How important is your log book?

[alijtaylor]

I log every dive into my pc but it is mostly about reflecting on and remembering the details - I quite often flick back through the 6 years of diving and see if I can remember where I was diving at or around that date each year. It is gratifing how often a few sentences brings the exact dive back to mind. I have only once been asked for it by a dive charter and when I said its on my computer no big deal.

Alison

 

[Stu S.]

Like Jim wrote, the log book can be a record of things a computer can't record.

I've recently used "Aqua Explorer's Water Resisitant 100 Dive" spiral bound log books. Although small, each page has a place where I can draw. Where to enter a shipwreck? Find that grouper? To find, or avoid a gator?

I can look it up in the book.

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

I concur with Stu - you need a place to add details to your dives, including such simple things as the name of the dive site, the operator, maybe even where on planet earth you are. You can't get this from a dive computer download. I use a d-base program I wrote that allows me to import profiles from my cochran but more importantly lets me detail the key parts of the dive, such as the items mentioned above, my buddies, any instruction that took place during the dives, and comments about what we saw, what we did, or whatever!

 

[Jorgy]

I download my dives into the Suunto Software..........

Add the beginning/ending tank pressure and the type of tank I'm using to allow the software to calculate SAC..........

Then I print them off and add any additional notes to the paper copy and put it in a three ring binder.............

When I travel, I bring copies the my last 10 dives.....just in case I am asked for a log........

This has happened twice, in Spain and Israel......

I was told once that if you can't produce a log then the op has the option of requiring a “check-out” dive and charging you for this........not sure this is true........

Hope this helps............M

 

[spectrum]

I seem to have lost my first log book with half of my logged dives:bonk:

I'd be crushed by the loss of keepsake value. That's why it's in Excel and highly backed up. I keep a hard copy version in the dive mobile.

I'm going to guess that if you had been challenged for your book in your dives to date you'd know the answer. Since that is not the case you shouldn't have much of a problem. If it's the most recent volume you lost then I would suggest starting to log again ASAP. It is possible that you will be asked to show relatively recent activity and I would rather have something to present just in case.

Pete

 

[Steve_Dives]

I keep a paper log in addition to my dive computer downloads. I also summarize the dives into a spreadsheet so I have an idea of my past experience (they're posted on my Facebook page).

I record restaurants and meals, dive operations and DM's, and other things in addition to the dive details. So if I want to revisit a place, or relive a moment, I can. I like to record who I dove with as well. I was influenced by a couple people with decades of dive experience who didn't always log their dives and have lost the memories of who, where, when, and what. So I log my dives as a gift to my future self.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Mine is online ... and at this point pretty much just numbers. Sometimes I refer to it to remember when I last did a particular site ... or dived with a particular person. I've never been asked by a dive operator to see my log book (which is good, because if I had to print that thing out it'd need its own suitcase).

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[I Dive]

The only dives I have ever logged into a book were training dives so the instructor could initial. Otherwise, I just download everything to my PC and every once in awhile I will print that and store it in my filing cabinet as a back up. But, I doubt I really even need to do that, as I have a second hard drive that my PC automatically backs everything up to. I can't see a scenario where I would lose the electronic version. But, any time I take a trip where I will be diving with an Op, I make sure to do a current print out and bring that with, just in case. You never know when they may want to look at your log.

 

[2905luvsbubbles]

I log all of my dives in a log book, but the detail varies. For me, it has been very helpful to go back and look up weights I used with different configurations. I dive both salt and freshwater and have dove both cold and warm water, whith the results of diving everything from a 3 mil to a dry suit with both aluminum and steel tanks depending upon who I am diving with and where. I cant remember the weight, so I just look it up. I have never logged locations and dive shops as some posters have said, but that is a great idea and I will start logging that information as I have used a dive operator in the Florida keys that I would love to dive with again, but I honestly don't remember their name. (my advancing age..LOL)

 

[burna]

Not very for me, in fact I'm almost tempted not to bother with it at all.

I made my own a while back, and this is what I use.

A buddy fills out quite a detailed log of each dive and I always think maybe I should be doing that. But we are at very diff stages with our diving, I'm still learning how to drive my drysuit so am spending most of my time adding air and dumping it, playing around with weight and undergarments etc etc so I miss half the stuff she sees.

I also don't bother about getting the dive varified by my buddy, maybe I should do that as well.