How important is a log book?

[stevephilanyc]

The specifics on weighting, type of cylinder used, EAN mix (if using Nitrox) and exposure protection make a logbook a very handy reference tool.
If you are thinking about going pro then it makes even more sense. I just started my IDC and one of the first bits of paperwork the Course Director had to sign off was that I had at least 100 logged dives.
So take the time and reconstruct. It will pay you dividends down the road.

I agree with all of this and some dive ops require a log book to show you've dived recently. I've encountered this a couple of times in resort areas and it's always good to have the log and not have to hassle with what they require without it.

Steve

 

[BelikinMan]

So I have started reconstruction and actually, I have more info than I thought, although my entires were are usually missing the actual information that might be of help (weights, temp, etc).

Ok, so here is my second question. Anyone got a good template to use? I am going to plan on taking notes of each dive and then will end up transferring to some template in a spreadsheet or something.

 

[Pearldiver07]

Yup, I went to a resort a few years ago, brought my Instructor-level card, but not my log book. They insisted I take a pool refresher before I be allowed to dive with them (it was independent diving in some off-shore locations). They required evidence of diving in the past 6 months to bypass the refresher.

I had been teaching quite regularly, including the weekend before so I had some fun trying to "out do" him when we reviewed the skills. Ended up that I helped him with some of the refresher training.

But I digress. I now always bring the book.

Also, I remember a new DM candidate I took on. I asked how many dives he had, to which he replied "around 250." I asked "You've got 250 LOGGED dives?" The look on his face was hilarious as he realized that he was about 40 short of having the logged requirement.

Look, log what will help you - gear/exposure/weight set ups, locations and maybe any specific skill usage. Beyond that, if you're not going to go on to a pro level, it's up to you what to track.

And - most of all - don't stop diving!!!! The surface intervals aren't worth it!!!

 

[Garrobo]

I recently had to change dive operators because the one I was hooked up with wussed out a dive day because they thought that the waves were going to be too high. The shop up the street was going no matter what. So I went with them. The lady behind the desk asked to see my log book to make sure that I had a history of diving a particular wreck which was down 112 feet, which I did, or tht I had made dives over 100 feet and recently. That the first time that I have had an operator ask to see my log book in almost 90 dives.

 

[drbill]

As some have already pointed out, a dive log can be of value iof you think you may go on to advanced (pro) certs.

Also when you travel, many international dive ops will want to look at your log book.

I stopped logging my dives between 1961 and 2000, and didn't start up until that year when I decided I wanted to take a 3-month international dive trip. Unfortunately my 1969 Los Angeles Count c-card wasn't recognized by most instructors I met... I guess they didn't know where the early PADI instructors got their training!

 

[fisherdvm]

DIVE # __ Site:_________Date:_____________

PSI START______ END_______ TIME IN ___________ OUT___________


DEPTH: ____ BOT TIME ____ WEIGHT_________________

FRESH SALT SHORE BOAT WAVES CURRENT SURF SURGE NIGHT DAY

LOW VIS EXTREME LO VIS WARM COOL VERY COLD ICE WRECK CAVE

EXPOSURE SUIT: _______________________________________________________________

BC TYPE: __________ FIN: _________ REG _________ COMP _______________________

TEMP AIR _______ WATER _______ VISIBILITY _____ HAZARDS __________________

ACTIVITY: _____________________________________________________________________

COMMENTS:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

VERIFICATION BY: ____________________________________________
CERT #: ______________________ INSTRUCTOR DIVEMASTER BUDDY

 

[peterbj7]

I don't bother any more, just reconstruct it when I need to. I used to keep a paper logbook religiously, but then lost it when my dive bag was stolen. I then transferred to a computer log, but lost that when both my laptop and my back-up drive experienced head crashes at the same time! I have at least one certification pending because I didn't submit my log book.

 

[Brandon]

I used to be of the opinion that a dive log didn't matter, but later discovered the virtues of having one. I think the big reason that I was against a dive log in the first place was because my OW instructor encouraged exhaustively long entries. I was also pretty put off on what PADI charged for dive log pages...

Attached is what I use for my dive log. I like to keep it pretty simple. Keeping a log hasn't been a chore since I started doing it this way.

My log pages have: Date, Location, Max Depth, Average Depth, Bottom Time, Water Temperature, Air Consumption, SAC, Buddy, and a little section for notes.

I has 28 entries on a single 8.5x11" page (both sides). I print the last 14 dives before I go on vacation, and enough blank pages to cover an optimistic number of dives. Write them in by hand while on the trip, then transfer them to the PC when I get home.

Works great for me, maybe someone else will find it useful!

-Brandon.

 

[Noboundaries]

As a former Navy pilot and flight instructor, including civilian time, I see many parallels between diving and flying. Both require mastery of environmental conditions, both require specialized training, both involve life threatening possibilities, and both require logbooks. Maintaining your flight logbook in the Navy was mandatory. I have the Navy dive manual and Navy divers also are required to keep the same type of meticulous records.

In the civilian world, I never trusted a pilot who didn't keep an exacting logbook. Doing so sharpens your focus and maintains your awareness of past events, reminders of lessons learned. I'm sure I'll get flamed for the statement I'm about to make, but a pilot who did not keep an accurate logbook was a lazy pilot and suspect of my trust. Frankly, I feel the same about divers.

Keeping a detailed logbook says more to others about the type of diver you are than you could ever claim by opening your mouth. When my wife and I dive together, we've learned to quickly size up the other divers on the boat. Watching how they prepare for the dive and suit up tells us more about them than anything they can say. It is very easy to work into a conversation dive history and how many dives they have recorded, plus whether they keep a logbook. Our experience so far is that keeping a logbook is the exception, not the rule. Fortunately, we can quickly observe and determine who to avoid in the water and who we can share liquid space.

In the flight world, whether in you were going to fly tight formations or a furball dogfight, you had to quickly determine before the flight who you could trust with your life and who you had to avoid. Diving is no different and the pre-dive assessment is equally important. Where it shows up quickly under the water is what I call "spacial awareness." Lazy divers are often so focused on what they are doing they neglect to keep track of who is to their right, left, above, below, ahead and behind. In the flight world that was a mid-air collision waiting to happen. In the dive world it is a mask kicked off one's face, a regulator ripped out of your mouth, a lost buddy, or a mid-water collision with two divers attempting to occupy the same space at the same time, especially in a swim-through or close to a silty bottom.

I survived 2300 hours of tactical flight experience and 281 aircraft carrier landings by following three guiding principles. First, respect your training. Second, complacency kills. And third, "Flying itself is not inherently dangerous, but it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity, or neglect." All three principles apply equally well to diving with the same potentially fatal consequences if you fail to remember any one leg of the trinity.

I'm an infant diver with a healthy level respect for both my dive experience and training. My "advanced" c-card is misleading, but my logbook tells a story. Keep a logbook, don't keep a logbook. The choice is yours.

 

[DiverBeth]

I keep my logbook. First it's a record of my dives. Second it's a great reference tool. I've looked back at it to see how much weight I've used or other things about a place I've dived before but haven't been to in a while.

Besides there might come a time when I may need to produce it.