Serious question, does anyone else feel like the old way of doing dive logs is just a waste of time now?

I used to spend like an hour after every shift writing down every single detail in a paper logbook, water temp, visibility, bottom time, the whole nine yards. That changed about six months ago when I started a job on a big bridge project in Tampa. The supervisor there just had us use a simple app on a tablet to log the basics right on the boat. At first I hated it, felt like cutting corners. But honestly, I've never had an issue with paperwork since, and I get an extra 45 minutes of my day back. How are you guys handling your logs these days, still on paper or have you switched too?

3 comments

3 Comments

nora862mo ago

An extra 45 minutes back" is the real selling point lol. I switched to an app last year and my paper logbook is now just a fancy coaster. It feels weird at first, but you can't argue with the time saved.

betty1262mo ago

What happens if you need to check something from six months ago and the app company went out of business? I still keep a paper backup for that reason. Digital is faster, but it feels like putting all your eggs in one basket that you don't own.

dixon.daniel1mo ago

My old paper logbook is basically a museum piece now, lmao. It's got coffee stains and one entry where I wrote the water temp in pen that washed out, so it just says "visibility: maybe good?" @nora86 is right about the time saved, I'm not spending my evening playing secretary. The app just needs a button for "saw a cool fish" and "got cold" and I'd be set.