A Great Option Does Not Exist
| Paper | Excel | Subsurface | Shearwater | SSI | Buddy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual Dive Log Entry | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud/Backup | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Syncs /w Various Computer Brands | - | - | Yes | Only Shearwater | Only Mares Family | No |
| Beautiful UI/UX | No | No | No | No | Sorta | Yes |
| Easy To Use | Sorta | Sorta | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Version | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Version | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Web Version | No | No | No | No | Sorta | No |
| Can Merge Dives | No | Manual | Yes | No | No | No |
| Can Export Dives | No | Sorta (CSV) | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Can Import Dives | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Can Easily Re-Number Dives | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Basic Dive Stats | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Basic Dive Planning* | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Easy to Customize | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
* What I mean by 'Basic Dive Planning'
If you have a couple pieces of basic data:- Dive Time
- Start Pressure
- End Pressure
- Tank Size Used
- Estimated Bottom Time
- Which will happen first - Out of Gas or No Decompression Limit?
- Rock Bottom Gas Calculation
- Suggested Turn Pressure
Well What's a Diver to Do?
Cry. Just cry. You'll have to pick what is most important to you. Here is what I recommend:If you have a dive computer...
...download and use Subsurface...you'll curse the gods for a while as the interface is just horrid, but you just need a place to save the raw dive data
If you do not have a dive computer...
...put your basic dive info in Excel (see "basic dive info" below)
If you are getting your Open Water with SSI...
...also use the SSI app until you get to Master Diver (~50 dives) and then stop using it. Not because it's a great dive log...it's because SSI makes it damn near impossible to get your various cards and awards unless you use their app.
What Minimum Dive Data Should I Record?
The minimum set of data I would record is...| Data | Reason | How?! |
|---|---|---|
| Location of Dive | It's not a log without it | You got there...you know the dive spot I hope. |
| Date / Time of Start | It's not a log without it | This is why an Air Integrated Dive Computer is so helpful |
| Duration of Dive | used for RMV calculations used for decision making on future dives | |
| Size or Type of Tank | ||
| Pressure When You Went In | ||
| Pressure When You Got Out | ||
| Average Depth | ||
| Maximum Depth | Some dive operators want your prior max depth | |
| Lowest Temperature (water) | used for decision making on future dives | |
| Exposure Suit Worn | Write this down before you leave for the dive | |
| BCD Worn | ||
| Weight Used | Add this to wherever you wrote down the previous two items |