Judging a diver's experience: logging number of dives and hours of dive time

[scubadada]

It is often debated how to judge a diver's experience. One way is to log number of dives and/or hours of dive time. I would be interesting in seeing how SB participants deal with these variables.

The question of judging experience is different from judging competence. The latter may really only be judged by observation of performance. There are many other ways to potentially judge experience, such as certifications or certification level. Duration of certification is probably not a good discriminator, by itself. Feel free to discuss these other methods of judging experience in your post.

 

[ofg-1]

You left out the option for just sewing all the patches on your jacket.

 

[divinh]

Type of diving
Varied locations of diving
Number of dives past 20m
Frequency of diving, at start vs toward end of dive trip

 

[Belzelbub]

I didn’t always log dives, as I found the paper logs useless. I logged during my OW course, then a few after, then stopped for years. I didn’t really start logging again until I got a dive computer with the ability to download to an electronic log. Now, I just download to Subsurface, so it pulls it all; hours, dives, depth, etc.

But, that’s not what I use to judge a diver’s experience. I never ask to see someone’s log book. I just check how they set up, and how they dive. That speaks volumes.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

My main dive log is a spreadsheet I developed. Every single dive I've ever done is logged there. I have some on older paper log books, some on Shearwater Cloud, but ALL of my dives are logged on my spreadsheet. On it I track dive number, dive duration, max depth, average depth, SAC/RMV, temperature, equipment, buddy (or solo), and location/site/operator. I calculate my per dive average dive time both overall and per year. I also track my min, max, and average SAC/RMV.

In terms of judging experience, I find the number of logged dives, diversity of conditions, and average dive time all helpful. One of my past instructors put a big emphasis on average dive time. He used that to gauge your progressing experience as much or more so than logged dives. He wanted to see his advanced students and certainly those he took on for technical training to show a progression of lengthening dive times as they gained experience and competence.

 

[Marie13]

You left out the option for just sewing all the patches on your jacket.

Funny you mention that. An instructor was showing around a bunch of teenage-20ish gals at the local quarry last weekend. They all had these “Aqualung Dive Team” jackets with various patches sewn on. I saw DM and master diver as the highest patch. Had a good chuckle.

 

[emoreira]

Diver's experience should be assessed by the number of dives, the hours underwater, the sites dived, the different scenarios seen, the certification level, and so on.
I met a dive instructor some years ago that had only dived in fresh water in a quarry complex (several quarries in cascade). He had no sea water experience. How could he get that instructor cert ?

 

[jerrydascorpion]

I log number of dives, dive time, skills done during dive, exciting things seen/done, equipment used, amount of weight, etc. I am sure I go overboard.

I am an engineer and I like data, even if it is useless. I am a newer diver that dives locally (cold) and vacation (warm), so I like to keep track of the amount of weight that works well in different situations. Also renting equipment on what gear I like and don't like.

 

[Searcaigh]

He had no sea water experience

I've never had freshwater experience (apart from a shower )

No of dives + no of hours, as well as experience in various locations.

However watching someone set up their gear speaks volumes.

 

[emoreira]

I've never had freshwater experience (apart from a shower )

It's common to see divers with no fresh water experience, even no pool dives during courses, as courses were taken in confined waters.
It's not common to see divers with no sea water experience, though still possible.
But a dive instructor with no sea water experience ?