Writing a book: What would you want in a quick reference guide?

[travlbum]

Hey there!

I am pretty dissatisfied with all of the logbooks on the market so I'm making my own. Included in the logbook will be a quick reference guide. This would be useful when picking dates to plan a trip, when picking dates for a night dive, or when on a trip to help plan dives.

This section will have the following information:

› 10yr calendar of lunar phases and supermoons/king tides
› Explanations of each lunar phase and how it can effect dives, like wildlife, light for nightdives, tidal current, etc
› How a supermoon/king tide can effect a dive
› Brief overview of tidal current vs prevailing current
› How to read a tide chart and how it can help you plan a dive
› What can and cannot be predicted in advance based on lunar phases and tide charts

Is there any other information you think should be included?

Any book recommendations for me on these subjects?

 

[travlbum]

Some more information about the logbook for those interested. In addition to log entries for individual dives, I'm going to include log entries for a whole trip. So when you open the book normally you'll have all your log entries for your dives. If you flip the book over, you'll have log entries for each trip. There you can discuss the location, famous dive sites, what wildlife can be expected, the dive company, dive/transportation costs, things you'd do next time, the dive group you were with, etc.

The goal is to give a more holistic backward view on a trip. This will help when planning a trip or providing a recommendation. You can look back and see how you liked that location overall, the dive shop, whether you hit the famous sites, saw the animals you hoped to see, how much you paid for transport and diving, review what you would do differently next time, how you liked diving with the folks you were diving with, how you liked your DMs, the condition of the boat, etc.

So, rather than just keep a log of the dive, I want to create something that will help me plan trips in the future and plan dives while on the trip.

But, right now I mostly need help with the reference section. Let me know if you have any ideas!