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A dive log is used by an underwater diver to record the details of their dives. The log may either be in a book, software, or web based. The log serves purposes both related to safety and personal records. Information in a log may contain such things as date, time and location, the profile of the dive, equipment used, air usage, above and below water conditions, including temperature, current, wind and waves, general comments, verification of buddy and instructor.
Contents
In case of a diving accident, it can provide valuable data regarding diver's previous experience, as well as the other factors that might have led to the accident itself.
Recreational divers are generally advised to keep a logbook as a record, while professional divers may be legally obliged to maintain a logbook which is up to date and complete in its records. The professional diver's logbook is a legal document and may be important for getting employment. The required content and formatting of the professional diver's logbook is generally specified by the registration authority, but may also be specified by an industry association such as the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA).
Contents of the logbook
Typical sections in a recreational diver's log book would be the following:
A commercial diver's logbook may be considered a legal document, and may contain more information, both about the diver, and about each dive recorded. It is generally verified by the diving supervisor for each diving operation. It may include the following sections:
- Personal details of the diver
- Medical certificates of fitness to dive and notes
- Qualifications and certificates
- Training record
- Competence assessment record
- Record of dives
- Medical records illness or injury
- Cumulative diving experience
The record of each dive may contain:
- Date of the dive
- Signature of the diver
- Name and address of the diving contractor
- Dive location
- Vessel or installation from which the dive is done
- Type of dive (Surface oriented or saturation)
- For bell bounce or surface dives:
- Maximum depth of the dive
- Time left surface or started pressurisation
- Bottom time
- Time that decompression was completed
- Details of any surface decompression, including surface interval and time in the chamber
- Accumulated bottom time
- Accumulated total time under pressure
- For saturation dives:
- Storage depth
- Maximum depth of dive
- Bell lock-off time
- Time that diver left bell
- Time that diver returned to bell
- Lock-out duration
- Bell lock-on time
- Accumulated number of lock-outs
- Accumulated total time under pressure
- Details of work done and equipment used:
- Breathing apparatus used
- Breathing mixture used
- Work description, equipment and tools used
- Name of decompression schedules used
- Notes regarding any decompression incident or other illness or injury
- Any other relevant comments
- Name and signature of the diving supervisor for the dive
- Diving contractor's official company stamp
Dive log software
Usually diving computer manufactures have their own software to view and analyze diving logs, but there are also open source versions. Subsurface is free open source dive log software started by Linus Torvalds, which is compatible with several makes of downloadable diving computer.