The first commercial American Dive Log was created in 1955 by Dick Bonin while he was employed by "Dive Master" in Chicago Illinois. It was not immediately accepted and did not sell well.
< For you who think Dive Master is a diving rate, it was first a company...In 1963 Dick was also one of the founders of the company known as SCUBA Pro>
The first successful dive log was produced LA County Senior Aquatic Specialist Tom Ebro for the LA County underwater programs. It was first required as a part of organized diving in the world's first Advanced diving program, the 3 month long many dives, much work LA County Advanced diving Program aka ADP was established in 1967. The same year it became a component of the 3 month long Los Angeles county Underwater Instructor Certification Course, the UICC. Therefore dive logs entered the market place in 1955, 59 years ago and the mainstream of certified diving via LACO ADP in 1967, 47 years ago.
< A few years later when PADI had been created John Cronin, the master marketer and one of the three founders of PADI copied the LA Co log book and sold it to PADI membership at a very inflated price >
Now dive logs and logging dives are very commonplace and should be maintained and encouraged by those in position of authority.
I do not recall the date when I first began keeping a "Log book." It was some time pre SCUBA introduction in my game gathering days, possibly in the late 1940/1950s.
It was a simple small red spiral bound note book which I initially recorded equipment problems (which were many) ,dates, dive locations and game taken. When the tubular pool thermometer was introduced to the pool world I secured one to my WW11 Mae West, which I (we) used for emergency flotation. This allowed another factor of air and water temperature. My thoughts being I could go to the beach to a specific location check the air temperature, water temperature, etc. drop in and there would be game. There were too many variables, therefore my logging system never proved to be valid for game collection.
When SCUBA was initially introduced in the very late 1940s it was refereed to as "Lung diving." There was more than ample problems associated with the early bubble machines and the lack of any formalized training. So I continued to maintain a log of problems and solutions.
As one of the architects of the LA Co ADP I was expected and did continue to log dives but in the official LA Co Underwater Log book. At one time I had 17 full log books. Due to the passing of time and no central storage I am down to only 11 full log books.
In 1992 SSI in conjunction with Skin Diver Magazine (SDM) and a few others announced the creation of the SSI Pro 5000 Recognition Award for those who had made 5000 dives or more. I did not take the organization serious and did not complete the paper work in time for the first ceremony in 1992. After reading about the ceremony in SDM and reviewing the list of recipients, I hastily filled out the documents and was accepted in 1993, 21 years ago. My son who began diving at a very young age was required to maintain a very complete log book listing dive insequencal numbers, locations and game seen or taken by common and scientific names. It paid off Sam IV is currently a ER/Hyperbaric doctor and because of his log book was honored as a Pro 5000 eight years ago. One of the very few father and sons in the world who have been recognized and a Pro-5000.
The most interesting log books I have ever read was that keep by the late Jack Prodanovich which spanned about 60 or more years. It was just a series of simple note books, chronologically dated on the front cover and filed in a cubby hole over his work bench.
< For you who are new to the sport Jack was a member of the San Diego Bottom Scratchers which was founded in 1932- 82 years ago>
Do I recommend keeping a log? As one who has maintained a log for over sixty years I recommend logging dives for a variety of reasons; to have a record of an era in your life that you were a participant, as a heirloom for your children, to have a record of hyperbaric exposures for future medical records.
