Unsigned dive logs.

[Lorenzoid]

. . . You are not going to dive the Speigel Grove, Vandenburg or Oriskany without them questioning you.
. . .

"Questioning you" about such things as the date of your last dive and whether you've done dives this deep before--yes. But I've never heard of anyone being asked to actually show pages from a dive log (at least for the Spiegel--I can't say I've dived the other two). Everywhere in the world I've dived, dive ops have always taken me at my word. I keep a paper dive log book, and I don't bring it with me when I travel.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I used to ask people to sign the log when I first got certified believing that there will be some kind of scuba police. Now I ask new dive buddies to write their names and contact info so that we could get together for more dives. If it is an old buddy then I just put their name down and I know from previous pages how to contact them.

 

[corvettejoe]

Thanks guys for the replies,

The reason I ask is I am interested in a few courses that require a number of "logged" dives. So what exactly constitutes a logged dive?

thanks.

paul.

...just that... logging your dives.

The only signed dives I ever had were my OW check out dives. Since then I've never had anything signed.

My basic logs before I got a computer I could pull logs off it just included basic details.
Max depth, total dive time, site/location of dive. Who my buddy was, weather, what I wore, what tank I used, what gas I breathed, etc. Just basic stuff.

Once I got a newer computer, it does most of the details for me, and I just add in the things it doesn't know, such as what I wore, gas I used, weather conditions, location, buddy, etc.

---------- Post added August 14th, 2013 at 04:37 PM ----------

"Questioning you" about such things as the date of your last dive and whether you've done dives this deep before--yes. But I've never heard of anyone being asked to actually show pages from a dive log (at least for the Spiegel--I can't say I've dived the other two). Everywhere in the world I've dived, dive ops have always taken me at my word. I keep a paper dive log book, and I don't bring it with me when I travel.

Same here... the few times I've used a charter they just ask when you last dove and never check a log book. I keep mine in my phone (all electronic logging) I think they just want to make sure you aren't rusty.

 

[sphyrnidus]

I kept a log for the first 250 dives and then stopped, because I'm lazy. These last years I tried several smartphone apps, finding out after an update the log had been eaten. I tried another one, it said it would back up to the server (London Dive Chamber) and it didn't. I wrote them a mail, asking them how come? Never got an answer.
Of course my computer logs them and its downloadble. But Uwatec/Scubapro needs an infrared thinghie which is so last century and only works on a Windows PC and I have Mac's.
Eventually I always take my card issued in 1968 and I've yet to meet a DM on a liveaboard who was born at the time I was certified
I'm not a warm water only/holiday diver so when asked the last dive was almost always within a week or two before the trip.

 

[drbill]

I would guess less than 1% of my logged dives are signed, but then I've been diving over 50 years and most of them are solo. If you are logging dives to qualify for a course (perhaps DM eventually) it may matter. Couldn't you get one of the other DMs or instructors at the shop to sign?

 

[Tortuga68]

Just sign them yourself with your left (other) hand, nobody will know

 

[flots am]

Hey guys,

Was diving on holiday recently and on the last day a DM who took two of my dives was on his day off. I couldn't get him to sign for two of my dives. What normally happens in this situation? Are the dives lost then? As in "unlogged". Appreciate the insight. Sometimes it isn't practical to get dives logged directly after the dive, and I thought I would catch up with this guy and didn't.

Stop by the shop and ask that they stamp your log book. Also tell them that their DM was a d**k.

With only a few dives, you'll probably want to make sure they get signed, since some shops/dive ops/etc. like to have some idea that you actually did the dives. Once you have a good number of them, you don't have to be all that concerned.

Just for an example, I haven't had a signature in years. My dive log is in my computer. After a while nobody really cares about exactly how many dives of what kind you did.

This changes if you're going to a professional certification of some sort and the instructor is being a hard-ass about how many dives you have.

flots.

 

[tdtaylor]

Actually, the only time I have been asked is how much TIME I have been underwater. SSI has as part of their Professional Standards that a certain number of dives and time underwater are required. IIRC, Dive Guide is 40 open water dives totaling 25 hours or more to start the program. When I started I had many more than this, the majority with my Trainer, so it didn't come up. I do know some individuals that are doing 4-5 short dives off one tank to get their numbers up to be able to start the training. Never bought in to this approach. I assisted with S&R with this one diver, and my computer told me I had 26 dives over the day- collapsed it into one, for I only used one tank. Now, how the others logged them?.....

There are absolutely no SCUBA Police, but sometimes I wonder if there should be. Nahhh. But as other have said, just see these ones who push the limits for 3 minutes in the water and it becomes obvious.

Terry

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I do know some individuals that are doing 4-5 short dives off one tank to get their numbers up to be able to start the training.

I've seen this a few times with divers who were really in a hurry to get into a DM or instructor program. But it doesn't do much to prepare them for the training they want to take. I see it as the scuba equivalent of masturbation ... seems like a good idea at the time, but they're really just screwing themselves. The people I've known who took this approach ended up becoming really bad instructors ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Subcooled]

If you start a diary style dive log with the usual dive details (location, max depth, average depth, duration, equipment, air consumption, ...) followed by a hand written record of the dive, the things seen and learned, maps, sketches... then nobody is going to question that log. Ever. When I show my dive logs (they weigh at two pounds), nobody is interested in the signatures anymore