Dive Software

[kuma1720]

I am looking for a good windows based program so that I can chart my dives. Simply enough I am looking for a recreational program and not one that may be geared to the tech divers.
Any suggestions or feedback/experiences would be helpful so that I can purchase the right program.
Thanks.

 

[njd3rph]

While sharkpoint is a great divelog;however, if you have a windows based cpu running Vista it is very glitchy and I would not recommend it (runs great on xp though). If you have a Suunto dive computer I would recommend their dive log software which can be downloaded for free from their website.

 

[Rockbrother]

After all the problems with my Oceanic software and vista I got Diving Log 4 http://www.divinglog.de/ you can download trial version from here. You can import dives from most computer manufactures, but you still need the propriotory software and cables to download from the dive computer for most of them i.e. cannot doanload directly from dive computer to software. There are regular updates to the software, which includes suggestions from users on the support forum.

 

[Specmac]

After all the problems with my Oceanic software and vista I got Diving Log 4 http://www.divinglog.de/ you can download trial version from here. You can import dives from most computer manufactures, but you still need the propriotory software and cables to download from the dive computer for most of them i.e. cannot doanload directly from dive computer to software. There are regular updates to the software, which includes suggestions from users on the support forum.

I can relate to your issues with Oceanic and Vista. I use both. I download my Pro Plus2 to Oceanic and my Sensus Ultra to Divinglog. Both programs have things I like and dislike. Divelog for example does not import or download temprature slices in the dive profile data. Neither programs graph temprature against depth (a feature I would really like). Diving log is missing key data (burried in other views) from the main logbook screen. By key data I mean things that should be up front in the dive summary view such as. SAC Rate, Avg Depth, Surface interval, FO2 etc. Oceanic has serious quality issues and has been palgued with bugs. Most of the bugs are only minor annouyances but some are just unacceptable mistakes. For example SAC rate calulations havn't been right in the last 2 or 3 versions (including the latest beta released this week).

Mean while I'm still waiting for the one program that does everything and does it right.

 

[CompuDude]

Uwatec's SmartTrak software is free on their website. It's designed to work with Uwatecs, of course, but you can enter the data by hand and use it for anything you want. It's not pretty, but I think it's the most fully-featured software I've seen out there.

 

[kuma1720]

I have a Sherwood Wisdom computer, but unaware if Diving Log will be compatible?
Otherwise I like the lay out of Sharpoint, but will be running Vista on my computer soon.

 

[Notso_Ken]

Neither programs graph temprature against depth (a feature I would really like).
Mean while I'm still waiting for the one program that does everything and does it right.

My experience is you should take a graph of temp with depth with a grain of salt. My experience based upon my guages and with 2 different computers (Mares M1 and Ocenaic Geo) is about a 3 minute thermal equalization lag. So, the temp show is for where you were about 3 minutes ago.


Ken

 

[creklaw]

I have a Sherwood Wisdom computer, but unaware if Diving Log will be compatible?
Otherwise I like the lay out of Sharpoint, but will be running Vista on my computer soon.

I also use a Wisdom and use Diving Log 4. You have to download the dives through the Wisdom software and then transfer them to the other program. The software that comes with the Wisdom is atrocious. I have been very happy with Diving Log 4 and like that the programmer listens to what we want and tries to include it in upcoming upgrades.

 

[Specmac]

My experience is you should take a graph of temp with depth with a grain of salt. My experience based upon my guages and with 2 different computers (Mares M1 and Ocenaic Geo) is about a 3 minute thermal equalization lag. So, the temp show is for where you were about 3 minutes ago.

I agree concerning the lag with many computers. My Oceanic Pro Plus2 has a lag closer to 4 or 5 minutes in adjusting to temprature changes. However my Cochran EMC16 and Sensus Ultra have very little lag. Set at 30 sec invervals the Cocharan is fairly accurate and the Sensus runs pretty close at 10sec intervals.

 

[Dan Watkins]

I highly recommend a program called Scubase. I went back and scanned all the pages of my handwritten dive logs, manually entered all my dives into Scubase, and imported the original scanned image of my written dive log (which has my instructor signatures for training, etc.).

The nice thing about Scubase is that it is completely customizable. You can use the default setup for visible statistics, dive log entry forms, as well as printed dive logs. Or you can customize it to show specific stats like Specmac wanted (SAC rates, Gas, etc.), remove items you don't bother tracking from the enty forms, add stuff that you do track. If you have particular pieces of information that you want in a printed log, you can remove and add whatever you want to show in the printed log.

After all your data is in the program you can create a .pdf version of your logs or a printed version.

Since I imported the images of my original written logs, they print as images on my computerized dive log, so I have the typed data and image backup. It's pretty nice.

And Specmac, Scubase imports temperature data so you can plot tempature against against depth on the dive profile screen.

It's USA based using SQL. You can download a trial copy from http://www.scubase.net/