Why log dives?

[Thalassamania]

My log, when I get around to it (ususally the data is in my watch and/or computer) is one line: Date, location, project, time down, time up, max depth and buddy. Anything more than that, for me, is a report rather than a log.

 

[BarryNL]

If you had say 92 dives and your instructor, in his or her opinion, felt you were ready, a single e-mail is all that it would take to get approval for you to be in the class.

Now, I'll grant you that I'm looking down the worng end of this telescope!

Apart from anything else, all you need for 100 dives logged is a blank log book and half an hour of free time.

 

[TheRedHead]

Apart from anything else, all you need for 100 dives logged is a blank log book and half an hour of free time.

You'd also have to have the Adv. Nitrox and Deco Procedures cards so it would be unlikely to need to fake all 100 of them.

 

[trstange]

I'm very lax on keeping written logs (I do download it to my computer) but I do keep a written record of weight used for different gear configurations. I dive a 3 mil wetsuit once or twice a year and can never remember how much weight I need with it. I always have to look. :337:

As far as the number of dives to take a class, I see people with 100s of dives who I wouldn't buddy with for money and have seen people with 12 dives who just amaze me. A check out dive sounds to me like the best way to go for evaluation.

 

[TheRedHead]

As far as the number of dives to take a class, I see people with 100s of dives who I wouldn't buddy with for money and have seen people with 12 dives who just amaze me. A check out dive sounds to me like the best way to go for evaluation.

You do have a very good point, but remember these are technical certs and just because you pay your money and sign up doesn't mean you will get a c-card. There are many evaluations you have to pass such as power swimming, diver tow, no mask swimming before you get to open water. Then there are 8 progressively more difficult dives with the instructor.

I think the reason for the 100 dive minimum is that they want people who have finished the entry technical certifications to go out and get some more experience. You can have only 25 dives and some instructors will accept you as a student in Advanced Nitrox/Deco Procedures where you will be certified to dive to 150 feet using up to 100% O2 for deco.

 

[markfm]

PADI requires 100 dives to complete Instructor.
I'm not saying that's good or bad, just that it isn't 50.

 

[SparticleBrane]

The dive log that I have in Excel is pretty comprehensive but I can't take credit for all of it. I have a friend who made it originally and I modified it slightly for my personal use--but here's what it keeps track of. Anything in red is something it auto-generated based on other information or calculations based in the spreadsheet.


Dive number
Total hours of dive time
Date
Location
Dive type (training, TA, quarry, ocean, wreck, spring, river, cavern, cave)
Viz
Temp (F)
Current
Buddy
Purpose
Max Depth (ft)
Max Depth (ata)
Nitrox Mix (%02)
MOD @ 1.4 pO2 (fsw)
EAD @ max depth (ata)
EAD @ max depth (fsw)
Start Time
End Time
Total Time (hr:min)
Actual Dive Time (min)
Planning Method
SIT prior
Start Group
RNT (min)
TNT (min)
End Group
Tank Volume (cf)
Tank Working Pressure (psi)
Start PSI
End PSI
Delta PSI
Average Depth (fsw)
SAC (cf/min/ata)
Equipment
Notes


On a "Summaries" page it is set up to keep track of the number of dives by type, the deepest dive (fsw) and the longest dive (hr:min).
It's easily adjustable so in the future if I ever get into deco--I can add that as a "dive type". The way it works is that I can have multiple dive types per dive. As an example--if I'm diving as a TA with a group of students on a wreck in the ocean, I put "Ocean, Wreck, TA" as the dive type and it counts one each for each--ocean, wreck, and TA.

 

[Thalassamania]

It's that old saw about doing the same dive 100 times. Our "entry level" course included 2 required free dives, 12 required scuba dives and two optional night dives. All dives are designed to be moderately stressful working dive "learning" experiences. How many "same old quarry" dives is each of those dives worth? The very idea of having a set number of dives as an entrance requirement for a course stikes me the wrong way since, in my opinion, the number of dives is perhaps the most meaningless measure of a diver's competence that I can think of.

 

[TheRedHead]

The very idea of having a set number of dives as an entrance requirement for a course stikes me the wrong way since, in my opinion, the number of dives is perhaps the most meaningless measure of a diver's competence that I can think of.

In an ideal world, how would one measure a diver's competence to take a certain class?

 

[trstange]

In an ideal world, how would one measure a diver's competence to take a certain class?

In an ideal world I'd say go diving with them for the weekend.


Off topic btw, I hope everyone here is donating a couple of bucks to kimbers recovery fund. I lurk alot and don't post often but she is a true asset to this board and could use some help now.