Why Dive Logbooks are Important- And Why You Should Be Keeping Them Up to Date

March 9, 2020

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If you’re in the southern states, and not traveling all over the world, you know that dive season is approaching! It only starts getting warmer from here on and I don’t know about the rest of you – but I can’t wait to be back in the water! Now is the time to make sure your dive gear is ready to go when that first good day hits. Clean and wash all your dive gear, get your inspections done, and make sure your logbook is up to date. Logbook….wait what?

Your dive log is with you from your very first dive. In fact, without your instructor signing off on those first four dives, you would not be able to get your C-Card. So why don’t more divers take the time to fill in their dive logs? We get it, you get caught up in the day of diving and by the time you’re done your so excited from the things you’ve seen you think you’ll do it that night. And then your exhausted later on from that same day of diving and it never gets done. But it should, because it’s still an important part of your dive!

What is a dive log book?

Dive logs are used to record water and surface temperature, diving depth, what you saw, what you wore, who your dive buddies were, how much air you used on your dives, how much weight you used, and so many other things. This information is as valuable as your dives as they can provide insightful information to help you learn to be a better diver. By logging what you have done on each dive you can learn how to tweak your buoyancy control and how to better manage your air consumption for future dives; which allows you to have more time under the water and a better dive.

Comparing Changes in Dive Sites

Most divers wind up diving the same site multiple times over their lives; so, it can be a helpful tool to keep track of what type of marine life you encounter. Not only that, but in the event of a hurricane, the dive site will inevitably change. Having it already logged will help you to compare how much of a change there is. But, there is an even more important reason for keeping your dive log up to date.

Diving Within Your Limits

Concerns that divers are diving above their limits have been on the rise over the last several years, and because of this more dive shops (especially when you are travelling out of the country) are requiring you to show your last several, if not more, dives. This is to help ensure that you’re ready for the dive you’re trying to get on, which will inevitably help you have a more enjoyable and safer dive as well. If you cannot show proof of your dives you may not be allowed to go out on that dive.

Each of your dives should be logged and, if possible, stamped with the dive shops stamp. (I like to think of them as passport stamps for the diving world- and who doesn’t love their passport stamps?) Try to fill them out as thoroughly as possible and make sure every one of them are dated. I also write notes in mine as to any issues I had, and things I really enjoyed, and also if I liked the company I dove with so if not, I won’t accidently book with them again.

The general rule is that if you haven’t dived in a year or more that you need to go through a refresher course again. We’ve been lucky so far and haven’t gone over our year yet- but we’ve been very close!

Dive logs have come a long way in the last couple decades. You can now use the original method of a handwritten logbook, a dive computer that uploads it directly to your computer, various apps, and even some underwater cameras that will know track your dive while you shoot photos! So, there is really no excuse as to why you aren’t logging your dives nowadays.

While in the digital age having a lot of these things makes it much easier to log all of your dives accurately, I still like old faithful. Having a dive log that I can write in myself allows me to make notes, go back later and add something in, and enjoy the stamps you can get at every dive location- which I tend to covet as much as my passport stamps. I got log books for my son and I at House of Scuba!