A dive logbook is mostly nothing more than a small booklet with printed pages in which divers enter the dives they have made. Often we will find in it such information as the time and place of the dive, the number of the dive, the amount of time spent underwater or air consumption.
Going further, we will also be able to note the depth reached, the amount of ballast or the equipment that was used. Divers very often add their notes and comments after each dive. They write in what interesting things they saw underwater and what they experienced during the dive.
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Why is it worth keeping a dive logbook?
Because recording dives in a logbook serves, among other things, as a storage memories. It is also useful to record the parameters of our dives, noting what we did right or wrong. We can also write down comments and observations about our equipment or its failures, as well as anything related to diving. Or maybe you’ve seen the ugliest fish in the world! Be sure to write it down 🙂
You could say that a logbook is a kind of our book, our dive journal. You’re probably thinking to yourself that this doesn’t make sense, right? Well, I have to tell you that you are wrong, and I am about to give you some good reasons.
The first and most important reason why it’s good to carry a dive logbook is safety. In case of any accident or sudden problems with your health, it is good to have in it basic information about diseases, medications you are taking, allergies or contact phone numbers of your family memebers. This information will certainly be useful for the emergency services during a rescue action. This will allow them to take even better care of you and focus on providing you with appropriate assistance.
It is from the logbook that they can find out how many dives you have made recently, at what depth and with what gas mixture. This can be really very helpful in an emergency situation. As long as… you keep your dive logbook systematically. You can also write in your logbook what you missed on the dive and what you think would be a good idea to take on your next diving trip. Otherwise it will go out of your head.
Logbook can confirm your experience
If diving is your passion and lifestyle, and you like to record and accumulate your achievements, this is a good starting point to prepare for your next dive specialization courses. Your documented diving experience may be useful for a deep diving or wreck specialization course. Or maybe you are thinking about professional membership in PADI and would like to do a Divemaster course? With your logbook, your instructor will have an easier task when verifying your diving skills.
As you travel the world and visit different dive sites, it’s a good idea to make a note of them in your logbook. This will allow you to preserve your memories and revisit your most memorable diving moments. It will also give you guarantees that these moments will never be lost in the rush of information.
No matter how good your memory is, over time you are able to forget some dives. With a logbook, you can be sure that you will always be able to go back to them. Besides, each dive base has its own individual stamp that you can collect. Some of them are real pieces of art, believe me!
Dive logbook will help with dive planning
And what about air consumption? A logbook will certainly help you determine exactly how much air you consume under certain environmental conditions. It is a well-known fact that every diver wants to spend as much time underwater as possible. However, how much time you spend underwater depends on how much air you consume.
Do you need more air than your partners? There’s nothing to worry about. Get help from more experienced divers first, talk to them and listen to their advice. With proper dive planning, you’re sure to be able to stay underwater longer with the rest of the group.
The dive log is also a place to record what gas you used and how you felt after. Maybe you finally dived with nitrox for the first time since completing your specialty? Write down in the logbook what your impressions were and if you felt any difference.
In what form can you have a dive logbook?
We talk about the dive logbook all the time as if it were a book or journal. And in fact, most often it takes the form of a small paper notebook. But, of course, it doesn’t have to be that way. Since having a logbook is not required by law or any regulations, it can actually be kept in any form. Some people have nice logbooks from good dive centers, and some have loose pages in a binder.
In the 21st century in which we find ourselves, progress has also reached divers and logbooks. You can now keep an electronic logbook in the form of an app downloaded to your phone. The advantage is that you have all your logs in the cloud, so you minimize the risk of losing your notes. I guess I’m old-school, though, because I prefer those seawater-soaked and coffee-stained, handwritten notes collected over the years and dive base stamps.
Safety first
And most important at the very end. Keeping a systematic logbook will make it easier for you to equipment usage and perform maintenance on your equipment. Thanks to the dates you enter, you’ll know exactly when your dive regulator service day is, when your equipment’s warranty ends, or when you last replaced the battery in your dive computer.
Dive logbook – let’s sumarize
A dive logbook is a kind of journal of your development path as a diver. You don’t have to keep it, but certainly pulling it out many years later and reviewing your records will put a smile on your face. It’s a bit like saving for the future the emotions you felt when you first jumped into the water. Wouldn’t it be worth keeping it…?
