Dive log question for certification

[Aquatrax]

Originally Posted by CompuDude

Logging your dives is a very good thing. I keep a very detailed log and I'm very glad I do. I reference it frequently. Last time I dove a site, depth, what I saw there, who I was with, what exposure protection, how much weight, SAC tracking... all of these things are handy to have. For ME. Not for someone else.

I haven't been asked to see my logs in a long time, but I HAVE been asked to see it before.

My log is all electronic, however (outside of my first 50 dives or so where I kept paper logs). No signatures. No problem. This includes my dive number verification for DiveMaster and pro-level courses.

Get them signed if it's convenient and if it tickles your fancy. There's absolutely no requirement to have them signed, though, so it's not worth worrying about. I highly recommend keeping a log, however, signed or not.

I'm with CD on this one, having the dive information regarding exposure protection, weighting SAC etc.. comes in handy later. Also since my computer is downloadable, the effort is minimal.

[db83]

My dive instructor led me to believe that logging is mostly for personal reference. I bet an instructor can get a better idea about your diving experience just talking to you than looking on the dive log anyways.

[comet24]

I never had an instructor ask to see my log book even through tec. classes but then a good discussion with the instructor can usually show more then a log. I have been asked to see my logbook for a charter but even that's been awhile.

Log what you want. Never had a buddy sign my logbook but I will note my buddies if I log the dive. I still log most dive but some I will sometime put a days worth of dive on one page. Some dives will have lots of info some just time, depth and location.

[Okc_diver]

I was wondering that same question. Back in Aug. I didn't fill my log out there at the lake I did it later. I called and he told me his number

[Tassie Diver]

If an instructor know you and the way you dive, they may not need to see your log before letting you do a course. However, if you turned up cold to an instructor to do an advanced course with a prerequisite for a certain number of dives, they may want to see your log. If it's not signed, I can't see it being an issue.

[mitsuguy]

we don't care if its signed or not... as an instructor myself, the only time I look at a logbook is when I need to know if a student has the prerequisite number of dives, or if they are doing a specialty with us that was already done on an Advanced course... the only ones that matter for PADI are rescue diver - minimum of 20 dives, only if PADI wasn't the agency used for OW/AOW, and then 20 minimum dives to start divemaster, 60 to complete, then, 100 for instructor...

I stopped logging once I hit 250 dives, which is the minimum for course director, which is a silly minimum anyways, there is almost no way possible to do all the other prerequisites for course director without doing closer to 500, maybe even 1000 dives... (for instance, all courses require at least 2 dives, and most require 4 or more - you have to have a minimum of 150 certifications, and even at 2 dives per cert, thats 300 dives AFTER you became an instructor - even if you only did the last dive of every certification you ever gave out ~instructor on the last dive of the course is the certifying instructor~, then you would still have 150 dives plus the 100 before instructor)

anyways, I digress...

I lost track sometime around 300ish, probably around 600ish right now...

[db83]

You need 150 certifications for instructor? I didn't even know there were that many

[mitsuguy]

Originally Posted by db83

You need 150 certifications for instructor? I didn't even know there were that many

to become an open water instructor, you just need 100 dives or more... then, once you become an instructor, they really don't care about dives anymore and the focus switched to how many people you have trained... 25 certifications issued for master scuba diver trainer, then staff instructor (no more needed for staff), then master instructor is 150 certifications, then course director is none additional on top of master instructor...

[Beefcake]

Good discussion. I caught my log up last night, and I decided to do it my way. Some of my entries show gas usage; several discuss weighting (still working on optimum bouyancy); my recent ones discuss gear config and my new adventures learning to spearfish. Basically, I'm writing what is relevent to me and just noting who I dove with.

[db83]

Originally Posted by mitsuguy

to become an open water instructor, you just need 100 dives or more... then, once you become an instructor, they really don't care about dives anymore and the focus switched to how many people you have trained... 25 certifications issued for master scuba diver trainer, then staff instructor (no more needed for staff), then master instructor is 150 certifications, then course director is none additional on top of master instructor...

Ahh, I see. you dive as you go up the ranks and the number of certifications is the number given out. I thought the instructor him/herself had to have 150 certifications before becoming an instructor.