Log Books and Dive Records… Why?
Why Keep a Traditional Log Book?
Why Keep a Traditional Log Book?Usually, you’re given your very first dive log book during your Open Water Course but it’s worthwhile adding to it throughout your whole diving journey! It’s a great way of seeing how much you’ve improved and how far you’ve come as a diver.
What Is a Log Book For?
A logbook is your underwater diary! As well as being a nice keepsake for all your diving memories, it also serves the purpose of recording important information from each dive. In each log, there is usually a space to document the log date, the time, the dive site, any equipment and weights used, water temperature, water conditions, weather conditions, and air consumption. You can then add notes, record any marine life you may have spotted, and write down anything you’d like to remember about your dive.
During courses, each training dive should be stamped and verified by your instructor but fun dives can be signed by your buddy!
Dive Log Entry Ideas
Dive Log Entry Ideas Now here’s the fun part! Think of your log book as an ever-growing scrap book of all your underwater adventures, make the most of it so that one day you can enjoy looking back through it!
Record memories – maybe you visited an awesome shipwreck or maybe you saw something funny that you want to remember, make sure to write it all down!
Draw pictures – get your artistic flare on and add little cartoons or detailed drawings of any marine life you encountered or maybe include a little map of the dive site
Print pictures – ok so perhaps drawing isn’t your thing, in which case why not print some of the digital pictures that you took and stick them in?
Mementos – keep any leftover bits of the country’s currency you visited and stick them in! Or how about any stamps and stickers from the dive center or liveaboard? What about if you were given a wristband for the marine park? Attach it all!
Fish Identification – It’s always good to note what you’ve seen, you could even add in any little facts about them!
It’s good to remember that if diving with a new dive center for the first time, they will more than likely ask you for proof of experience and want to see your dive logs. These days, as well as having paper copies, you can log your dives digitally and create cool little charts/graphs but it’s still worthwhile keeping a traditional log book too!
