HOW TO LOG DIVES THE PROPER WAY
With the continuing popularity of drysuit diving, it’s my belief that many
divers are not logging their dives in the proper manner. A logbook
should be reflective of an individual diver’s experience, and may need
to be adjusted for certain factors. Accordingly, I’ve developed a
new system for logbook entry called DIVE WET (Diver Immersion Variables
Effecting Water Entry Tactics). Recognizing that scuba diving is
a sport intended for personal interaction with a liquid environment, we
should adjust our dives by the following factors:
1. Dive made in drysuit: subtract .50 (you gotta get wet if you’re
gonna interact with the environment)
2. Drysuit gloves: subtract .10 (come on—your hands didn’t
even get wet?)
3. Drysuit hood: subtract .10 (what—even your hair is dry!)
4. Dives made in October, November, March, or April: Add .10
5. Dives made in December, January, or February: Add .25
6. Dives 61 – 99 feet: Add .10
7. Dives 100 + feet: Add .25
8. Dives made south of the northern border of South Carolina:
Subtract .50
Using the above factors should result in a weighted average system
more reflective of the individual experience of a diver. You’ll notice
that a drysuit diver using a dry hood and gloves, and diving relatively
shallow in the milder months receives only about 1/3 credit for the dive.
This seems fair and equitable since their “liquid interaction” experience
is only slightly greater than an individual watching Jacques Cousteau on
the nature channel. If the same circumstances were to take place
below South Carolina, that diver would actually lose logbook dives. . .as
well they should. A drysuit diver with wet hands and head can actually
receive full credit for a dive if they venture below 100 feet during the
colder months of winter. A drysuit diver who refuses to get even
their hands and head wet however, can never receive full credit for a dive.
(Submitted by a wet diver after a particularly cold dive)