log book checks?

[texdiveguy]

Never had to actually show a log book... c-card yep.

 

[Ice9]

Had to show log book in the Dominican Republic. They just wanted to see it to make sure my last dive wasn't like 5 years ago...

 

[Bottomdweller65]

The dive shop I used to work out of, as well as most of us dive leaders would ask to see log books just to get a sense of what you had done so we could help you with your scuba progression. Keeping your log book up to date is important for a couple of reasons. #1) Legal issues - I hate to mention that, but your logbook could be the difference between a really bad day getting worse and....
#2) The memories! I have a story that will be posted in the near future called the Great ------- Debacle (I want to leave the hotel chain's name out until I have permission to quote it - so as not to incur the wrath of the legal folks). I have 3 log book pages filled with this story as well as other incredible events - along with some pictures taken both above and below the water. These are tools to keep your memory fresh and also to help bring potential divers into the fold!
As a DiveCon, my logbook is always subject to inspection and rightly so. There are just so many really good reasons to keep your dive log up to date and filled out as accuratley as possible, and not one single reason not to!

 

[dkktsunami]

Never asked, never denied.

 

[sismushi]

The only time that I have actually had my log book checked was when I went diving in Greece or took a diving course. Other then that in the U.S., Carribean, and Mexico I have never had my log book checked. I do have a log book though and I have logged every dive I have ever done. I agree with BottomDweller65, you should keep your log book up to date not only for legal reasons and for experience but also for personal. I think keeping a log is a benefit to you and help you remember what kind of dives you have done in the past and if you had enjoyed them.

 

[SparticleBrane]

The dive master told him that since all his dives hadn't been signed off by a dive master they couldn't be sure they were valid dives and they did NOT let him dive. (Weird, I know.)

What the heck?!
Guess they wouldn't accept mine since it's in electronic format.

 

[Sam Miller III]

I've been asked for it in Africa and Israel. They also "stamped" the logbooks but didn't seem concerned about stamps when they saw we were American.....

I think it was originally intended to screen for trouble but can be over zealous sometimes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before the thread gets to far into I heard, I suspose & I think it would be approprite to review the history of the American,therefore the world of dive logs..

The US civilian Dive Log was first developed by a young Dick Bonin in 1955 or 1957 --my memory is not as good as it was a few years ago so chose one or all.

Dick had just returned to civilian life after serving as a officer in the UDT under Doug Fane. His first job was with Divemaster in his home town of Chicago. He noticed there was a need for a dive log based on the USN model. He developed one and Dive master marketed it with little or no sucess.

Some of you may recall the name -Bonin-he was the co founder of Scuba Pro.

Fast forward to 1964...

NAUI was a paper tiger, Bob Chow, Ralph Ericksen & John Cronin had not even thought of establishing PADI..Los Angeles County Underwater Instructors Association was the fountainhead (and still is of Civilian diving)

The LA County program developed the first civilian Advanced Diving Program (ADP) in 1964--This was a real Advanced Diving Program not a title as most are to day. It was 12 weeks long, with a weekly 3-4 hour lectuure and 2-4 dives per week end which complemented the lectures, a term paper and all encompassing final test..

To record the events a second civilian dive log was develped by LA County under the direction of Tom Ebro. It was Passport size with a tough Passport type cover and very high quality paper. The log contained and area for training lectures & training dives as well as recreational dives. It also offered a space for the buddy/and or training instructor to sign off.

Thus was born the civilian dive log and the requirement to record dives and to have them verified by a buddy or training officer.

The value of a dive log is two fold;

~~Historical -
SDM surveys of over 30 years discovered that the average diver's involvement is about 3 years (2.9) but slowly rising, therefore many of you will drop out of the sport after the novelty wears off or the equipment wears out. In the event you ever want to re enter the sport you at least have a record of your training and experience to present many many years from now.

~~Recognition-
In 1992 SSI established the SSI Pro 5000 for divers from around the world who had 5000 or more dives. The recepitants are presented with a gold card, a pin etc which Indentifies them as a PRO 5000. I seriously doubt if many or any on this board will make it to 5000 dives...

In 2000 the first and only International Fathers of Spearfishing and Free divers gathered from all over the world in Southern California. Only 80 in the world were recognized--no they didn't keep logs--didn't need to-- and now seven years later many are diving in the big reef in the sky.

I would stronly suggest that each and every one maintain a log, have it verified by a buddy or hopefully by an instructor --In the long run it will become valuable and certainly worth the effort that was expended to produce it.

I have said enough...

Cheers from California==== where it all began!!!!!!!!

SDM

 

[HowardE]

I've only been asked for C-Cards at a small handful of operations, and one of the times I was asked for it and didn't have it; they still let me dive. (maybe $3000 worth of UW photography equipment is a clue??)

I have never had to show my log book (which is good, because mine is on my computer)

In Key Largo, FL however, AOW is a minimum requirement for most dive operations that run trips to the "deep wrecks" (Spiegel Grove, Duane, Bibb, Eagle)... I have heard that a dive log (with a minimum of 50 logged dives) would be accepted by some in lieu of an AOW card or higher.

 

[timle]

Yeah, my wife and I dove the grove before we had our AOW. Our solution was to dive with the operator all week. I told them we will dive with you all week (they had a trip to the Grove schedule the last day we were there), based on our diving through out the week, you tell us if we can go on the Grove trip. After 3 days of diving with them, they had no trouble taking us to the Grove on the fourth.

Never been asked for my log book. Most of dives (read nearly everyone) has no DM signature - as I don't dive with DMs.

 

[Diveral]

Been diving for over 25 years on all three coasts. I have never been asked by anyone to see my dive log before allowing me to take any dives. I went 15 years without logging very many of my dives. The earlier dives I did log I didn't keep many details. I wish I had. To me the log is more of a dairy. One of the best diving trips I ever had was a Blackbeards trip in the Bahamas in 1991. I didn't log a single dive or write the names or addresses of any of my dive buddies. The names and details have slipped the memory so I wish I had recorded that trip and others.

AL