What do you mean I can't log my practice dives????

[The Laconic]

What does it matter? Does it not count as practice if you don't log it?

 

[DivemasterDennis]

The OP presents a scenario where I would log the dives and have a buddy who I am diving with confirm them. However, I disagree with the post that said "log anything you want to." A dive log should be an accurate history of open water dives. Each dive logged should state the date, time in, time out, location, equipment worn, water temp and air temp. You can add a lot mopre if you like. I log dives that are a minimum of 15 minutes ion length and to a depth of 5 meters or more, because that is my habit. I have dove to depths of less than 10 feet to locate lost equipment, and I do not log those dives, but I could. The important thing is that the dive log be accurate and actual.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Bob DBF]

The OP presents a scenario where I would log the dives and have a buddy who I am diving with confirm them. However, I disagree with the post that said "log anything you want to." A dive log should be an accurate history of open water dives. Each dive logged should state the date, time in, time out, location, equipment worn, water temp and air temp. You can add a lot mopre if you like. I log dives that are a minimum of 15 minutes ion length and to a depth of 5 meters or more, because that is my habit. I have dove to depths of less than 10 feet to locate lost equipment, and I do not log those dives, but I could. The important thing is that the dive log be accurate and actual.
DivemasterDennis

When I started diving the log was to record any time underwater on compressed gas, same way the Navy logged dives. This has gone into disuse over the years. I have started, a few times, logging dives over the years and quit when they were lost or destroyed and didn't bother for years. Right now I am logging because, with proper backup, a digital won't be destroyed as easily or quickly as a paper log and at the time I thought I night need them to meet agency requirements. It is my log so I will "log anything you want to." It is not my business to make my log to conform to some agency standard of a dive, if they want to sort them out that is their business. As a matter of fact, in my case I was not even asked if I had the required dives and no one wanted to see my log.



Bob
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There are more ways than one to skin a cat, however the cat never likes it.

 

[Frosty]

Well Ex cuuuuse me!

Since I have read every response....here is my conclusion. I am going to continue to log these training dives in 10 ft of water. But since I don't need to pad my dive book ( I wouldn't any ways) I am just going to mark them different and just not add them to the count. That way there when they look at my log to see if I've done the correct number and varying types of dives they don't potentially think I'm crazy for logging 10 ft dives, but I still get to chart my progress. Even if PADI doesn't care that they were to 10 ft, people might not look favorably upon this.Luckily for me, it seems as though once I finish the schooling portion of all this, logging dives will be for funzies only.

Bella --please read this. IT DOESN'T MATTER.
You already have the required number of dives to start your DM training and for that matter sufficient to finish it too.
Your log book is YOUR log book. its information for YOU.
So if you decided to do a dive in a spa pool or a deep bathtub and it was to YOU worthy of logging because of the information gathered then do it.
Ive been planning on doing my DM training for a year or two so Ive been "stamp collecting" to a degree.
Even so I can think of one dive for5 minutes to 3.0m,/10 feet that I logged because it was a biggish change to my rig setup and I wanted to note it down.

Dennis-By "log anything you want to" I would have very much hoped it wasn't suggested for a moment to commit fraud. Who are you fooling except yourself by logging dives you didn't do?
Surely no ones ego is that fragile.

 

[lv2dive]

I'm sure different people probably have different ideas of what a dive log should contain. I don't think there is an absolute answer. I try to record:

• Date
• Location
• Buddy
• Bottom Time, Deco Time, Total Time
• Open Water/Cave
• OC/CC
• For OC dives: Backgas , Stages, and Deco gases (including # of stages) as appropriate
• DPV?

I don't bother with time in/out, air/water temp and/or protection. Different strokes for different folks.

The same thing for which dives to log - it's individual preference. I wish I had logged my dives for the past 15 years, it's all I can do to try and keep most of my cave dives logged. I encourage anyone who has the capacity to do so, to log as many dives as they want; I admire that. The log is primarily for the logger, not for anyone else. If some of the dives aren't appropriate to be "counted" for a class, that should just be a conversation with any reasonable instructor. I can't imagine it being an issue.

The OP presents a scenario where I would log the dives and have a buddy who I am diving with confirm them. However, I disagree with the post that said "log anything you want to." A dive log should be an accurate history of open water dives. Each dive logged should state the date, time in, time out, location, equipment worn, water temp and air temp. You can add a lot mopre if you like. I log dives that are a minimum of 15 minutes ion length and to a depth of 5 meters or more, because that is my habit. I have dove to depths of less than 10 feet to locate lost equipment, and I do not log those dives, but I could. The important thing is that the dive log be accurate and actual.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Nemrod]

Rather than logging the number of dives I think it more useful the number of hours total time on compressed gas, oh, and actually dubmerged in H2O.

N

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Rather than logging the number of dives I think it more useful the number of hours total time on compressed gas, oh, and actually dubmerged in H2O.
N

I know you say that a lot - and I am not against that thought.

But a few folks have brought up and I am paraphrasing "1 dive 500 times or 500 different dives" - to me that also makes a difference in your experience and confidence level. Each time you dive a different location or conditions that you have not met before there is a level of anxiety (not necessarily nervousness) that until you get through the dive you are or should be considering scenarios that you need to be aware of and prepared to deal with - like current, dirty water, night time, navigation, depth, shore, boat, cavern, cave, deco, scooter, cold water,...
So if we could add a what makes this dive different that would also help to track and improve experience - IMO. Are you diving 75 out of 100 dives in the same or similar spot and conditions?

 

[scubadada]

Rather than logging the number of dives I think it more useful the number of hours total time on compressed gas, oh, and actually dubmerged in H2O.

N

I agree, I'm 57 minutes per dive for my entire log

 

[Nemrod]

I know you say that a lot - and I am not against that thought.

But a few folks have brought up and I am paraphrasing "1 dive 500 times or 500 different dives" - to me that also makes a difference in your experience and confidence level. Each time you dive a different location or conditions that you have not met before there is a level of anxiety (not necessarily nervousness) that until you get through the dive you are or should be considering scenarios that you need to be aware of and prepared to deal with - like current, dirty water, night time, navigation, depth, shore, boat, cavern, cave, deco, scooter, cold water,...
So if we could add a what makes this dive different that would also help to track and improve experience - IMO. Are you diving 75 out of 100 dives in the same or similar spot and conditions?

The dives would be logged but the total time accumulated would be totaled. In any case, you are right, a hundred dives in a rock pit hardly prepare one for anything beyond that rock pit. So, in keeping with the thread, maybe to qualify for DM and higher multiple dives be required including ocean dives, maybe specify the required diversity.

N

 

[iamrushman]

over the many years my dive log has turned into a dive journal to keep track of my dive experiences...