Do you have a paper based dive log book or rather use your PC/Phone for that?
Do you care about stamps and signatures? What info do you actually put into your logbook (max depth, air, temp, etc.)? What data is most important to you and why?
I’m totally interested in your replies. Since many years I tend to keep my paper based logbook up-to-date. It brings back nice memories. I noticed however that what I’m actually logging limits itself to just a couple of specific infos per dive.
What’s your experience?
Lex van Lith @ Wilton, In France diving it is regulated by law! If you have no certification = no diving. If you have a Padi cetrtification, you still have to dive under guidiance of a CMAS diver……
@ Graeme Barber, except of France there is still no police who can give you a fine…
It’s only an insurance company which is not paying IF there is an accident…And even than a logbook doesn’t say anything. A personall diving compu does. So you still don’t have to log your dive for legal depths…
Graeme Barber • @Lex: It’s not the police, it’s the certifying agency that the dive centre works through. They have no power to fine or warn the operation, or even to suspend their credentials. Worst case scenario, they can punt the dive group or individual.
In an accident scenario, a dive computer will give at least the details of your last dive, working like a little black box, but the logged dives in your logbook will paint a more complete picture of your competence/experience/frequency of diving. If you lie in your logbook, you’re only hurting yourself in the event of an accident.
Robert Rait • I like that “The Dive Police” or “DPD” But really a fine? The dive industry is still self regulated at least the last time I heard. There is no law requiring a certification on the insurance industry. So if you can get gear and air you can dive on a private boat.
Graeme Barber • It’s largely self regulating, but there can be local or national laws that require proof of certification and/or insurance. This is particularly true of professional divers (both recreational and commercial). Most places won’t give you fills unless you show your certs. You can buy all your own gear though. Your diving lifespan might not be too long, but you can do it.
Chris Dziedzic • I log my dives! Alas, I tend to be the one who logs my wife and two diving children’s dives as well. I keep depth and time plus what I’m wearing and weight. If the log has a box or line for it, I try to fill it in. I also note anything particularly interesting from that dive. We’re mostly vacation divers, so it’s mostly for memories. But right after getting certified, my wife and I had some frustrating “buoyancy issues” on a shore dive off Catalina Island. So I make sure to note not only the weight, but also if I felt heavy, or light or just right on every dive. Now, when we dive a new spot, we just show the dive master the info from our previous dives. We’re happy to say,certified for almost 15 years now, we’ve never been the one’s to shorten a group dive because we couldn’t get to the bottom or were so heavy we breathed and BCd our tanks dry too soon and had to surface from being overweight.