Log book mockery?!

[mathauck0814]

I'm very on and off about logging. At first I was very careful to record every detail, get it stamped/signed, etc. Then I just sort of stopped and several hundred dives went by. When I started doing more technical/deep dives and there was more variety in my equipment, approach and how I felt about the dives I kept better notes. Then I stopped doing that after a few hundred more dives. Now that I've taken up a rebreather, I'm back to record keeping. I suspect I'll lose interest in that after a few hundred hours on the unit until the next new thing comes along that I'll want to record the early phases of.

Ultimately, use your log for your own purposes. If you want to log your dives, go for it. No one should mock you for it, but it also shouldn't be a chore that you feel compelled to do.

 

[DMDavid]

I keep a logbook just for my own interests. I would love to do it in my computer, but no matter what I try, my laptop will not work with my OC-1. I have the program on there, and the laptop recognizes the OC-1, but it will not download the the data.

I found that using a program called Diving Log works a lot better and easier with my Oceanic.

 

[boulderjohn]

I don't know PADI course standards and all but personally I think he should have helped you fill out the log book after each dive supervising that you did it correctly and had the information you needed.

Logging the OW certification dives is a requirement. If the instructor did not log the dives with you, it was a standards violation. Now go back and look very carefully at those log book pages. In them you will see exactly what you were supposed to have done on the dives. You will see which skills are "dive-flexible" and can be done on different dives at the instructor's discretion, and you will see which ones have to be done on specific dives. Back when I was certified, the log books were not nearly as detailed as they are now, but they were detailed enough that if I had looked at them carefully I would have seen how many required skills my instructor skipped. Now that we know your instructor skipped the required skill of logging the dives, you might find it interesting to go back and see if any other skills were skipped.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I log all of my dives. The details and info recorded has changed over the years. Now I'm more concerned with stats and details of the dive itself. I no longer record seeing fishes, old boats, etc. I do keep detailed records of temps, vis, currents, thermoclines, and nav features. I may do them at the end of the day when going thru my wetnotes, at the end of the weekend, or a few days after. My Predator allows me a great deal of flexibility in the information it gives me.

 

[diverrex]

I don't mock anyone logging dives on paper and will gladly sign when asked by a buddy. I just have no interest in doing it for me though I do download my computer and keep my dive count that way and monitor my SAC.

I do always wonder when someone asks about needing a log to take a course. Are they taking the course with strangers? There are at least 3 LDS's and a couple private instructors I could go to for DM if I was interested and I really don't think they would ask to see my log just because they know me and may not know my exact dive count but know I dive regularly and the count is way over what is needed, just because they actually see me dive regularly.

 

[Slmason.72]

I log all of my dives both on paper and electronically. I'm not much of a blogger / journalist, but I do like seeing the improvement.


Something to keep in mind as a new diver, many of the courses you may want to take in the future require a certain number of verifiable dives. The only way to prove this is your log book.

 

[octopuppy]

I haven't logged all but I've noted dive sights, local, conditions, weight used, any difficulties, favorite dives, etc. Sincle I've been diving since 1980 it really is fun to go back and see how your diving improves or see the changes that have happened at sights through the years. Especially nice when trying to recall favorite sights in Bonaire. Used to be "Wow I saw a walleye" to "Wow I spotted a new species of Flasher Wrasse".

 

[MattJ]

I don't mock; I fill out my logbook even though I have the dives on computer.

In my OW class I have students log depth, time, pressure group, but also tank size, wetsuit type and thickness, fresh or salt water, weight used, whether we adjusted the weighting from dive to dive, air consumption, and so on. That way they start establishing references for when they do similar dives.

 

[FlyinV]

I keep my dive log electronically as its fun to look at various stats concerning your diving history.
Its cool to track your progress and pull up stats about how often you have dove various local sites.

I stopped doing a paper log book about 325 dives ago. I have one dive buddy who has paper logs for over 1000 of her dives and she records everything in great detail.

As a dive master I always feel honored to sign someone log book. I would never mock them for keeping a paper log.

So if you are a paper person don't feel shy about getting people to sign your log... Deep down they are jealous that they didn't keep a log

 

[Laurie S.]

I found that using a program called Diving Log works a lot better and easier with my Oceanic.

Thanks, I'll try it.