropical locations - doesn't mean we get 40m viz all the time.
I have plenty of dives in 60cm viz, rough seas, bad currents etc.
If you want to dive all year round you take what you get.

I totally agree, I do most of my work in tropical locations and yes, it's not always 40 mt viz and the best conditions. I think it's definitely improved my diving having experienced conditions outside of the tropics that's all.

 

[JRO]

Not macho at all - just that paper and water do not go well together unless your objective is to creat papier mache' sculptures! I know many experienced diver who really enjoy a bit of comraderie after a dive - usually over Mexican food - and the log books come out (along with some tall stories!). If the new info isn't recorded shortly after the dive, a lot of good lies will be forgotten!

How else would you remember that shark biting through your LP hose in Cay Sal?

I keep a very weak log book with the best of intentions....

Essentially I record time/date/depth/location. This helps when I am editing video 5 months later. Before every trip I commit to recording DETAILED information (what I saw, who I was with, temps, gas left, weight, etc)....yet I seem to always become forgetful/occupied/to tired/senile, etc....

 

[rubbachicken]

I have been thinking about this for a while and would like to ask the rest of you. Why YOU keep a logbook? Most of the dives I do are repetitive. Same 6-10 locations, unless I go on vacation somewhere. My perspective is that I do not see the reason for continuing to log every dive. I will probably do so until I have achieved the "required" number for any further certification. Please correct me but isn't the level needed for instructor only like 100 logged dives?

Anyway, whay do you keep your log?

1. Simply for personal reasons
2. For bragging rights/In order to "prove" my dive history
3. Because it is needed for further certification
4. just need the extra paperwork
5. Other?

As I already said. I keep one as necessary proof for dive ops or further certification.

I like keeping my logbook so I can reflect on my dives ie: sights, problems, who I was with etc. It is also a good record of bottom time and air consumption for reference. I use it more as a journal.

i dive to see the best part of the world, where ever in the world i'm diving, if i could sleep down there i would
and i want to remember everything that i see, i fill the page most every dive
other divers i have laughed at me writing so much in my log book as most it seems don't write quite as much as i do, i'm halfway through my 4th log book, an when that ones full i have an even bigger paged log to carry on with