Electronic Dive Log

[sheeper]

another vote here for Diving Log 6.0+
it can be customized, has enough data fields. Imports data from Shearwater desktop and can export data to a number of other formats and online logs.
I also like being able to attach photos, maps, etc to log entries.

 

[maj2]

Another for DivingLog 6.0. I am using the desktop version, synched to my iPhone. I used to have the Android app on a previous device, but far prefer the iOS version. The Android app at the time seemed clunky and just really ugly. Hopefully they have since updated it to a look and feel more consistent with the iOS and desktop versions.

Whichever one you choose, make sure your log is easily exportable in a format that will be widely accepted (eg Excel) when the time comes that the OS goes obsolete or the software is no longer supported. At risk of dating myself, I started using Ruiz Log on a Palm Pilot shortly after OW certification. It was a good app, until Palm went belly up, the PalmOS became obsolete, and the app's website was gone and I could not export my dives or even get support to find a way to export my dives. It took forever to manually hand copy my dive data over, and I definitely lost a lot of dive-specific notes that I was too lazy to manually copy for hundreds of dives.

As sheeper mentioned, DivingLog has a number of export options to cover all bases in the future...

 

[doctormike]

Whichever one you choose, make sure your log is easily exportable in a format that will be widely accepted (eg Excel) when the time comes that the OS goes obsolete or the software is no longer supported.

Yup, this is good advice. MacDive exports in UDCF (Universal Dive Computer Format), UDDF (Universal Dive Data Format), DAN ZXU (something that DAN uses), as well as XML, PDF and CSV.

 

[dmaziuk]

I'm not looking to automate it. I actually like imputing the data so I am only looking at it for the master set of records that I keep.

Then you can just as easily use a spreadsheet, like google's.

 

[doctormike]

Then you can just as easily use a spreadsheet, like google's.

I never really understood this approach. I mean, a spreadsheet is a good general purpose mini-database that is designed to be completely flexible and customizable, so they are great for small, one-off projects. But why would you use something like that and do all the work required to set up your own personal re-invention of the wheel when you have robust, free options that represent thousands of man-hours of high end software design, specifically built for dive logging?

Options that can interface with virtually any dive computer, export your data in many industry-wide formats, share data online, incorporate detailed graphic dive profiles and images, do gas calculations, incorporate large gear sets, map data, buddy contacts, etc..

 

[dmaziuk]

I never really understood this approach. I mean, a spreadsheet is a good general purpose mini-database that is designed to be completely flexible and customizable, so they are great for small, one-off projects. But why would you use something like that and do all the work required to set up your own personal re-invention of the wheel when you have robust, free options that represent thousands of man-hours of high end software design, specifically built for dive logging?

"Never underestimate the power of the spreadsheet"

Most of them aren't free, and you need to invest time and effort into learning the ropes even you aren't paying for the software itself. If you don't want to interface with the DC and want to type stuff in instead, it's hard to beat a spreadsheet. E.g. in subsurface your data entry is spread over multiple tabs. I still haven't got around to copy-pasting site names from last trip from SWMBO's log to mine. In a spreadsheet that's like 5 keystrokes for the entire log, in subsurface it's 5 keystrokes per dive. When I put the computer in the cradle, press a button, and all my dive profile sampled at 20 seconds intervals appears in the log, now that's more than worth it for me. But OP said they don't want to do that.

I'm spoiled by Comp Sci education where they taught us a program's a tool for doing specific things. So I asked: what specific things do you want your dive log to do? Just because someone spent thousands of man-hours designing a $1000 BCD doesn't mean I'm going to rush'n buy it to replace my BP&W that does everything I need. Why treat software any different?

 

[Fastmarc]

Wait, no one uses diverecord.com?

 

[doctormike]

Just because someone spent thousands of man-hours designing a $1000 BCD doesn't mean I'm going to rush'n buy it to replace my BP&W that does everything I need. Why treat software any different?

Well, we are talking about a recommendation for an OP who does not have any sort of digital log at present, and who does not (as far as we can tell) have a computer science background. He's not replacing anything.

So a better analogy would be a choice would be between recommending that the OP build a DIY BC out of basic materials vs. just taking a free Halcyon BP/W. Or if he really didn't like the free one, there is another BP/W available for $25.

 

[dmaziuk]

The better analogy would be a choice between software that reads data off yuor DC and plots your dive profile (if you give it the samples) and SAC (if you give it the samples) and attaches pictures (if you give it the pictures) and fills in dive site names (if you give it the site's GPS coordinates and they match something it its database) vs. a simple list of records in tabular format that's easy to fill in and edit by hand.

 

[Land Fish]

I downloaded Dive!Log! (Dive! Log! - Android Apps on Google Play) and another dive log app the night before I flew out for a LOB...after realising that my log book was full...

Anyway, I tried both during the trip and quickly gravitated towards Dive!Log! and uninstalled the other one.

It allows a buddy to sign a log and stores it as a picture. I thought the feature was fun.

Worth have a look