Log book dinosaur?

[BabySweetlipsLover]

With a digital logbook you can have all the dive data / profile uploaded automatically and then still add your thoughts manually, including pictures and videos.

Does anyone have an idea about which softwares are available for that? Is this the normal Suunto DM4 software? Are there any other softwares I can use to transfer the Suunto dive data?

I've actually made a spreadsheet that will track everything and give me air performance for a certain depth range (e.g. 150 bar used over 60 minute dive 12-14.0 m average) and then rank it against all my other dives from 12-14.0 m. .

I'm a data nerd so I love it. Unfortunately have to put all the data in myself.

 

[deeper thoughts]

The Mrs and I log every dive(paper). We have been diving for 22 yrs and it is a great way to reflect back

 

[MB NZ]

just thought i'd add that i use a generic iphone database app to record my dives. it happens to be tapforms which is very good, but i'm sure there are others. i never found a dedicated dive log app that was right for me. tapforms backups via email or dropbox and generates a CSV file which can be opened with excel. i can't see this file format disappearing any time soon.

 

[Storker]

Does anyone have an idea about which softwares are available for that? Is this the normal Suunto DM4 software? Are there any other softwares I can use to transfer the Suunto dive data?

Try Diving Log, Diving Log 5.0 - Scuba Log, Scuba Logbook, Dive Log, Divelog - Logbook software for scuba diving - Logbuch Software zum Tauchen



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Typos are a feature, not a bug

 

[KeithG]

We log every dive ... mostly ...

Logbooks can be great learning tools. Once yur lernd, no need to log as much.

When we started out we wrote tons of stuff. We also would pull out the dive log and reminisce once we got home. That got old.

We then graduated to putting both of us on the same dive log page (custom excel spreadsheet printout) that provided a space for me to draw the contour of the dive site. That got old (I dove one dive site 13 times this trip, I do NOT need to draw it again...).

What we have found useful over the years are:
- how much weight was I using last trip?
- which fish did we see on the trip?
- how much bottom time did we ring up?
- what was my dive profile like? did I bop up and down too much? where my ascents fast-ish?

We now have a 3 way split log book:
1) a double sided piece of paper with many lists of fish & creatures with a "few", "some", "many", "juvenile" checkbox that we look at each day
2) our old 2 person per page log that we only really fill in bottom time several days later and ignore the rest
3) an electronic download into a PalmPilot from our bag full of Uwatec Aladins (yes really, Palm lives on!)

Our paper log has spots for air in and air out and lots of other stuff (wind, current, weather, ...) but we now ignore that as this stuff has become well known since we tend to repeat a lot (Bonaire, T&C, Belize, Bonaire,...)

As critter finders and lazy butts, we now tend to fixate on what we have seen and how much bottom time did I get.

And to answer the OP question:
As a vacation diver, I can not remember the last time I saw someone filling out a log book. ours is done in the hotel room, but on a liveaboard we often do it in the salon. I can also not remember seeing anyone looking at tables, or using their dive computer to plan the next dive. My impression is that most vacation divers are oblivious.

 

[DarinJ]

I use both paper and computer log books. Take the paper one with me to the dive site (or use wet notes on boat dives or rainy day shore dives). On paper, I jot down the basics of time, air, what we saw/did/learned/etc. Then, at home, plug in the dive computer and download the detailed profile. In the 'notes' section on the computer, I re-type my hand-written notes and add anything else that comes to mind. It's not very efficient, but for my 40ish dives last year, it worked well. My geek side has the detailed profiles and air consumption calculations from the computer log and my 'free-form' notes in the paper log book remind me more about the feeling of the dives I've done.

 

[TMHeimer]

I too use a small piece of paper to record the data at the site. If on a rare boat dive, this paper/pencil is kept in a waterproof jar. I can remember enough of what I saw to write that in when I get home. Then I copy it all at home into the book. If I want a buddy/DM to sign it, the book stays in the car until we are back at the dock.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I am packing my log book right now, in my carry-on bag, next to my passport and other things of high importance to me.

 

[AdivingBel]

I am packing my log book right now, in my carry-on bag, next to my passport and other things of high importance to me.

Have fun & safe diving. (really, really jealous )

 

[Storker]

Try Diving Log

Just to elaborate a little on that:

I've got a Suunto, and I tried DM4. The signup/cloud storage system was a complete dealbreaker for me. Cloud storage only, nothankyouverymuch. Cloud backup is one thing, to trust my data to some commercial actor who may or may not go out of business next week? Not so much.

So far, I'm pretty happy with Diving Log. It syncs with both Divemate and Divelog on my Android phone (Divelog a bit awkwardly, though), and it downloads all data from my computer, except bookmarks (at least version 5 doesn't download bookmarks). To get those, I need Suunto's software. Fortunately, I was able to locate a copy of the now-obsolete DM3, which uses local disk storage, so I get my bookmarks that way.

And I write a paper log as well. I don't fully trust digital storage, so I use a combination of digital and physical if the data are important to me. But it's really nice to get all the logged data into the PC quickly and easily, including my depth profile.