Tell me about a dive log.

[tracydr]

I've pasted my blog entry on logging dives here for those who care to review it:

Logging Dives - It's a good thing to do.

by DivemasterDennis
,May 7th, 2012 at 02:15 PM (840 Views)

I just read the latest thread discussing logging dives. There is a new one almost every week. Some people don't log dives at all. My good friend Steve, who has been a dive pro as long as I have and a diver even longer than I have been diving, doesn't log dives. Others I know are content to retain the data their computer records, like my sometimes dive buddy Pete. Many others, like me, actually log every dive in a log book that has actual pages. I have logged every dive I have ever been on that was in a lake or the ocean. Pool dives don't get logged because they are not dives in my book. I log the date, location, dive site name, time in, time out, air consumption, gear used, exposure suit worn, weight used, and water and air temperature. I also note if the dive was from a boat or shore, and I note any current or surge or surf issues. I even note my weight, which can vary enough from from time to time to affect the weight I will use for diving. I note who I dove with, and I write down what we did and saw. I have never regretted doing this, and I intend to continue to do it. From my dive log I have created a weighting chart for various locations, gear worn, exposure suit worn, and how much weight I used when properly weighted. I also note my own weight as it can vary enough to impact proper weighting now and then. If I am diving in a fresh water lake here in Colorado in a semi-dry suit with a hood and gloves, with an 80 AL tank, I know what weight to use. I can look it up. I can do the same when planning for a dive in a 3 mil wetsuit with no hood or gloves, using a different bc, in warm salt water. In my log I also note whether I was cold on a dive, especially after the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th dive of the day, so I will know if I need to "dress warmer" next time out. My weighting and exposure suit charts are each valuable tools for planning a local dive outing or a trip to a far away dive destination.
In between dive trips, I tally total underwater time and average time per dive. I keep a summary sheet of number of dives to different depth ranges. (under 30, 30-39, 40-49, on up to 130 + ) I note the number of dives at different destinations, and other nerdy stats when I review and read my log book. I put a lot of information in it. It's also full of diver contact information and stickers and stamps from dive boats, dive shops and liveaboards around the world. I even have my own stamp to mark other diver's' logs if they want. All of those things are for my personal use. I like to read my log book from time to time, and refer to it for material when I have a public appearance or book signing coming up. I sometimes take it, actually I take "them" as I have several volumes compiled, to those appearances. People seem to like to look through the logs, as many pages are really colorful, some are funny, and others just interesting.
I also use my log to show dive operators where I last dove, and the extent of my experience, life long as well as recent, so there is no hassle over doing any given dive. This is a really good reason to keep an up-to- date dive log. Some dives require a showing of recent diving in similar conditions, or a certain number of dives. In addition, if you ever opt to "go pro," you will need to document your dive experience in this way. And once you are a pro, it's still a good idea to keep your dive log current for both personal as well as professional reasons.
Digital downloads or not, I log my dives with a pen and log sheets, and I log them every day. I get basic data off my computer, and fill in the rest while I still remember it. I encourage you to keep a log book, and fill it with useful as well as fun stuff. You will be glad you did!
DivemasterDennis
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I just copied this so that I can make a template. Great ideas!
Weighting isn't a
l that complicated if you just dive tropical salt water in a 3 ml on vacations. But, as you start doing more complicated dives in different exposure suits with various tanks, backplates, various dive conditions and other factors to consider, the weighting conditions alone can become a lot more complicated. Remembering how you have the weights distributed is important, too.
Ive not been great at keeping a log, and I lost my first log when I left my ex-husband rather quickly but I do love looking back at my log entries from years ago when I've gone on trips to places like Africa and Galapegos. I like to include what I've seen, exposure suit, any difficulties I may have had, exact time of the dive. I also add any navigation information if it was a shore dive. ( I like to include a map, shore dive information from a website or any other information that I may have found on dive sites online prior to diving if we dove sites that we found based on shore dive websites or a book of the location). Now that I have a downloadable computer, I will download the data. ( not gas information, which I will add separately). I like DCDS's idea of computing the SAC every time, too.
I'm looking for a good application for MAC,if anybody has recommendations. I use a Liquivison Xeo computer but haven't really learned all the bells and whistles,yet. I need to use the MAC download program for the Liquivision log but I wish that I could send the information to my IPAD, if that's possible.

 

[johnatabc]

I do a mixture of tourist diving in warm salt water and keeping up progress with the dive count in cold murky fresh water here in the UK
My experience is that the diver operators that I use when I go abroad like to have a quick flick through my log book to get a sense of how I might perform in the water and how recently I have been in the water.
I understand that I could make it up, but most of the guides that I have been with would probably be able to work that out, if not during the pre-dive breifing or while I am assembling my gear, then certainly within 10 minutes of getting into the water. So there is really little point.
Dive safe

 

[freewillie]

There is no "standard" requirements for your log book. It is your personal record for dives with minimal info to everything you want to put down.

Most divers include time, depth, and temp with shore/boat, type of exposure gear and weighting used for dive. I recently went on a boat with steel tanks. My previous dives with steel tanks was listed as 16 lbs. I recall feeling little heavy but didn't recall if I had added my vest underneath to layer so opted for same 16 lbs. I could've tried 14 lbs. and will now make a note in my log book so next time will shed the 2 lbs.

I include my dive buddy when it's my daughter or nephew. It goes on vacation with me not necessarily to demonstrate or document how many dives I've had but I like to collect the stamps from the dive shops as my "souvenir" for the dive and vacation. I also log interesting sea life like how many turtles, octopuses, nudibranchs, sharks, etc. on a dive.

I also needed 50 logged dives as a basic requirement for volunteering at a local aquarium as a diver. I now have that but need to find the time now to volunteer.

 

[Storker]

stop using paper log books as early as possible, or you will be sorry.

Uh-huh Care to elaborate?


FTR, I keep both electronic and paper logs. Redundancy, y'know...

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . .
My experience is that the diver operators that I use when I go abroad like to have a quick flick through my log book to get a sense of how I might perform in the water and how recently I have been in the water. . . .

Where do you dive abroad? I have never been asked to show a logbook, not anywhere in the US, Caribbean, Indonesia/Malaysia, Fiji, Red Sea--nowhere. I have heard of people being asked, but I have to believe it is very uncommon. Maybe continental Europe?

 

[Mustard Dave]

Number of dives logged represents experience.

As for certified experience, diver with 200+ dives vs another with 20 means the 200+ individual probably has seen a lot more different scenarios underwater. This also translates that the 200+ individual probably had more opportunities to experience or observe how things are done under different, random, unforeseen circumstances.

Nothing can prepare you to cope and deal with situations better than experience. When sh*t hits the fan underwater, my heart start racing, and my adrenaline starts flowing, I would like to have the experience of been there done, done that before so I can handle it, or if not, I would like to have someone with me that is more seasoned and experienced to help me out with my predicament.

Would you take your car to a mechanic that is genuinely certified by the car company or would you take your car around the corner to some repair show owned by a bloke that pretty much winged his way?

Let's say you are in a market for a second car. You have two same model cars with exactly the same option, mileage, color, and every thing down to the tee, event the asking price. The sole difference being that one has a full service record with paper work from a certified mechanic while the other car has a set of maintenance record from a mechanic that does not have any certification. Which one would you go with?

Again, for me, certified experience matters.

But I respect your opinion. Different folks, different strokes.

Off topic: Looking at your avatar, what is your take on the sacking of Mancini and the hiring of Pellegrini?

The number of dives does represent experience, however, experience does not always equal ability. As per my previous post, it makes sense to set a prerequisite number of dives for entry on a course but it has to be ability what gets you through.

There is a diver at my club who learned to dive 18 months ago. He was very keen and club members were therefore very happy to get him out in a variety of conditions, therefore he gained a lot of experience in a short time. The stroker I mentioned in my previous post who was doing two dives off one tank (and is now an instructor - God help us), was doing so in the same quarry. On paper he has more experience but I know which diver I would rather be with, hanging off a shot line in a current.

With the car analagy, I would of course take it to the genuinely certified guy. Imagine though that the certified guy is fairly young but the other fella is in his 60s and has only ever worked in dodgy back-street garages. On paper the old fella has more experience, but I would trust the young lad who has had the proper training.

Off topic: The sacking of Mancini was a shock, but it is clear there was a lot going on behind the scenes that wasn't so good (falling out with players, lack of interest in the youth programme (which is very much part of the owners' plans). Pellegrini seems like a good appointment and has a reputation for being very professional. He seems to have the backing of the players which has to be a good thing.

 

[doctormike]

stop using paper log books as early as possible, or you will be sorry.

​

Uh-huh Care to elaborate?

OK - it's probably not a good idea for the only existing record of your diving career to be a physical object made of paper, and then take it to sea on a boat. Or leave it in your basement. Or anywhere else it could be lost or destroyed.

FTR, I keep both electronic and paper logs. Redundancy, y'know...

You mean you enter the information twice? Or you just keep a digital log and then print it out for redundancy?

 

[James R]

I only log mine on my PC - uploaded from my dive computer, add in a few details, and that's it. I zip and email myself the log's data file every so often in case of a HDD failure. Easy. I have never been asked to see a log book, and I think at my level I could get around it anyway if I had to.

 

[TXreefer]

Nowadays, I log on the computer, and although I try to write some description of each dive, most don't get much. The program I use would permit me to upload photographs, but I'm too lazy. I do log each and every cave dive, with all the details I can remember or collect. And I write more about the memorable ones.

The biggest purpose of a dive log that I've found, aside from entertainment, is being able to go back and say, "What exposure protection and tank did I dive here, and how much weight did I end up needing?"

In use Dive Log 5.0 for two reasons:
1. I can log dives on my iPad while on vacation
2. I can upload the dives from my PDC directly into the software and they merge with the notes I made on the iPad.

I log depth/time, exposure protection, equip used and anything noteworthy. I used to list all the species but now I just put in the few interesting or new ones for the trip.

TSandM: what software do you use?

 

[johnatabc]

Where do you dive abroad? I have never been asked to show a logbook, not anywhere in the US, Caribbean, Indonesia/Malaysia, Fiji, Red Sea--nowhere. I have heard of people being asked, but I have to believe it is very uncommon. Maybe continental Europe?

So far I have been asked in Greece, Turkey, Mallorca, Red Sea (Dahab and Abu Suma) and Mauritius.
I have a non-diving spouse so mostly stay in resort hotels where diving is very much a minority activity organised through third party contractors.
I was in Rhodes in June where the hotel used a UK based operation to supply and instructor and divemaster and teh equipment was hired in from the local dive shop.
I agree I did not have that experience on a trip to Dahab with Oxford Dive Centre last year when 24 of us went and stayed in a dive hotel where the focus was diving and there was very little else to do.