I still log my dives in logbooks. I also log them electronically and on my PC. It is redundant, but that is what scuba taught me. While I can back up my electronic logs, I can guarantee that I’ll be using the same dive computer or that dive computer software will remain relevant between versions or brands. I like the dive computers simplicity of auto-calculated SAC rates and continuous monitoring of depth, air and temperatures, the redundancy of my logbooks has saved my information when software became incompatible or lost due to failure. Love the videos, keep up the good work.
I log every single time I get into the water. Freediving, SCUBA, Training, whatever. One of the perks about having a digital log is the ability to filter out dives... if an agency only counts dives to a certain depth for a certain amount of time, I just filter them out and show them the logs. Pretty easy. Also, my digital logbook allows me to create multiple logbooks, so if I want to create a logbook for a project, then I just create a new logbook. I still add my dives to my main log, but I just add them to the second logbook as well. Also, everyone says you should also have a physical logbook... so I'm just thinking of printing out my logs and putting them in my binder.
Hello Rich Law, I personally believe log books are a great thing. What's interesting though, after 34 years in the industry, and nearly 8000 dives, I have never been asked to see my log book.
I log both pare and computer, as someone has already mentioned if you go abroad it is sometimes easier to show a log book, and also, it is nice to see visually how far you have advanced since your first tentative dive, and the mistakes that you might have made.
One thing I can honestly say is, I have never once had anyone ask to see my log book. I guess when that ask for my certification card and they see that it says Instructor, they assume I have the experience. I need to shoot a video on certification cards, since the digital age has become more prominent that the old hard cards.
Man I love how well delivered your information always is. I would really appreciate a tutorial on how you set up your spread sheets for your digital logs. Or your suggestions on which apps you like to use for logging. I like the idea of having my own file for dive logs I’m just not as computer savi. I appreciate your time and efforts Brian🤙
Hello Jimmy Kabisch, most of us are using the divessi app. Its free for all divers to use. There are several great systems for divers, you just have to find the right one for you.
I still log my dives on paper in a log book. I find that if I travel to places where I intend on diving it is easier to provide a physical log book to validate my diving experience. The other reason is more just the enjoyment of going back through it and reading about what I experienced, who I dove with, and reminiscing on previous dives... I probably would not do that on a computer program. I log a dive anytime I am in a body of open water where the bottom is deeper than about 15 feet and it didn't have to be immediately terminated.
The great thing about a paper log book, its like a personal dive journal or diary. With the way of the future, VLOGGING on the internet seems to be the way people do it now days. The difference is the diary was always meant to be private, to where VLOGGING is very public.
I do, ,too. I also scan my old dive log booklets and upload them to my DropBox account. Should I need to show a dive operator (or anyone else, for that matter) my log, I can show them all of my dives. (I also upload copies of my cert cards. It's a free account and I refuse to pay a training agency for an "e- card" when I can do it for free.)
when I got my open water it was never realy talked about so I realy didn't log my first few years of diving .and in my general location the diving faded out . but with your videos well its realy helpful and makes this fun again. no need to drive over 120 miles to ask someone for a question . thank you john
I track all my dives for the very reasons mentioned in this video. I keep track of my SAC rate so I can stay down longer, I hate being the one who runs out of air first and causes the dive to end sooner than the others would like. I have an ongoing battle with buoyancy, so keeping track of my weights used on my dives is very important also. I use my log book and my home computer.
I am going through ssi here in California . And I can't thank you enough for taking the time to make these VERY informative videos and having fun while doing so . It's really exciting to watch your videos and then to have a head start in class . THANK YOU !
JCA ELITE SCUBA And definitely don't tell a store owner you want to get or equipment repaired under warranty, right after telling him you bought it on Ebay.
I use PADI's scubaearth site to log my dives. It has all the fields I need to log everything I want too. I put in where I dove, the time in and out, pressure group in and out, water type, temperature, and average depth. I also note what the waves and current were like, and if there was surge.
Glad to hear that ScubaEarth is working for you. I know they had a slow start getting going at first. Several of my students have used it and stated they really like the layout of it.
the way my instructor told me he does it is if u dive more then 33 feet/10 meters(1 atmosphere) u log that dive. u have to do a safety stop. u have to do everything u do when u dive to 100 feet/33 meters or deeper. :) love your videos i learn so much from u.
Great video. I tend to go a little further, and try to capture any lessons learned, and record a brief narrative about the dive; the narrative helps me remember what went well when I'm planning that next Florida springs trip a year later. I also include much more detail in my narratives for any county rescue dives, especially for response dives, recording things like: sweeps patterns used, equipment, conditions, hazards encountered, and an overall narrative to the dive.
Glad you liked our video. Going into further detail, especially for your County Rescue Dives is a great thing. We take it even a step further, and we record all our PSD dives on video. This way not only is the dive digitally recorded, but it makes it easier to protect ourselves in court. Especially on evidence recovery dives. This way, the defense attorney can never claim we placed evidence underwater.
Just tips I have learned over the years. I wished I could post more videos on our UA-cam Channel about Public Safety Diving, but some stuff can not be published to the public until it is settle in court. And out of respect for victims families, of course we will never show a lifeless victim on our channel.
@@LakeHickoryScuba Yes, exactly. Great videos. You do a really good job on your youtube social media presence for you, and your shop. One thing particular that I like about your videos is you actually teach/share good information, not just repeat brand marketing information- you actually cover diving knowledge. Even as en experienced diver, I find your videos interesting.
Thank You for the kind words. That is our goal on this channel, to educate. And truth be told, I learn just as much from our subscribers, as they learn from me. I had some great diving mentors growing up, and they all told me to never stop learning. I have always told myself, that as an instructor, as long as I keep learning, I will always be able to help others learn as well.
Hey Brian. How about a video tutorial on how to download logs from a dive computer. I am terrible at logging my dives and have been since I logged 100 dives decades ago. Not proud of it but I can't change history. Thanks for your dedication to this sport that I love.
Hello John Raymond, I will do my best to get one made for you. I will round up several different softwares that divers prefer and show each method of logging. As a matter of fact, while remodeling, I came across one of my old log books from when I was a kid. It will be show cased in the video as well.
I am a newbie with only 12 dives counted. However, at this stage I log every dive because I never dive without learning something. So, I log OW dives, and pool dives, but I only count real dives. So my log book has 7 (an OW dive), 7a (pool), 7b (pool), 8 (OW). I imagine that once I have mastered everything (is that ever going to happen?) I will just log real dives. Still using my original PADI book and replicating on diverlog+.
Hello Jeremy Patton. We tell students to log the dives they feel are sufficient to them. Your log book is your personal diving journal. You can make up your own rules for what you put in it.
I'm getting back into diving after several years of not diving. I have over 300 dives under my belt. However My dive logs were lost due to Hurricane Flooding.
Sorry to hear that Neptune's Creations. Paper logs or digital logs that are lost will never replace the memories though. Welcome back to the underwater world.
I’m just getting certified. My deep water dives are coming up next week. I’m curious about what computer to buy. So if you use the DiveSSI ap would that mean you are limited to a DiveSSI compatible computer? Mares or Suunto?
Hello Matt Wilkin, you can use the DiveSSI app at any time, as dives can be entered in manually. If you are interested in using the Bluelink system to transfer your dives, then you will need to use a Mares compatible computer.
I log all my OW dives in my logbook, just to see with who I was there and what have we seen. And for some reason we have stamps and stickers to decorate each others books 😆 For me it's just a social thing to be connected with my buddys 😎 For the "technical" informations I use the informations from my divecomputer (time, airconsumtion, deepth,...) and add some more (weather, gps location, contactdetails from new buddys, ...) To prove my dives I also have an app on my smartphone that syncs the dives with bluetooth from computer.
Great question. In my professional opinion yes they should. Some agencies offer ecology based specialties, such as Whale Shark Diver, Marine Ecology Diver, Turtle Ecology Diver, etc. These are completed not only in warm tropical environments, but we issue many of the certifications when we take divers to places like the Georgia Aquarium as well.
Ok thanks, well for me.. I live in new Orleans area... the closest dive spots around here is Florida panhandle... so I can't go all the time... it cost! But my goal is to make it to dive master and maybe OW instructor someday. So I was thinking if I volunteer at the aquarium in NOLA.. it would be great practice! The closest simulator to the real underwater environment my opinion. But If it counts as a log dive why not?! I'm getting dive experience with scuba?!
Paper all the way. I sit my students down at the site and we all plan then log the dive. They enjoy talking about the dive and logging it while eat and surface intervals.
Thank you for sharing this. Im am sharing it with my whole team. Personally i log all my dives on paper (loose leaf in 3 ring binder) as i was using a digital program and when computer died i lost 10 years worth of logs luckily i had most still on paper. Some times old school methods are the best. As always thanks for posting videos like this.
You are welcome, and thanks for commenting. That's a risk we always will face with computers. I have had to buy 2 new office computers in the last 6 months due to lighting damage and thanks to hackers. Thankfully, I have everything backed up on an external hard drive.
Hello Brian logging dives. yes well, most agencies and instructors reccomend that you log all dives be they padi or bsac. however this is a little impractical after 50 plus dives. i tend to follow naval routine, we would log dives deeper than 2 fathoms in depth and over 10 mins diration. Personally i started diving before computors were available, so tend to use a logbook as back up, as computors can fail and if there is a problem, it can be looked at to see what was happenig without needing computor access. i log things like, air or nitrox, location dive duration accumulated dive time, what type of dive it was, where when what you did hazards above and below the surface. who was on the dive, boat or shore dive. dive conditions, weights used salt or freshwater light, medium heavy salt water surface and bottom times and temperatures. i dont usually list diving Certifications of dive participants unless its a training dive.
Kurt Steiner You mention accumulated time. It would be neat to take the total amount of time I've spent under water and add it up. And then compare it to the amount of time I've spent on land since birth, and then calculate the percentage of wet time compared to dry time. I'm kinda weird like that.
I still log my dives on paper. I do download my dives on my computer and phone but training dives with my students, as you know, can get very convoluted. So to keep things easily separated I still use paper. Though, now that you'e given me the idea, If I download everything into a spreadsheet I can easily differentiate the dives. As for my definition of a dive I'm afraid I'm stuck with my two certifying agencies definition; 20 feet for 20 minutes. I know it's a little rigid as compared to the definitions that you listed but it does keep divers who are trying to increase their count from dropping in for five minutes hopping out for 11 (more than 10 to avoid the dives being considered "bounce" dives). Like you I don't count pool dives even though, according to my agency using 1800 psi on a pool dive can be counted as a dive. Maybe the industry should do back to counting time underwater instead of dives. Pilots don't count flights, they count flight time.
I agree completely with Kevin Smith. Not only logging with my Matrix, also using a Divers logbook. In the logbook you can add your buddies, weather, or if something interesting happends. I only log when diving outside, and not in the pool...the pool is for practise. Imo 😀
Though I still considered it just as dangerous as open water, the pool to me is still for practice. I am closing in on 6000 dives, and if I had logged every pool dive I have done over the years and continue to do on a daily basis with students, who knows how many dives I would have.
Agree 100% Water is water and can hurt you just as much as in a lake or the sea. For me personally, diving is ALWAYS 51% safety and 49% pure bliss, but that's just me. Thanks again for a great video. Very interesting
i log every OW dive, i put depth, time start and stop tank pressure calculate my starting and stopping PGs and SI. i write down conditions, wt. suit dive buddy ,everything. This may sound like a stupid question, but does anyone else have their dive buddy sign their log? Thus far, i have only had my instructors sign on training dives and i just write down who i dove with on my independent dives, but the log has a place for it and i am curious as to wheather anyone else has their buddies sign.
Hello Don, a lot of our divers will sign their buddy's dive log. As an Instructor, I usually will sign off on all training dives for students, but I hardly ever sign their log book just for fun dives, unless they ask me too.
As a new diver this is awesome info! I don’t recall hearing if there was a certain time limit needed to be counted as a dive... By the way I would be extremely surprised if you aren’t a pastor/minister at a church... I’d love to know the answer
Hello H Peterson, glad you liked the video. I have had many jobs in my time, Construction, Deputy Sheriff, Police Officer, Firefighter, EMT, Security Specialist, Grocery Store Clerk, Stock Coordinator, Low Voltage Installer, etc. etc., however, preacher or pastor is not one of them. I am a believer though.
I log my pool training dives as I have a record of weight distribution for trim etc.i log everything what I used and what type of training I've done.i also log my dives on moves count. A question for you Brian is how long is it for a dive to be classified as a dive I recently did some training on PADI navigation and found my self to be overweighted.i tried to explain to the instructor that I needed to ditch some weight.we went to about 15m did a safety stop at 5m in total the dive was 15 minutes. I didn't record this as a dive should I have done?
Hello sayittrue, logging dives and details of the dive is completely up to the diver himself / herself. The only time we focus on the amount of time a dive should be, is for training dives. Training dives have to meet the criteria set by the training agency. But this also only applies for certifications. You can still log the dive even if it doesn't count towards a certification. In short, I tell all divers that if there is a dive you make where there is a risk of an air embolism, then you should log a dive. Remember, an air embolism can occur in a depth less than 3 feet of water. So log away.
I've never seen the use of my personal SAC for every dive, because in the end, I still calculate with the standard 20 l/min... What do you use this information for?
Great question. So like you, on every single dive, logging SAC rate can be pretty redundant, and I myself know what mine is, doing the same dives over and over and over with students, so I usually never calculate it on 90% of my dives. I do however calculate it, log it, and use it on unique dives, like Deep Salvage, Public Safety Dives, and Ice Diving, just to see how my air consumption changes during these high stressful situations. It definitely helps me planning in the future, not so much for basic dives where I have students, but for the ones that are more complex in nature.
In my case, my SAC is about 10 l/min when I'm in good shape (physical and in terms of diving), but can go up to 16-20 l/min in other cases. So for me, it makes sense to monitor it, as in some cases 20 l/min is much too conservative, while at other times, it isn't really conservative enough. And as my logbook software calculates it automatically, I get it every dive where I remember logging depth, time, and air consumption.
What is your opinion on entering dives that happened years ago? Unfortunately, I have lost my log book from when I started (Padi OWD in 1982) and (Padi AOWD in 1986) and all of the other dives in between. My Son is now a diver and I was thinking about getting my Master Scuba Diver cert. I have exact memories about many of them, things like location and what we did, but the exact dates and gear data is lost. What is your opinion about adding "remembered" dives to a new log book or software? Naturally, I have started logging all of my new dives again.
Here is my opinion. I believe in the honor system as an instructor. Thus, if you say you have made the dive, then well, you made the dive. I would put it in your log book. Just because you lost your old log book, it doesn't change the past. Back when I was a kid, I was a second baseman on my schools baseball team. We made All Stars, and won the championship. Over the years, I have lost most of my trophies, but that doesn't mean the past was erased. I am still an All Star, and Champion for my school's baseball team.
Yes is my opinion also, just naturally some of the dive might look "made up". If I then run into the hardcore" instructor and get the second degree (I live in Europe now and a lot of them are like that over here). But in that case, I would change instructors :-) Thanks for the quick reply and keep up the great videos!
I've been certified since 1989 with PADI and I lost my dive log 10 years ago and I'm getting back into diving now, I retired all my old diving gear and bought all new dive gear and a shearwater peregrine dive computer and a Ocean Reef full face mask, now since I no longer have a dive log from way back what do I need to do, I also lost my certification card along with my dive log, but I got a new one and a E-card incase I happen to lose my card again. I been training myself again in a friends pool and I still after so many years not diving I still have my skills. My question is I want to get full face certified and I don't have a dive log what do I do next so I can do it right, I'm going diving regardless with or with the full face mask certification, off the beach or off one of my friend's boat, but I like to do it the right way. I need help what to do..Thank you
Great video as always. As a new diver I use the Mares dive organizer on my computer. I even did a quick UA-cam video on this on my channel. For me it gives me everything I need to keep track of. As a firefighter I would say Wikipedia came the closest to the definition. Check it out and let me know. P.S. I leave tomorrow for 8 dives in Mexico playa del Carmen. Santa Rosa wall and Palancar reef are two of my highlights.
Would you recommend to go with FD ( Volunteer)or LE (Part-time) if I had to choose seeing that I do PSD w the FD volunteer? I am retired w lots of free time.
Hello M Gallager, I'm not sure I can give you an unbiased opinion. I have worked on PSD Teams for both Law Enforcement and the Fire Service. They both have their pros and cons. I will say this though, getting on a Volunteer Fire Department Team tends to be a little more hassle free, being that the employment issue is really a non issue. In my experience, there is a little bit more freedom with the Fire Department side, in regards to gear choices, training, etc. etc. Here is our area, the Fire Departments focus more on the Rescue side of diving, where as the Law Enforcement does more the Recovery side of diving. I have enjoyed my career both in the Scuba Industry and in the Public Service. You should be fine doing either one of them.
All the definitions of a dive are all similar, so the definition of a dive is clear. As far as logging all dives, why would you not? with the exception of confined water dives. Even then I log them, but it is simply for my own reference to calculate sac rate and consumption times. plus, it sort of fills up the pages, lol.
We look at Log Books as a personal diary system for the individual diver. We encourage all divers to log what they feel is necessary to help them continue there growth as a diver.
I've been NAUI SCUBA diver since 1975, long before any digital logs existed. I logged over 300 dives in the next 5 years but ultimately lost my log book during one of my many moves. SO, do those dives not exist? And, if they do, what need for a log book at all?
Great questions. First you never lose a dive, so those dives you have done are still there. I look at a log book more as a diver's personal diary. You use it for you and no one else, to record your adventures. To answer the last part, truthfully, you only need a log book, if you feel the need to have a log book. There is no law that requires it.
Great question. To answer it we have to look into standards for each course of those said agencies to see what both SSI and PADI requires. In short any dive deeper than 1.0 atmospheres, while breathing compressed gas is considered a dive. However to be classified as a training dive, there are other requirements such as depth and time limits (minimums) and each will usually require a specific skill set be performed (performance requirements) to be logged as a training dive.
It can always be both if you want it to be. A diver's log book is his or hers personal history as a diver. They can be as detailed as the diver wants to make them. We encourage all divers to log every single dive they make, or as least as they want. At the end of the day, its always up to them what they want to log. As I always say, there is no set standard to a log book.
I log every OWD regardless of depth. I've logged dives where I was only 3-4 meters underwater, but I was underwater for almost 2.5 hours! Great conversation Brian!
JCA ELITE SCUBA When I took my first Open Water Course, we did half stops as well. We also learned on not only the US Navy Tables, but we also used the PADI Half Time Tables.
My definition of a dive for the purpose of logging is any open water dive regardless of depth and time. I’ve done 90 minute dives on a reef going no deeper than 15 feet and I’ve done and I’ve done dives to 100+ feet for just a few moments to find a piece of gear a buddy dropped and everything in between. I will occasionally log a pool session if I did some specific training I want to remember or reference back to but I don’t give those log entries a number. Including pool sessions in your total dive number is misleading about your experience. As a DM if I ask someone about their experience and say they have 100 dives I’m expecting that all 100 of those are open water dives and not that half or a quarter of them have been in a shallow pool.
Hello Miles Roche, thanks for commenting. I like the educational factor being brought into it. To me all training dives, regardless of location should be logged.
I totally get that and have buddies that do the same. That’s the beauty of your log, is that it’s your log. At the end of the day your log is a reference for you so you get to log it how you find is most useful for you. I think that’s probably why the training agencies don’t define what a loggable dive is and what to log outside of training dives, that way each person can tailor their log to their own needs
I have 39 logged dives. Yet Padi of America refuses to issue me my scuba cards after I complained to quality assurance about a dive center/instructor about poor quality training and sexual harassment from a PADI divemaster.
I still log my dives in logbooks. I also log them electronically and on my PC. It is redundant, but that is what scuba taught me. While I can back up my electronic logs, I can guarantee that I’ll be using the same dive computer or that dive computer software will remain relevant between versions or brands. I like the dive computers simplicity of auto-calculated SAC rates and continuous monitoring of depth, air and temperatures, the redundancy of my logbooks has saved my information when software became incompatible or lost due to failure. Love the videos, keep up the good work.
Hello hbzeke, glad you liked the video, and you are correct, paper logs are a great redundant back up to electronic log systems.
I log every single time I get into the water. Freediving, SCUBA, Training, whatever. One of the perks about having a digital log is the ability to filter out dives... if an agency only counts dives to a certain depth for a certain amount of time, I just filter them out and show them the logs. Pretty easy. Also, my digital logbook allows me to create multiple logbooks, so if I want to create a logbook for a project, then I just create a new logbook. I still add my dives to my main log, but I just add them to the second logbook as well.
Also, everyone says you should also have a physical logbook... so I'm just thinking of printing out my logs and putting them in my binder.
Hello Rich Law, I personally believe log books are a great thing. What's interesting though, after 34 years in the industry, and nearly 8000 dives, I have never been asked to see my log book.
I log both pare and computer, as someone has already mentioned if you go abroad it is sometimes easier to show a log book, and also, it is nice to see visually how far you have advanced since your first tentative dive, and the mistakes that you might have made.
One thing I can honestly say is, I have never once had anyone ask to see my log book. I guess when that ask for my certification card and they see that it says Instructor, they assume I have the experience. I need to shoot a video on certification cards, since the digital age has become more prominent that the old hard cards.
Man I love how well delivered your information always is. I would really appreciate a tutorial on how you set up your spread sheets for your digital logs. Or your suggestions on which apps you like to use for logging. I like the idea of having my own file for dive logs I’m just not as computer savi. I appreciate your time and efforts Brian🤙
Hello Jimmy Kabisch, most of us are using the divessi app. Its free for all divers to use. There are several great systems for divers, you just have to find the right one for you.
I still log my dives on paper in a log book. I find that if I travel to places where I intend on diving it is easier to provide a physical log book to validate my diving experience. The other reason is more just the enjoyment of going back through it and reading about what I experienced, who I dove with, and reminiscing on previous dives... I probably would not do that on a computer program.
I log a dive anytime I am in a body of open water where the bottom is deeper than about 15 feet and it didn't have to be immediately terminated.
The great thing about a paper log book, its like a personal dive journal or diary. With the way of the future, VLOGGING on the internet seems to be the way people do it now days. The difference is the diary was always meant to be private, to where VLOGGING is very public.
I do, ,too. I also scan my old dive log booklets and upload them to my DropBox account. Should I need to show a dive operator (or anyone else, for that matter) my log, I can show them all of my dives. (I also upload copies of my cert cards. It's a free account and I refuse to pay a training agency for an "e- card" when I can do it for free.)
when I got my open water it was never realy talked about so I realy didn't log my first few years of diving .and in my general location the diving faded out . but with your videos well its realy helpful and makes this fun again. no need to drive over 120 miles to ask someone for a question . thank you john
You're welcome John, glad to know you find our videos helpful.
I track all my dives for the very reasons mentioned in this video. I keep track of my SAC rate so I can stay down longer, I hate being the one who runs out of air first and causes the dive to end sooner than the others would like. I have an ongoing battle with buoyancy, so keeping track of my weights used on my dives is very important also. I use my log book and my home computer.
Hello Den Georgette, thanks for sharing. The Log Book is a great tool to be used to trach your personal SAC rate.
I am going through ssi here in California . And I can't thank you enough for taking the time to make these VERY informative videos and having fun while doing so . It's really exciting to watch your videos and then to have a head start in class . THANK YOU !
You are welcome. And good luck on your class. Let me know how it goes.
JCA ELITE SCUBA And definitely don't tell a store owner you want to get or equipment repaired under warranty, right after telling him you bought it on Ebay.
I use PADI's scubaearth site to log my dives. It has all the fields I need to log everything I want too. I put in where I dove, the time in and out, pressure group in and out, water type, temperature, and average depth. I also note what the waves and current were like, and if there was surge.
Glad to hear that ScubaEarth is working for you. I know they had a slow start getting going at first. Several of my students have used it and stated they really like the layout of it.
the way my instructor told me he does it is if u dive more then 33 feet/10 meters(1 atmosphere) u log that dive. u have to do a safety stop. u have to do everything u do when u dive to 100 feet/33 meters or deeper. :)
love your videos i learn so much from u.
Thank you, glad you like them and learn from them.
Great video. I tend to go a little further, and try to capture any lessons learned, and record a brief narrative about the dive; the narrative helps me remember what went well when I'm planning that next Florida springs trip a year later. I also include much more detail in my narratives for any county rescue dives, especially for response dives, recording things like: sweeps patterns used, equipment, conditions, hazards encountered, and an overall narrative to the dive.
Glad you liked our video. Going into further detail, especially for your County Rescue Dives is a great thing. We take it even a step further, and we record all our PSD dives on video. This way not only is the dive digitally recorded, but it makes it easier to protect ourselves in court. Especially on evidence recovery dives. This way, the defense attorney can never claim we placed evidence underwater.
@@LakeHickoryScuba Great suggestion on the recoding. I'm getting back into the rescue side of things, and will pass along your expereince.
Just tips I have learned over the years. I wished I could post more videos on our UA-cam Channel about Public Safety Diving, but some stuff can not be published to the public until it is settle in court. And out of respect for victims families, of course we will never show a lifeless victim on our channel.
@@LakeHickoryScuba Yes, exactly. Great videos. You do a really good job on your youtube social media presence for you, and your shop. One thing particular that I like about your videos is you actually teach/share good information, not just repeat brand marketing information- you actually cover diving knowledge. Even as en experienced diver, I find your videos interesting.
Thank You for the kind words. That is our goal on this channel, to educate. And truth be told, I learn just as much from our subscribers, as they learn from me. I had some great diving mentors growing up, and they all told me to never stop learning. I have always told myself, that as an instructor, as long as I keep learning, I will always be able to help others learn as well.
Hey Brian. How about a video tutorial on how to download logs from a dive computer. I am terrible at logging my dives and have been since I logged 100 dives decades ago. Not proud of it but I can't change history. Thanks for your dedication to this sport that I love.
Hello John Raymond, I will do my best to get one made for you. I will round up several different softwares that divers prefer and show each method of logging. As a matter of fact, while remodeling, I came across one of my old log books from when I was a kid. It will be show cased in the video as well.
I am a newbie with only 12 dives counted. However, at this stage I log every dive because I never dive without learning something. So, I log OW dives, and pool dives, but I only count real dives. So my log book has 7 (an OW dive), 7a (pool), 7b (pool), 8 (OW). I imagine that once I have mastered everything (is that ever going to happen?) I will just log real dives. Still using my original PADI book and replicating on diverlog+.
Hello Jeremy Patton. We tell students to log the dives they feel are sufficient to them. Your log book is your personal diving journal. You can make up your own rules for what you put in it.
I'm getting back into diving after several years of not diving. I have over 300 dives under my belt. However My dive logs were lost due to Hurricane Flooding.
Sorry to hear that Neptune's Creations. Paper logs or digital logs that are lost will never replace the memories though. Welcome back to the underwater world.
I’m just getting certified. My deep water dives are coming up next week. I’m curious about what computer to buy.
So if you use the DiveSSI ap would that mean you are limited to a DiveSSI compatible computer? Mares or Suunto?
Hello Matt Wilkin, you can use the DiveSSI app at any time, as dives can be entered in manually. If you are interested in using the Bluelink system to transfer your dives, then you will need to use a Mares compatible computer.
I log all my OW dives in my logbook, just to see with who I was there and what have we seen.
And for some reason we have stamps and stickers to decorate each others books 😆 For me it's just a social thing to be connected with my buddys 😎
For the "technical" informations I use the informations from my divecomputer (time, airconsumtion, deepth,...) and add some more (weather, gps location, contactdetails from new buddys, ...)
To prove my dives I also have an app on my smartphone that syncs the dives with bluetooth from computer.
It's amazing all the different log apps there are that we can download on our smart phones.
I just use the original one from suunto. It's the best one I tried for my EON Steel 😇
Typically the system designed by the manufacture tends to be the best to use.
I got a question will Aquarium dives count as a log dives for future training classes?
Great question. In my professional opinion yes they should. Some agencies offer ecology based specialties, such as Whale Shark Diver, Marine Ecology Diver, Turtle Ecology Diver, etc. These are completed not only in warm tropical environments, but we issue many of the certifications when we take divers to places like the Georgia Aquarium as well.
Ok thanks, well for me.. I live in new Orleans area... the closest dive spots around here is Florida panhandle... so I can't go all the time... it cost! But my goal is to make it to dive master and maybe OW instructor someday. So I was thinking if I volunteer at the aquarium in NOLA.. it would be great practice! The closest simulator to the real underwater environment my opinion. But If it counts as a log dive why not?! I'm getting dive experience with scuba?!
I would definitely log them.
Paper all the way. I sit my students down at the site and we all plan then log the dive. They enjoy talking about the dive and logging it while eat and surface intervals.
Getting students involved like that definitely helps them understand the importance of logging dives. Keep up the good work troop1026.
Thank you for sharing this. Im am sharing it with my whole team.
Personally i log all my dives on paper (loose leaf in 3 ring binder) as i was using a digital program and when computer died i lost 10 years worth of logs luckily i had most still on paper. Some times old school methods are the best.
As always thanks for posting videos like this.
You are welcome, and thanks for commenting. That's a risk we always will face with computers. I have had to buy 2 new office computers in the last 6 months due to lighting damage and thanks to hackers. Thankfully, I have everything backed up on an external hard drive.
Hello Brian logging dives.
yes well, most agencies and instructors reccomend that you log all dives be they padi or bsac. however this is a little impractical after 50 plus dives. i tend to follow naval routine, we would log dives deeper than 2 fathoms in depth and over 10 mins diration.
Personally i started diving before computors were available, so tend to use a logbook as back up, as computors can fail and if there is a problem, it can be looked at to see what was happenig without needing computor access. i log things like, air or nitrox, location dive duration accumulated dive time, what type of dive it was, where when what you did hazards above and below the surface. who was on the dive, boat or shore dive. dive conditions, weights used salt or freshwater light, medium heavy salt water surface and bottom times and temperatures. i dont usually list diving Certifications of dive participants unless its a training dive.
Kurt Steiner You mention accumulated time. It would be neat to take the total amount of time I've spent under water and add it up. And then compare it to the amount of time I've spent on land since birth, and then calculate the percentage of wet time compared to dry time. I'm kinda weird like that.
I still log my dives on paper. I do download my dives on my computer and phone but training dives with my students, as you know, can get very convoluted. So to keep things easily separated I still use paper. Though, now that you'e given me the idea, If I download everything into a spreadsheet I can easily differentiate the dives. As for my definition of a dive I'm afraid I'm stuck with my two certifying agencies definition; 20 feet for 20 minutes. I know it's a little rigid as compared to the definitions that you listed but it does keep divers who are trying to increase their count from dropping in for five minutes hopping out for 11 (more than 10 to avoid the dives being considered "bounce" dives). Like you I don't count pool dives even though, according to my agency using 1800 psi on a pool dive can be counted as a dive.
Maybe the industry should do back to counting time underwater instead of dives. Pilots don't count flights, they count flight time.
Hello Joe Napper, I like the comparison to pilots. Definitely something to think about.
I agree completely with Kevin Smith. Not only logging with my Matrix, also using a Divers logbook. In the logbook you can add your buddies, weather, or if something interesting happends. I only log when diving outside, and not in the pool...the pool is for practise. Imo 😀
Though I still considered it just as dangerous as open water, the pool to me is still for practice. I am closing in on 6000 dives, and if I had logged every pool dive I have done over the years and continue to do on a daily basis with students, who knows how many dives I would have.
Agree 100% Water is water and can hurt you just as much as in a lake or the sea. For me personally, diving is ALWAYS 51% safety and 49% pure bliss, but that's just me. Thanks again for a great video. Very interesting
You are welcome. Thanks for watching.
i log every OW dive, i put depth, time start and stop tank pressure calculate my starting and stopping PGs and SI. i write down conditions, wt. suit dive buddy ,everything. This may sound like a stupid question, but does anyone else have their dive buddy sign their log? Thus far, i have only had my instructors sign on training dives and i just write down who i dove with on my independent dives, but the log has a place for it and i am curious as to wheather anyone else has their buddies sign.
Hello Don, a lot of our divers will sign their buddy's dive log. As an Instructor, I usually will sign off on all training dives for students, but I hardly ever sign their log book just for fun dives, unless they ask me too.
As a new diver this is awesome info! I don’t recall hearing if there was a certain time limit needed to be counted as a dive... By the way I would be extremely surprised if you aren’t a pastor/minister at a church... I’d love to know the answer
Hello H Peterson, glad you liked the video. I have had many jobs in my time, Construction, Deputy Sheriff, Police Officer, Firefighter, EMT, Security Specialist, Grocery Store Clerk, Stock Coordinator, Low Voltage Installer, etc. etc., however, preacher or pastor is not one of them. I am a believer though.
LakeHickoryScuba I love it! Thanks for your service. You present well like the pastor of my church. Love the videos be safe out there!
I log my pool training dives as I have a record of weight distribution for trim etc.i log everything what I used and what type of training I've done.i also log my dives on moves count.
A question for you Brian is how long is it for a dive to be classified as a dive I recently did some training on PADI navigation and found my self to be overweighted.i tried to explain to the instructor that I needed to ditch some weight.we went to about 15m did a safety stop at 5m in total the dive was 15 minutes. I didn't record this as a dive should I have done?
Hello sayittrue, logging dives and details of the dive is completely up to the diver himself / herself. The only time we focus on the amount of time a dive should be, is for training dives. Training dives have to meet the criteria set by the training agency. But this also only applies for certifications. You can still log the dive even if it doesn't count towards a certification. In short, I tell all divers that if there is a dive you make where there is a risk of an air embolism, then you should log a dive. Remember, an air embolism can occur in a depth less than 3 feet of water. So log away.
I've never seen the use of my personal SAC for every dive, because in the end, I still calculate with the standard 20 l/min... What do you use this information for?
Great question. So like you, on every single dive, logging SAC rate can be pretty redundant, and I myself know what mine is, doing the same dives over and over and over with students, so I usually never calculate it on 90% of my dives. I do however calculate it, log it, and use it on unique dives, like Deep Salvage, Public Safety Dives, and Ice Diving, just to see how my air consumption changes during these high stressful situations. It definitely helps me planning in the future, not so much for basic dives where I have students, but for the ones that are more complex in nature.
In my case, my SAC is about 10 l/min when I'm in good shape (physical and in terms of diving), but can go up to 16-20 l/min in other cases. So for me, it makes sense to monitor it, as in some cases 20 l/min is much too conservative, while at other times, it isn't really conservative enough. And as my logbook software calculates it automatically, I get it every dive where I remember logging depth, time, and air consumption.
What is your opinion on entering dives that happened years ago? Unfortunately, I have lost my log book from when I started (Padi OWD in 1982) and (Padi AOWD in 1986) and all of the other dives in between. My Son is now a diver and I was thinking about getting my Master Scuba Diver cert. I have exact memories about many of them, things like location and what we did, but the exact dates and gear data is lost. What is your opinion about adding "remembered" dives to a new log book or software? Naturally, I have started logging all of my new dives again.
Here is my opinion. I believe in the honor system as an instructor. Thus, if you say you have made the dive, then well, you made the dive. I would put it in your log book. Just because you lost your old log book, it doesn't change the past. Back when I was a kid, I was a second baseman on my schools baseball team. We made All Stars, and won the championship. Over the years, I have lost most of my trophies, but that doesn't mean the past was erased. I am still an All Star, and Champion for my school's baseball team.
Yes is my opinion also, just naturally some of the dive might look "made up". If I then run into the hardcore" instructor and get the second degree (I live in Europe now and a lot of them are like that over here). But in that case, I would change instructors :-) Thanks for the quick reply and keep up the great videos!
You're welcome, and best of luck to you. One good thing, there are 1000's of instructors around. You can always find the best one for you.
I've been certified since 1989 with PADI and I lost my dive log 10 years ago and I'm getting back into diving now, I retired all my old diving gear and bought all new dive gear and a shearwater peregrine dive computer and a Ocean Reef full face mask, now since I no longer have a dive log from way back what do I need to do, I also lost my certification card along with my dive log, but I got a new one and a E-card incase I happen to lose my card again. I been training myself again in a friends pool and I still after so many years not diving I still have my skills. My question is I want to get full face certified and I don't have a dive log what do I do next so I can do it right, I'm going diving regardless with or with the full face mask certification, off the beach or off one of my friend's boat, but I like to do it the right way. I need help what to do..Thank you
Hello Rocky Hernandez, check with your local training center to see if they have a Full Face Mask Instructor.
Great video as always. As a new diver I use the Mares dive organizer on my computer. I even did a quick UA-cam video on this on my channel. For me it gives me everything I need to keep track of. As a firefighter I would say Wikipedia came the closest to the definition. Check it out and let me know.
P.S. I leave tomorrow for 8 dives in Mexico playa del Carmen. Santa Rosa wall and Palancar reef are two of my highlights.
Rick's Corner I will check it out. Have fun in Mexico and safe diving.
Would you recommend to go with FD ( Volunteer)or LE (Part-time) if I had to choose seeing that I do PSD w the FD volunteer? I am retired w lots of free time.
Hello M Gallager, I'm not sure I can give you an unbiased opinion. I have worked on PSD Teams for both Law Enforcement and the Fire Service. They both have their pros and cons. I will say this though, getting on a Volunteer Fire Department Team tends to be a little more hassle free, being that the employment issue is really a non issue. In my experience, there is a little bit more freedom with the Fire Department side, in regards to gear choices, training, etc. etc. Here is our area, the Fire Departments focus more on the Rescue side of diving, where as the Law Enforcement does more the Recovery side of diving. I have enjoyed my career both in the Scuba Industry and in the Public Service. You should be fine doing either one of them.
@@LakeHickoryScuba Thanks, I have been offered an position with both agency (fd/le) I am going see who responded 1st.👌
Should I log aquarium dives?
Its completely up to you. For what it is worth, I do.
I have.. it was more than 20 mins at 5 metres in depth..
All the definitions of a dive are all similar, so the definition of a dive is clear. As far as logging all dives, why would you not? with the exception of confined water dives. Even then I log them, but it is simply for my own reference to calculate sac rate and consumption times. plus, it sort of fills up the pages, lol.
We look at Log Books as a personal diary system for the individual diver. We encourage all divers to log what they feel is necessary to help them continue there growth as a diver.
I've been NAUI SCUBA diver since 1975, long before any digital logs existed. I logged over 300 dives in the next 5 years but ultimately lost my log book during one of my many moves. SO, do those dives not exist? And, if they do, what need for a log book at all?
Great questions. First you never lose a dive, so those dives you have done are still there. I look at a log book more as a diver's personal diary. You use it for you and no one else, to record your adventures. To answer the last part, truthfully, you only need a log book, if you feel the need to have a log book. There is no law that requires it.
What do SSI/PADI count as a dive for meeting experience requirements?
Great question. To answer it we have to look into standards for each course of those said agencies to see what both SSI and PADI requires. In short any dive deeper than 1.0 atmospheres, while breathing compressed gas is considered a dive. However to be classified as a training dive, there are other requirements such as depth and time limits (minimums) and each will usually require a specific skill set be performed (performance requirements) to be logged as a training dive.
@@LakeHickoryScuba For me, logging is simply record keeping, not bragging rights.
It can always be both if you want it to be. A diver's log book is his or hers personal history as a diver. They can be as detailed as the diver wants to make them. We encourage all divers to log every single dive they make, or as least as they want. At the end of the day, its always up to them what they want to log. As I always say, there is no set standard to a log book.
i log my dives in a book my cousin just got certified and he uses an app
Awesome, we encourage all divers to log their dives.
I log every OWD regardless of depth. I've logged dives where I was only 3-4 meters underwater, but I was underwater for almost 2.5 hours! Great conversation Brian!
Thank You. We have another video coming up in the near future on Safety Stops, should make for another interesting discussion.
JCA ELITE SCUBA When I took my first Open Water Course, we did half stops as well. We also learned on not only the US Navy Tables, but we also used the PADI Half Time Tables.
My definition of a dive for the purpose of logging is any open water dive regardless of depth and time. I’ve done 90 minute dives on a reef going no deeper than 15 feet and I’ve done and I’ve done dives to 100+ feet for just a few moments to find a piece of gear a buddy dropped and everything in between. I will occasionally log a pool session if I did some specific training I want to remember or reference back to but I don’t give those log entries a number. Including pool sessions in your total dive number is misleading about your experience. As a DM if I ask someone about their experience and say they have 100 dives I’m expecting that all 100 of those are open water dives and not that half or a quarter of them have been in a shallow pool.
Hello Miles Roche, thanks for commenting. I like the educational factor being brought into it. To me all training dives, regardless of location should be logged.
I totally get that and have buddies that do the same. That’s the beauty of your log, is that it’s your log. At the end of the day your log is a reference for you so you get to log it how you find is most useful for you. I think that’s probably why the training agencies don’t define what a loggable dive is and what to log outside of training dives, that way each person can tailor their log to their own needs
I have 39 logged dives. Yet Padi of America refuses to issue me my scuba cards after I complained to quality assurance about a dive center/instructor about poor quality training and sexual harassment from a PADI divemaster.
Sorry to hear about your situation Boycott Padi.