What is a dive?

[Interceptor121]

You can't log confined water dives as dives but just as training record entries
According to PADI for training purposes an open water dive is a dive when you are at least at depth of 5 meters/15 feet and
a. remain submerged for at least 20 minutes
or
b. breathes at least 1400 litres or 50 cubic feet of compressed air
As the second is not information generally recorded on your logbook directly (you would need to convert to litres) the first definition is what counts.
There are some exceptions, for example during a rescue diver course you are authorised to log the 4 open water scenarios as dives but they may not fall into the classification above

 

[diving_emtp]

neil287x

If you feel guilty about logging something as a "dive" just don't increment your dive count but do capture the experience.

That is how I do it. As someone who eventually wants to be an instructor I like to "log" pool/confine water dives this way not only for myself but just incase anyone asks me what I've done as a DM I can show them (not that I think anyone will but just in case).

Remember the log is more personal than it is anything else. Do it the way you want, just be consistent.

d-e

 

[Interceptor121]

If I have to check a divemaster candidate I look in the log book for open water dives. Confined water or other experiences are not relevant

 

[Gen San Chris]

I log all my dives even if they are below 20 minutes because sometimes i do things like go deep, past 130 feet to check a buoy anchorage to fix a boat to etc, some say that if its not 20 minutes you should not log but in cases like this it most certainly is a dive! I have also logged a few dives below 15 feet but when you are trying to get a picture of something that does not want to cooperate at say 12 feet and you stay there for nearly 2 hours, thats a dive!
I dont log pool dives!

 

[Interceptor121]

Fair point however the definition of 20 minutes comes from PADI instructor manual and is therefore a standard if you are in to the PADI training system. Logging dives is a personal thing however when you are then faced with an official review of your log book those under 20 minutes would be discounted if you had less than say the 60 you need for DM

 

[Diver0001]

technically, what counts as an actual, loggable "dive". i mean if you gear up and jump in the local pool? does that count? can you log that? or do you have to be in open water or a lake? just curious

I guess it depends on why you're logging.

I tell my students to log everything they think is important and to use their log books as a way to capture information about changes they make to their configurations, route descriptions, telephone numbers of potential buddies, sketches of dive sites, notes about plans they're making... everything.

If they count them or not is the 2nd part. I want my students to get from their diving what they want to get from it and I don't really give a rat's as.s if they're counting the number of entries in their log books or not. All I'm really interested in is that as beginning divers they keep their options open (ie. I tell them to log their first 200 dives diligently for any con-ed training they might want to take). Other than that, the log book's primary function is as a reference.

At least the way I see it. So in that context a logable dive is anything you want to log. If you want a particular dive to count for your con-ed plans then it should be at least 20 minutes long in open water. Pools are confined water so that doesn't count for con-ed as far as I'm concerned. If you're trying to make enough dives to become a DM then, whatever you do, don't make 50 dives to 20ft for 20min. If you do that than many instructors will see through it and tell you to go get some more experience first.

R..

 

[dkktsunami]

technically, what counts as an actual, loggable "dive". i mean if you gear up and jump in the local pool? does that count? can you log that? or do you have to be in open water or a lake? just curious

Any dive that you want to remember - it's your log book. I have learned more in a 15' lake than any other site.

 

[Diver0001]

Any dive that you want to remember - it's your log book. I have learned more in a 15' lake than any other site.

Yeah. I remember logging a dive when I first learned in 1984 where the maximum depth was only 3 metres (10ft) but it was one of the most interesting and memorable dives I ever made. What I "learned" from that was that a dive doesn't need to be deep to be a dive, and shallow dives can be a whole wheelbarrow full of fun.

R..

 

[Scott]

You can't log confined water dives as dives but just as training record entries
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I don't think the OP was asking about training dives.

Seems most divers will use the 20 minute guideline. Like others I have been on shorter dives that were quite educational and those were logged. It's your log book, log the dives you want to log. If you do and plan on using the pool dives to count toward some type of advancement you may run into Instructors who will not count them as dives. You may also run into to some who do.

 

[mjh]

Been said before my problem is with definition of "Confined". I dive at an Aquarium. Dry suit, 25lbs of lead, full face AGA mask, 80cf tank, with air and communication lines from surface. Exhibit has a surge engine which bounces you up and down a good 2ft or more. Buoyancy must be close to perfect as you don't want to be coming in contact with any part of the exhibit while the biologist are watching you like hawks.

Tasks include doing a show for crowd, so talking, digging around in a bag for food items, feeding individual creatures all while hovering. Throw in vacuuming the bottom, cleaning glass, doing underwater power washing, drilling, etc... etc... etc...

I think these easily require much better buoyancy, dive skills, awareness of surroundings than the vast majority of my tropical open water dives.