Lost my log - now what?

[susan6868]

I've been diving for about three years now and have about 70 dives under my belt.
I've just signed up for Nitrox training as well as AOW.
Shortly after getting my Open Water cert, my original log book (the tiny one provided by PADI) filled up and I bought a bigger one. I continued to log my dives over the next two years. Just got back from my last trip and my log book is nowhere to be found. Many of my diving friends have told me not to stress. Just start a new log when I do AOW training. A few of my friends have told me to just go back and pull as much as I can from memory, trip by trip, dive by dive. Truth is, I donlt think I can do that. Too labor intensive and the end result wouldn;t have much integrity. My dive buddy for most of the trips doesn;t even bother logging anymore, so that's not a source of info.
In the end, I guess I want to know how many people actually continue to log every dive.
In addition, will having 50 of my most recent dives NOT in my logs hurt me in continuing my traing/diving?
What can I do to set things right, if anything?
Thanks, you just know after I get this all worked up my log will suddenly appear!
Happens all the time................

[Dive-aholic]

I log my dives, but it's for professional reasons more than anything. I also do go back and reference water temps, etc. Unless you want to become a DM or instructor, no worries. Logs are more for personal use. When you become a professional, they can be used with agencies or even for tax purposes. Just explain what happened to your instructors. They should understand.

[Divin'Hoosier]

Just start another one. It won't hamper your training. They don't need to see your log book to do AOW or Nitrox. I've never had anyone ask to see my log book. I would just start a new one and start numbering where you left off your old one, or approximately if you can't remember exactly. Sure, I'd be bummed if I lost mine. But it's because of the notes and the diving history that it helps me recall. Not because it will somehow hamper my diving.

[CheddarChick]

That's why I am doing it online and in the book. Ok I know I am paranoid, but.... I don't think you should worry, just start a new book and put in the last dive number you can think of.

[CheddarChick]

Man your cards weren't in your book were they???? I would be pi$$ed about that more than anything

[Kim]

Out of curiosity....do you use a computer, or tables and a watch? If it's a computer then all the dives you did using it will still be inside it I should imagine.

[Walter]

In the end, I guess I want to know how many people actually continue to log every dive.
In addition, will having 50 of my most recent dives NOT in my logs hurt me in continuing my traing/diving?
What can I do to set things right, if anything?
Thanks, you just know after I get this all worked up my log will suddenly appear!
Happens all the time................

I don't know how many, but lots of folks, myself included, log every dive even after decades and thousands of dives.

It won't hurt you not to have the log, but it would bother me. Where did you last see it? On a trip, I store my log in my carry on bag, so I don't forget it. Contact the hotel where you were staying, see if it's been found.

To set things right, try to reconstruct your log. I have mine backed up, so it would be easy, although quite labor intensive to reconstruct my log should I ever lose a volume.

I hope it does reappear.

[NadMat]

I 'lost' logged dives 35-500 something when a former gf 'helped' by cleaning out some of my closet stuff, including archived and current paper logs, cleaning them right out in the trash, and with my infrequent diving at time I didn't realize for a couple of months.

I started a new log at 500, and use both paper and computer copy, I like keeping log on computer because it is easier to search and to back up. It sucks to loose that info, but it is mostly for you personally unless you are a professional diver.

[pir8]

I still log most dives. I will count each day as 1 rather than each up & down. Don't worry so much about the paper and the cards can be replaced. I might not ask to see a students log but I can tell from talking to them if they should be taking a particular class or need some kind off remediation before advancing on to something else.

[DeputyDan]

I log all my dives but may do more than one dive per page.

For example dives 88 - 89 are at 1000 steps on Bonaire.

I will log them both on the same page and call the dive 88 and 89 and log the data I want to save.