Scuba diving is an enjoyable activity for many. People love to be able to enjoy and learn more about the environment around them, especially underwater.
Yet, for divers, it is important to be strategic about tracking the details of a dive and keeping a record of the experience.
To keep a dive log, you should first find the format that works best for you. After deciding the format, you should record important information such as the date, location, depth, time, water temperature, weight, and equipment details. Many divers also like to track a narrative of their experience.
Keeping a dive log is important and can really be useful to improve your diving if done accurately.
Let’s take a look at why a dive log is important, what are you supposed to include in your dive log, different dive log formats, and how to keep your records accurate and updated consistently.
Why Dive Logs are Important
Keeping a dive log is important to understand what happened during a dive and remember details for future use.
For example, if you carefully record the type of equipment and weight you have used in your dives, you will most likely waste less time on a buoyancy check in your next dive.
This is particularly useful if, like me, you are constantly switching between wet and dry suits or single and double tanks.
Keeping a dive log is also important to improve your diving. By keeping track of the measurable attributes of a dive, you can easily spot what worked well and what can be improved.
For example, by keeping track of your air consumption rate, and comparing it with the amount of weight you were carrying in a given dive, you can easily spot if you have been consuming too much air because you were overweighted.
Keeping a dive log is also important if you want to attend some professional diving courses.
For example, if you want to sign up for the PADI Divemaster course or the SSI Dive Guide Course you will need to demonstrate a minimum of 40 logged dives.
What Does A Dive Log Track?
There are different parts of a dive that are tracked in a dive log. Some divers enjoy having a wide number of measurements, while others prefer to keep it simple.
A simple dive log will contain the date, location, time, depth, air usage, equipment, temperature, water type, and a personal narrative of the experience.
Others will go above and beyond those basics and add many more measurements to their dive log.
Some additional measurements they will add include the maximum depth, average depth, gas consumption rate during descent, gas consumption rate during ascent, time spent on the safety stop, and many more. Some divers also like to keep track of who they dive with.
My suggestion is to keep your dive log as simple and efficient as possible and to avoid overdoing it. If you keep track of too many details, in the long term you will most likely tend to stop recording your dives.
This is why it is important to develop your own dive log format and use it consistently.
A Standard Dive Log Format
To keep your dive log simple and efficient I recommend organizing it in 4 main sections. Most readily available logbooks are already organized in this way.
Section 1 includes a dive’s identifiers: dive number, date, and dive site name, buddy.
Section 2 includes a dive’s profile: Air Temperature, Water Temperature, Starting time, Ending Time, Starting Air, Ending Air, Depth and Maximum Bottom Time.
Section 3 includes the equipment: Wetsuit thickness, Undersuit thickness in case of drysuit, Weight, type of regulator (e.g. one or two first stages), type of BCD (wing or jacket), tank size and material.
Section 4 includes any notable observations form the dive: any particular problem, location of specific object, notes about entry and exit locations.
How to Keep Records Accurate
There are many different ways in which you can keep your diving records accurate. The most important thing is to add a dive to your logbook quickly and consistently after a dive. The material and style can help with this.
Some divers like to make their records out of waterproof paper and ink. These kinds of logbooks are called wetnotes. This solution is particularly handy in case you would also like to take notes during a dive.
If you are interested in buying a wetnotes style logbook, I recommend checking out the XS Scuba Deluxe Wet Notes or the HOG Wet Notes.
Using wetnotes is the preferred way of logging dives by most experienced divers as well as technical divers. Note that it might take some time for you to learn how to take notes underwater, but it is definitely worth the try.
Many divers prefer to log their dives in digital format. If you are among those, the PADI App is particularly handy as it has a free logbook function that can also be uses to log training dives. If you would like to learn more on how to log your recreational and training dives in the PADI APP, check out my detailed guide.
If you are looking for a free app that is not connected to any diving agency I recommend checking out DiveMate.
DiveMate connects directly to most dive computers, avoiding the hassle of transferring data manually. It is also particularly useful in case you want to store on your device pictures taken during a dive.
Besides using pre built Apps, you can also make up an Excel sheet, format it as you please, and use it to log your dives.
Using an Excel sheet is quite convenient as it allows you to make all sort of computations and stats after having done a certain amount of dives. For example, you can even track your progress by plotting your air consumption over time.
Another advantage of using an Excel sheet is that you are much less likely to loose your logs or misplace them. This can be vital if you usually travel to different dive sites, especially if you travel long distances.
As an alternative to Excel sheets and Apps, you could consider buying a dive computer that has an integrated logbook. This will make it super easy for you to keep track of your dives as the dive computer will do it for you.
This is actually the most accurate format for keeping a dive log as it is fully automatic. You might just need to input some comments into the logs generated by your computer such as the name of the dive, weights, notes on equipment and buddies.
If you are looking for an amazing dive computer that has an integrated dive log (and dedicated App), look no further than the Garmin Descent MK2i or the Shearwater Perdix 2.
You can find additional details on the Shearwater Perdix 2 in my recommended scuba gear.
Conclusion
Logging your dives is extremely important to keep track of your progress as a diver. In some cases it can also be a requirement for certain diving courses such as Divemaster or Instructor courses.
Some diving agencies will also ask you to proof that you have a given number of dives as a prerequisite for some technical diving courses.
Try out several ways of keeping a dive log until you find the one that works best for you. Once you have found it, try to be consistent and always log your dives.
Note that some dives will require to be certified, meaning that you will need your instructor or dive buddy to sign off your dive. Be mindful that some Apps or dive computers do not cater for a digital signature protocol.