to log or not to log....

[rivers]

I generally write down water temp, depth, weight, who from my group of friends came with, weather, and what I saw. Also, I generally write down what I thought of the dive op and DM (all of my diving has been done in Cozumel so far. getting into the NE waters and doing my aow this spring). I'm still a new diver, so I pretty much write all sorts of random information down.

 

[Tanked]

When I first started diving i kept a log religiously. Now not so much. I've never been asked to show my log bookat any resort, in fact i don't even have a book to write them in. Flashing my Divemaster card is usually good enough for any resort shop.

Besides, I was never good at writing out my experiences, do i decided its better to just relive them in my head.

 

[Queen]

If you think you're going to want more certs at any time in the future, keep a log. Once I finished Rescue back in '84 I stopped logging, I wasn't planning on going pro so it didn't matter to me.

 

[Mike Boswell]

I fill in the written log book with a minimum of info including date, time, gear, weights, etc. But I download dives onto the computer and there I fill in the notes section with what critters we saw, tides, vis, gps marks or line-ups, and everything else I can remember. For me it's fun and kind of like re-living the dives. I think it helps you learn about the sites so you can better predict things like vis, currents, etc.

I have gone back and used my logs to figure out weighting questions or when I switched gear.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

For me it's just something I got used to doing. My log is a simple Word table that I keep on my computer. Takes about 10 seconds to fill it out for each dive, and it's a running tally of numbers more than anything else.

Why do I do it? Dunno ... probably because I'm a creature of habit ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[lmorin]

A log book is a journal-your journal. Keep it if you wish, or not. I quit using pre-printed dive logs because they waste huge amounts of space and are good for too few dives per book. Now I use a small, lined page, diary-like book with most dives logged only by number, location and date. If something novel o interesting is seen, it's noted. If we ate at a good restaurant, it's noted. Never had anyone ask to see my log. My wife, who is my buddy, doesn't keep one.

 

[knotical]

Didn't log for my first several years of diving. Regret that I can't remember the name of the buddy when we found the anchor, or where I saw the injured turtle, or how much weight I used back then … or even how many dives I did. I now log conscientiously.

 

[The Chairman]

I record my dives on my OC1 and download them with Oceanic's software. If I need to record the dive for posterity (training, accident, etc), I take the time to vet that particular dive within the software for future reference. Using your PDC to record dives is easy, it gives you some great information and you don't need a buddy to sign it to make it "official".

However, rather than use this information for nostalgia, I do inspect the profile of each and everyone of my dives. Many things distract us on every dive including new gear, narcosis, fatigue, weather, and even the critters we came to see. These often cause us to overlook alarms, ascent speeds, safety stop depths and duration. A computer readout gives you raw unfiltered data to digest in the comfort of your office or home. It gives you a chance to lend a critical eye to almost every aspect of your dive and learn about your strengths and deficiencies. I was already a divemaster when I got my first PDC, a Suunto Cobra. I probably had 50+ dives on it before I bought the download cable and boy did I learn a lot about my diving style.

• I had learned to ride my NDL rather than to plan my dive and dive my plan.
• My Safety stops were more like safety pauses.
• My ascents were way too quick.
• My SAC rate was horrible.
• I had little or no air reserves at the end of my dives.
• My profiles looked like an old tree saw (no buoyancy control).

It was a great wake up call for me to see how I was diving on the edge, but not in a good way. It really helped me to focus on the three limits every dive needs: time, depth and air and has made me a far, far safer diver.

So, I would suggest that everyone log their dives electronically (with a PDC) and use that information for an honest, unbiased assessment of your diving. Your PDC is a wonderful tool and you should utilize it to the fullest.

 

[Pearldiver07]

I follow the same philosophy as NetDoc.

A computer can be a crutch, or a learning tool.

If you don't try to improve your diving during the dive, and then get as much out of it by doing a recap afterward, the number of dives you did in no way reflects your experience. My fins have several hundred dives on them, but that doesn't make them any better. I always love how divers try to show how good they are by the number of dives they've made, regardless of what they may or may not have learned or improved upon during those dives.

I strongly believe that logging your dives (especially with the added detail of a computer's data) make for a better diver.

 

[diverrex]

While I don't keep the traditional written log I do as NetDoc says. I download my dive computer log to my PC and then carefully review my profile on the computer after all dives, looking at NDL limits, ascent rates, safety stop duration, etc.