What log book to get?

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How do we choose to remember any variety of events? General comments and impressions, likes, dislikes, "feelings"??
Data only, the hell with any friggin' emotions, it's about science and numbers?

Somewhere in between? I do take my paper log on the boats. It's 19 years old and I write it on the way in to the dock. I can tell how rough the seas were by my handwriting as we pounded through the waves, and rolled our way through the inlet.

What I get besides the "usual", are boat, crew and DM names, how much weight worked, or didn't work, what I breathed, tank size type, and mix, what I wore and was it enough to stay warm, what impressed me underwater, insta-buddy's contact info and signature, And "feelings" too, general impressions of a place, a boat, a shop, a town.

These are a good reference when I return to a shop and boat after a couple of years. And sometimes just interesting to read through.

Provided, of couse that I can read my handwriting from the 5-foot seas inbound ;-)
 
Paper logs are what I prefer to use even though I have a Cosmiq, 2 Perdixes, a Predator, and my first computer which is an Oceanic Veo 200. All have the capability to download dives. The Oceanic, however, came with software that was crap and never worked. I sold the download cable before I wrapped it around the computer and swung it at a wall.
I got in the habit of paper logs because that's how I was trained and with all the other stuff I have to do after a dive outing, I don't feel like downloading dives.
I don't log every dive now in the detail I used to. Those I do log in detail are special in some way.
I tell my students to get a simple small 6x9 3 ring binder and give them an example of the things they should log.
Date, time, location.
Fresh or salt water, temperature of air and water.
Exposure protection, type of BC, cylinder used.
Gas type - air or nitrox (if used the MOD and mix)
Amount of lead used.
Starting and ending pressure of each dive along with length.
Depth - max and average (if the average is known)
SAC rate in PSI and RMV
I have them draw profiles since we do use tables along with computers.
The profile includes surface intervals, beginning and ending pressure groups, residual nitrogen levels.
After that, it's whatever else they want to put in.

I have gone back to my log books from 10 years ago to look up a configuration I used to determine a starting weight so I didn't need to spend extra time on a weight check. I've gone back and looked up site info, water temps, depths, hazards, etc.
The paper log doesn't require a computer, batteries, a power cord, or anything else that TSA might want to look at when they molest you. It's also less likely to be stolen than any electronic device.
 
Interesting! So they were turned away at the boat? Or weren't allowed to book ahead of time? Had they traveled to the area?

I'm asking because we are working on some issues like this with our dive club.

Doc...

Turned away during charter sign-up at the respective shops...as far as where they traveled from...I do not know...Bobby Cox's shop at the time was a tiny building right at the dock where the Diver Down was moored...the shop was on the far east end of the Atlantic Beach Causeway...just up from Fisherman's Inn...between Morehead City and Atlantic Beach...

These days when were're in NC we still stay at the Fisherman's Inn...and drive into Beaufort and dive with Discovery...
Discovery will retain your NITROX/Advanced NITROX card during your stay...and return the card to you when your charter bookings are completed...in our case...we're usually down for 10 days...

Billy and Barb Brewer have sold the Fisherman's Inn and re-settled in Georgia...Al Voigt from ''Atlantic Beach Diving'' runs the Fisherman's Inn now...

Wherever we travel to...I know who I'll be diving with...I always inquire ahead and ask all the questions...travel with all my own gear...always with my logbook...never had any issues...showing up cold...for anything...anywhere is always a gamble...

On our driving trips when Canada/US border crossings are involved I travel with empty tanks and get them filled at my destination...although I never experienced it personally...I have heard of divers being asked to drain their tanks at the border...makes the trip that much more expensive if you're draining blended gas especially TRIMIX...these days with flight and international border crossing regulations continually in flux...you can never be ''too'' prepared...

Again...tell your divers to plan thoroughly and ask all the questions...

Best...Warren
 
Interesting, thanks!

I wonder how operators like this deal with experienced divers who simply don’t keep a log. These discussions come up fairly regularly here, and there seem to be quite a few of those types.

One of the concerns that has been raised by our legal counsel is that if you set conditions beyond the agencies’ certification standards, you may be adding to your liability. If you have essentially made the statement that you are deciding who is safe to dive and who isn’t, you may be increasing your exposure if there is an accident, since you were designating someone as safe to dive. It’s a complex question, and I’m not sure I have all the answers.

But thanks for the information…
 
I may have posted this in another thread - sorry if I did - but I've only ever seen one person turned away and it was because when asked when their last dive was they admitted it was more than a year ago. Obviously, nobody asked to see their dive log.
 
My first two logbooks were given with classes. After that, I've always used basic notebooks, ones that fit easily in pockets. I prefer those since I can adjust what I want to write, am not constrained by a format, and have as much space as I want for each dive. Sometimes, I buy a nice souvenir notebook from a place, sometime just a plain one. I've never bought a dive log specifically.
 
Interesting, thanks!

I wonder how operators like this deal with experienced divers who simply don’t keep a log. These discussions come up fairly regularly here, and there seem to be quite a few of those types.

One of the concerns that has been raised by our legal counsel is that if you set conditions beyond the agencies’ certification standards, you may be adding to your liability. If you have essentially made the statement that you are deciding who is safe to dive and who isn’t, you may be increasing your exposure if there is an accident, since you were designating someone as safe to dive. It’s a complex question, and I’m not sure I have all the answers.

But thanks for the information…

Hey Doc...

I enjoy this forum...and I've always tried to pass on what I do...what suits me...in hope...that my good practices may also work for others...

I also make best efforts not of be critical of others...with exceptions like when someone wants to know how to convert a camping drinking water bag into a BCD...

As you can see on this thread alone...the responses are all over the map...

I've always tried to avoid ''finding out the hard way''...it's a lesson learned...but a lesson that could have been avoided...

Kind of like...''get brakes fixed tomorrow''...

I can see nothing easier in this sport than maintaining a log book...

We as a human race would have ''no history'' if someone didn't take the time to write down their experiences...

Who knows...after the next Apocalypse my dive log book may be the only thing that survives...where would the ''brave new world'' be without it...In the beginning Warren dove the U-352...magic...

Dive Safe...

Warren
 
this is very interesting reading....my dive log has over the years turned into and became a dive journal....
 
Always gotta add this--
"You guys want to sign my log book?"
"Why do you want us students to sign?"
"I may never see you again and may remember you when I look through the book 30 years from now."
"How old are you"
"60".
"Good luck with that."
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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