5 Reasons Why You Should Log Your Dives

Do you log your dives? If not, you should. Whether you’re preparing for your first open-water dive, or if you’re an experienced diver with over 100 dives under your belt, logging your dives is important for several reasons. By taking the time to complete a dive log after each dive, you’ll become a better diver. Here are five important reasons why every diver, regardless of skill or experience, should log their dives.

#1) Better Prepare for Future Dives

Logging your dives allows you to better prepare for future dives. When you log your dives, you’ll know exactly what to expect when diving in similar environments. If the water was particularly cold, for example, you can include this information in your dive log. The next time you do diving at a similar location around the same time of year, you’ll know to wear a thicker and more insulative wetsuit — or to dive at a shallower depth — to protect against the cold water.

Dive logs can help you choose the right weight for future dives as well. In the equipment section, you can make a note of how much weight you added to your weight belt. If you used 4 pounds but struggled to maintain neutral buoyancy, you’ll know that 4 pounds is insufficient when diving in similar environments. As a result, you can add more weight to your weight belt. These are just a few ways that logging your dives can help you prepare for future dives.

#2) Track of Equipment Maintenance and Repairs

Another reason to log your dives is so that you can track equipment maintenance and repairs. Maybe your face mask is leaking, or perhaps your gas tank is rusting. If you don’t log your dives, you may forget to fix your leaking face mask or repair your rusted gas tank. Equipment problems such as these can cause serious headache, but they are typically avoidable by logging your dives.

As a diver, it’s your responsibility to stay on top of all necessary equipment maintenance and repairs. Diving with faulty equipment is a serious mistake that will place you at a greater risk for injury. Something as otherwise simple as a leaky face mask can cause water to enter your nose and, therefore, make it difficult to breathe.

Even if you’re only performing a short 15-minute dive right off the coast, you should complete a dive log. In the dive log, don’t just list the equipment used during the dive but also make a note of any maintenance or repairs your equipment needs. Assuming you review your dive logs on a regular basis (which you should), you’ll have an easier time keeping your equipment in tiptop shape. If a dive log from a recent dive contains a note about a problematic piece of equipment, you’ll know to repair or replace the equipment before your next dive.

#3) Stay Safe When Diving

Using dive logs will help keep you safe when diving. While the primary sections of a dive log include the header, profile, equipment, conditions, comments and verification, many dive log books include a section for emergency medical information. By completing this section, you can rest assured knowing that doctors and other medical professionals can provide you with the best possible treatment in the event that you are injured.

As the saying goes, “Hope for the best but prepare for the worst” rings true when diving. Hopefully, you’ll have a safe and pleasant diving experience, but you should still prepare for the worst by completing the emergency medical information section in your dive log book. Using the information provided here, you’ll receive the best possible medical care if you are injured while diving.

The dive log books sold here at DiveLogz feature a “Diver Information” page. On this page, you can include the following information:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Phone number
  • Email address
  • Emergency contact name
  • Emergency contact address
  • Emergency contact phone number
  • Relationship of emergency contact
  • Blood type
  • Allergies
  • Current medications
  • Medical insurance provider
  • Medical insurance policy number
  • Medical insurance phone number
  • Additional information (you can include any other important or meaningful medical information here)

#4) Creates a Journal of Your Diving Experiences

By logging your dives, you’ll create a written journal of your diving experiences. As you may know, no two dives are the same. You’ll encounter different marine life, underwater structures and water conditions with each dive. Rather than trying to remember the details of each dive, you can write about them in dive logs.

It’s nearly impossible to remember every little detail about a dive. Granted, you may remember when and where you dive, but chances are you’ll forget the smaller details like the specific types of fish and coral. And if you don’t remember the details, these memories will be lost forever — unless you log your dives. In the conditions section, you can write about the water and visibility conditions. In the comments section, you can write about the fish and other marine life that you encountered.

You can even include notes about the people you meet in your dive logs. Diving is a social activity that brings together like-minded people. Unless you’re performing a solo dive, you’ll probably be paired up with at least one other diver. Therefore, you’ll meet new people and make new friends when diving. In your dive logs, you can make a note of any new faces that you encountered during your dive trip. Don’t let your diving experiences escape your memory. Keep a written journal of them by logging all your dives.

#5) Obtain Diving Certifications

If you’re trying to obtain a diving certification, you’ll need to log your dives. All of the major diving organizations, including the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) and National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI), require divers to have a minimum number of logged dives to enroll in some of their certification courses. The PADI Master Scuba Diver course, for example, requires a minimum of 50 logged dives, whereas the PADI Advanced Rebreather Diver course requires a minimum of 30 logged dives.

Why do diving organizations require a minimum number of logged dives for courses such as these? Well, some certification courses aren’t intended for new or inexperienced divers. Rather, they are intended for intermediate or advanced divers. To ensure that only experienced divers enroll in the course, diving organizations only accept students with a minimum number of logged dives.

In the verification section of a dive log, the divemaster can sign his or her name to verify that you actually completed the dive. Alternatively, some divemasters use a stamp to verify dive logs. Whether your dive log is signed or stamped by the divemaster, this shows that you completed the dive. If you want to enroll in an intermediate- or advanced-level diving certification course, you may be required to show a minimum number of logged and verified dives.

As you can see, logging your dives is important for many reasons. It helps you prepare for future dives, allows you to keep track of equipment maintenance and repairs, encourages safe diving, creates a journal of your experiences, and it can even help you obtain diving certifications. For these reasons and others, you should complete a dive log every time you go diving.

Grab your diving log book here.

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7 Mistakes to Avoid When Using Dive Logs

Diving is a fun recreational activity, as well as a professional activity for some individuals, that allows you to explore underwater environments teeming with marine life. Because each dive offers a unique experience, though, you should document them in a dive log. Dive logs contain several sections that you complete with information pertaining to a specific dive. While using dive logs may sound like a simple enough task, many newcomers are guilty of making one or more common mistakes. In this post, you’ll learn about the seven most common dive log mistakes and how to avoid them.

#1) Estimating Your Entries

You might feel compelled to estimate the entries in your dive logs rather than calculating them. After all, it’s easier to guess how much air you used or how long you spent in the water (bottom time). But estimating your entries defeats the purpose of using dive logs, which is to provide a documented journal of your dives. If you estimate the entries — whether for air consumption, bottom time, weight usage, water temperature or any other field — you won’t have an accurate record of your dives. It takes a little more time and effort to calculate your entries, but doing so will help you create a more accurate journey of your dives.

#2) Not Getting Dive Logs Signed or Stamped

Another common mistake to avoid when using dive logs is not getting them signed or stamped. After completing the fields in a dive log, ask your instructor — or a buddy if you’re diving without an instructor — to sign or stamp it. Having your dive logs signed or stamped by a third party verifies your entries. And if you’re planning to obtain a diving certification, you’ll need to show instructors that you’ve performed a minimum number of dives, which is only possible if your dive logs are signed or stamped.

To enroll in the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) Divemaster course, for example, you’ll need at least 40 logged dives. To enroll in the PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC), you’ll need at least 60 logged dives. And to take the PADI Instructor Examination (IE), you’ll need at least 100 logged dives. By getting your dive logs signed or stamped, you can work towards achieving these or other diving certifications. The course instructor can see that you completed a specific number of dives, allowing you to enroll in the course and, eventually, achieve your desired diving certification.

#3) Using Only Digital Dive Logs

What’s wrong with using digital dive logs? You can use software, either on your smartphone or computer, to digitally log your dives, but you should still use physical dive logs as well. Relying strictly on digital dive logs is never a good idea. First, it’s easier to make mistakes when typing dive log entries as opposed to writing them on paper. You may mistype an entry, resulting in the wrong information being recorded. Second, digital dive logs are prone to technical errors. Even you type an entry correctly, the software could change or delete it. Third, relying on digital dive logs means you’ll have to take your device onto the boat, which could result in it getting damaged. If you’re going to use digital dive logs, make sure you use paper dive logs as well.

#4) Not Completing Logs Immediately After Diving

Some divers wait hours or even days after resurfacing to complete their dive logs. While postponing the completion of your dive logs sounds harmless, it can affect the accuracy of your entries. If you wait too long, you may forget specific information about a dive. Maybe you can’t remember what type of wetsuit you wore during the dive, or perhaps you can’t remember the duration of the dive. Regardless, if you can’t remember the information for a specific field in your dive log, you won’t be able to create an accurate entry.

To ensure the accuracy of your entries, complete your dive logs immediately after resurfacing. If you’re still on the boat, you can check your equipment to calculate your entries, or you can ask your instructor for help. But if you’ve already returned to your home, you may struggle to remember key information about the dive, resulting in inaccurate entries. By completing your dive logs immediately after diving, you’ll remember essential information about the dive more easily.

#5) Leaving the Comments Section Empty

Since it doesn’t require any specific information, the comments section of dive logs is often overlooked by beginner divers. Many beginners will complete the header, profile, equipment and conditions sections while leaving the comments section empty. Why is this a problem? Well, the comments section allows you to record any relevant or meaningful information about the dive. Among other things, you can use the comments section to record the type of marine life you encountered, your comfort level, any challenges you encountered and more. If you skip the comments section, your dive logs won’t contain this information. Whether this is your first dive or your 100th dive, take advantage of the comments section to record information about your dives that doesn’t fit into other sections.

#6) Using Low-Quality Dive Logs

Don’t make the mistake of using low-quality dive logs. You’ll need to carry your dive logs onto the boat so that you can complete it immediately after diving. If they are poorly made, however, exposure to saltwater could damage or destroy them. Some divers print out low-quality dive logs using computer printer, only to discover that they are quickly ruined when exposed to saltwater. You can avoid this headache by using high-quality dive logs secured in plastic sleeves.

The dive log books sold here at Dive Logz contain 50 individual dive log pages wrapped in a protective poly sleeve. While you shouldn’t toss your dive log book in the ocean, you can rest assured knowing the poly sleeve will protect it from splashed water, which could otherwise cause it to deteriorate. Low-quality dive logs offer little or no protection against saltwater. As a result, they are easily damaged when carried aboard boats during diving trips. The good news is that you can avoid damage such as this by choosing high-quality dive logs.

#7) Not Reviewing Your Dive Logs

Finally, you should review your dive logs on a regular basis to gain a better understanding of your past dives. Dive logs are useful because they provide insight into your dives, and you can use this information to better plan your future dives. If you were uncomfortably cold during a specific dive, for example, you can analyze your dive log to see what type of wetsuit you wore. If you wore a 4/3 mm wetsuit during the dive, you’ll know that a thicker wetsuit is needed when diving in the same area around the same time of year. If you don’t review your dive logs, though, you won’t be able to take advantage of the information recorded in them.

You don’t have to review your dive logs on a weekly or even monthly basis. But if you’re planning a dive at a location where you’ve dived in the past, take a few minutes to look over the dive log. Assuming you completed all the relevant fields properly, it will give a better idea of what to expect during your upcoming dive.

Want to create your own custom dive logs? Contact us today to learn more about our custom dive logs.

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10 Reasons to Invest in Custom Dive Logs for Your Business

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Whether you run a resort, dive shop, dive center, dive charter or any other business that sells scuba diving services, you should consider investing in custom dive logs. While custom dive logs serve the same purpose as generic dive logs – to allow customers to document and log their dives – they offer several unique advantages over their generic counterparts. Below are 10 important reasons why you should invest in custom dive logs for your business.

#1) Increases Credibility

Custom dive logs will increase your business’s credibility. They show customers and potential customers that your business is a credible diving authority. Any diving business can print out and use generic dive logs, but only industry-leading diving businesses will take the time to create custom dive logs. When customers and potential customers see your custom dive logs, they’ll view your business as being credible, in which case they’ll feel more confident booking a dive. But this is just one of many reasons to choose custom, rather than generic, dive logs.

#2) Raises Brand Awareness

As a business owner, you probably know the importance of creating and maintaining a recognizable brand. If your target audience doesn’t recognize your business’s brand, you’ll struggle to attract new customers. You can raise awareness for your business’s brand, however, by investing in custom dive logs. You can customize the front or back of your log books with your business’s logo, and you can even include custom pages about your business inside your log books. As customers flip through the pages of your log books, they’ll see your business’s logo and other brand elements, thereby raising awareness for your business’s brand.

#3) Educates Your Audience

You can also use custom dive logs to educate customers about your business. When ordering custom look books, you can add pages with information about your business and what it offers. If your business’s diving instructors are PADI-certified, for example, you can mention this on the page. Of course, you can other information about your business in your custom log books, such as the type of diving equipment offered to customers, duration of dives and more. All of this information will help educate your audience about your diving business.

#4) Sets Your Business Apart From Its Competitors

With thousands of different diving businesses vying for the same customers, you need to distinguish your business from its competitors. While there’s no better way to differentiate your business from its competitors than by offering a superior diving experience, another way is to use custom dive logs. If you use generic dive logs, they’ll probably look the same as those used by your competitors. But taking the time to create custom dive logs will set your business apart from its competitors. Customers will immediately recognize your business upon looking at your custom dive logs.

#5) Encourages Customers to Return

You may discover more customers returning to your business if you offer custom dive logs. After returning home from a dive, customers may review the information recorded in their dive logs. Maybe a customer wants to see how much air he or she used, or perhaps the customer wants to see what type of equipment he or she used during the dive. Regardless, customers will likely review their dive logs after returning home. If you use generic dive logs, though, they may not remember your business’s name. You can help customers remember your business, and encourage them to return in the process, by providing them with custom dive logs featuring your business’s name and logo.

#6) Exposes Your Business to Other Potential Customers

Custom dive logs may expose your diving business to other potential customers, some of whom wouldn’t know about your business otherwise. Divers often share their dive logs with friends and family members. If you offer custom dive logs, these individuals will see your business’s name and logo, which could compel them to book with a dive with your business in the future. Over time, custom dive logs can send countless new customers to your business. Unfortunately, this rarely happens with generic dive logs. While customers may still include your business’s name on a generic dive log, it won’t be prominently displayed like it would with a custom dive log.

#7) Higher Quality Than Generic Dive Logs

The quality of custom dive logs is unparalleled to that of generic dive logs. The custom log books sold here at Dive Logz feature 50 log pages, each of which is individually wrapped in a poly sleeve. The poly sleeves are designed to protect the log pages from damage, which can easily occur to unprotected pages. Customers generally carry their dive logs on the boat when traveling to a dive site. If their dive pages aren’t protected, something as simple as splashed water may damage them. Thankfully, poly sleeves solve this problem by creating a water-resistant barrier that protects customers’ dive pages from damage. The poly sleeves are also resealable, allowing customers to easily remove their log pages after returning to dry land.

#8) Supports Maps

Custom log books support more than just basic dive logs. They are fully customizable, inside and out, and can even feature maps associated with your business’s dive sites. If your business has a half-dozen different dive sites, you can include a map of the surrounding beach or island with markers pinpointing the location of each of the six dive sites. With a map of the area, customers can see the location of your business’s dive sites simply by checking out your custom log books. Generic log books, on the other hand, don’t have any maps or pages of additional information. Rather, they consist entirely of log pages.

#9) Increases Customer Satisfaction

Using custom dive logs may lead to increased customer satisfaction for your business. They provide customers with more information about your business and its diving services. As a result, customers will know exactly what to expect when booking a dive trip, which usually means a higher level of satisfaction. Another way to boost customer satisfaction with custom dive logs is to include coupons. If you order custom log books for your business, you can include special promotional pages with coupons or discount codes. Customers will appreciate the coupons or discounts offered in a custom log book, allowing your business to generate more five-star reviews on TripAdvisor and Yelp. At the same time, offering coupons or discounts in your custom log books encourages customers to return to your business.

#10) Low Cost

Some business owners assume custom dive logs are more expensive than generic dive logs, but this isn’t always the case. Here at Dive Logz, you can add your business’s logo to the front or back of your dive books at no additional charge if you purchase a minimum of just 50 log books. Besides, you should think of custom dive logs as an investment for your diving business. Like any investment, custom dive logs cost money, but they can pay off in the long run. As revealed here, they’ll make your business more credible, raise brand awareness for your business, educate your audience, encourage customers to return and more. So, a better question to ask is why shouldn’t you invest in custom dive logs?

Want to create your own custom dive logs? Contact us today to learn more about our custom dive logs.

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The Beginner’s Guide to Using Dive Logs

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A dive log is an essential record-keeping tool used in scuba diving. For over a half-century, recreational and professional divers from across the world have used them to record their underwater adventures. After resurfacing, a diver can complete the given fields in a dive log to document his or her experience. The creation of these dive logs offers a journal that divers can reference to assess their past dives.

If you’re new to scuba diving, you might be wondering how to use a dive log. Experienced divers are usually familiar with dive logs, allowing them to quickly and easily complete them. But for newcomers to scuba diving, dive logs can be confusing. By familiarizing yourself with the basic elements of a dive log, though, you can take advantage of this tool and the unique benefits that it offers.

What Is a Dive Log?

A dive log is a document detailing the conditions and events of a single, specific dive. It features various fields that you can complete to record your diving experience. While different dive logs have different fields and formatting, they all serve the same underlying purpose of recording your dives. When you go diving, you should complete a dive log to create a journal of your experience.

In a dive log, you can record information about a dive, such as the date and location, equipment used, maximum depth, air usage, average depth, bottom time, water temperature, current conditions and more. Even if you have a sharp memory, you probably won’t remember everything about a dive. A dive log allows you to create an accurate record of your dives, which you can use to plan your future dives and, ultimately, become a better diver.

Common Sections of a Dive Log

 

A standard, non-commercial dive log may contain the six following sections:

  1. Header: Found at the top of the dive log, the header features fields for basic information about the dive, such as the dive number, location, date and time.
  2. Profile: Perhaps the most important section, the profile is used to record information such as bottom time, depth, saturation levels and air usage.
  3. Equipment: As the name suggests, the equipment section is used to record information about the equipment used during the dive. Among other things, you can use this section to record how much weight you used, whether the weights were belt or BCD, size of air tank, material of air tank, wetsuit material and wetsuit thickness.
  4. Conditions: In the conditions section, you can include information about the environmental conditions of the dive, including the water temperature, saltwater vs freshwater, underwater visibility and day vs night.
  5. Comments: Most dive logs feature a comments section where you can include your notes about the dive. Maybe you felt uncomfortably cold during the dive, or perhaps you found the area difficult to navigate. Regardless, you can record these and other thoughts about the dive in the comments section. Some divers also use this section to record the types of fish and marine life they encountered so that they’ll remember which diving locations offered the best experience.
  6. Verification: Also known as the validation section, the verification section is used to verify your dive by a third party. After completing your dive log, you can ask your diving instructor, divemaster or even a buddy to verify your dive in this section. The individual can sign his or her name to verify your dive. With that said, many diving instructors and divemasters use stamps as an alternative to signatures.

In addition to these six sections, dive log books — books featuring dozens or hundreds of individual dive log pages — often feature a separate section for emergency contact and medical information. In this section, you can include the name, address, phone number of an emergency contact, as well as your blood type, any allergies from which you suffer and any medication that you are currently taking.

Hopefully, this doesn’t happen, but if you are injured or otherwise experience a medical injury while diving, the information contained in this section could prove vital towards your treatment and recovery efforts. The dive charter can provide emergency medical professionals with your dive log book to ensure you receive the possible treatment.

When to Use a Dive Log

Unless you’re a professional diver, you aren’t legally required to use a dive log. However, it’s still a good idea to use dive logs because it creates a record of your past dives. No two dives are ever the same, and without dive logs, you may struggle to remember key information about your past dives.

Assuming you dive for recreational or leisure purposes, you can omit certain dives from your dive logs. Many divers, for example, follow the 20-20 rule when using dive logs, which states that only dives 20 feet or deeper with a duration of 20 minutes or longer should be recorded in a dive log. For shallower and/or shorter dives, the information isn’t recorded because it’s not considered a substantial dive.

So, when should you use a dive log? You can either use one with every dive, or you can follow the 20-20 rule. As a beginner, though, completing a dive log for each dive will help you learn the various fields and what they mean. As you become accustomed to using dive logs, you can then switch to the 20-20 rule by only recording dives in which you descent to at least 20 feet and stay underwater for at least 20 minutes.

How to Use a Dive Log

To use a dive log, simply complete all relevant and meaningful fields during your diving trip. While boating out to your dive site, you can go ahead and complete some of the fields in your dive sheet, such as the location and equipment. For others, you’ll have to wait until you resurface to complete them.

But don’t wait too long after resurfacing to complete your dive log. By completing the rest of your dive log immediately or shortly after you resurface, you should remember all the essential information about the dive, which you can include in your dive log. If you wait until the next day to complete your dive log, you may forget details about the dive, thereby reducing the value of this record-keeping tool. Furthermore, if you want your dive log verified — something that’s necessary when seeking certification — a diving instructor, divemaster or buddy must sign or stamp it. To prevent headaches such as this, complete your dive log as soon as possible after you resurface.

When In Doubt, Ask for Help

Don’t be afraid to seek help if you have a question about a particular field or section in a dive log. Most dive charters will gladly offer assistance with your dive log. They can explain what the different fields mean as well as the information to include those fields.

Whether you’re still training for scuba certification, or if you’ve been certified for years, you should get into the habit of using dive logs. Dive logs offer more than just a reference of your past dives. They serve as a journal detailing the unique experience of each dive.

Want to create your own custom dive logs? Contact us today to learn more about our custom dive logs.

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My First Experience with Scuba Diving in Costa Rica

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It’s a bit funny to be working as an intern at a scuba diving company when you have absolutely no scuba diving experience. And while I got to know the sport from working at Dive Logz over the past year and a bit, looking at pictures is nothing like the real thing.

Recently, Peter and Sandra, the dynamic duo behind Dive Logz, decided that enough was enough. Just like that, we packed our bags and headed for Costa Rica.

While the trip was a bit of a mixed bag (read all about it here), the one thing that was a runaway success was my first diving experience!

To make it happen, we got together with the Montezuma Crew and rented their private yacht for the day. Being out on the water was amazing, and we became fast friends with the crew: Miguel, Tomas, and David.

The best part? I went scuba diving!

I wasn’t able to get certified because our trip was cut extremely short (because, ahem, reasons) but I was able to get a taste of scuba diving. It was amazing.

I did a ‘Discover Scuba’ experience which lasted about an hour with the incredible Miguel, a certified diving instructor originally from Rome.

Now it’s time for me to fess up – I don’t remember too much before the dive. I’m sure there was a safety overview, but I was a bit distracted. I do remember being suited up (I looked like a member of the Avengers at that point). And I remember Miguel explaining the bubbles.

Scuba diving can be a bit claustrophobic in a strange way, and I think it could be easy for newbies to be overwhelmed. But as Miguel said, “Focus on the bubbles. The bubbles are life.”

While I never felt claustrophobic, I admit that I was a little freaked out for the first two minutes. And then I found the harmony. It really is therapeutic. It’s just you, your bubbles and the ocean. And Miguel, whose arm I held onto. Unfortunately, I don’t think he will be available for everyone’s first time.

The scuba hand signals were interesting. Looking back at it, the signals make sense, but there were a few times when I accidentally gave Miguel a thumbs up instead of the okaysign. Which could have ended in disaster but didn’t.

During the dive, I saw two sharks, and lots of fish including, starfish, and puffer fish. I didn’t want to stop. And let me tell you something, the ocean was warm. You don’t need a wetsuit when you’re diving in Costa Rica!

Costa Rica is truly an incredible place. Expert divers would be happy with this destination because there are so many things to do! Admittedly, if you have a trip with the sole purpose of diving, and you have a few dives under your belt already, Costa Rica may not be the best match. But if you’re a beginner like me or travelling with a diverse group, Costa Rica is gold.

I also can’t rave about the Montezuma Crew enough. If you’re planning a trip to Costa Rica, and if you’re planning to stay in theSouthern Tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, give them a visit, it was the highlight of the trip.

I didn’t have a dive watch, but I recorded every detail of the dive in my waterproof dive log (thank goodness it was waterproof because there were a lot of splashes). I’m glad I recorded the dive because now I will have this memory to look back on for the rest of my life.

While the scuba experience wasn’t very long, it was impactful, and I can’t wait to go out again. I’ve already made plans to get my certification and to get back out there.

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Happy, Sad, and Robbed: A Tale of Revenge and Redemption in Montezuma, Costa Rica

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By Sandra Kahale

If you’ve been following Dive Logz you’ll know that we recently spent a few weeks in Costa Rica on a Dive Logz work-ation. Dive Logz is a family business, so that kind of thing is easy for us to do. As it happens, our intern, Jolene, has just finished university, and was free to come along. So, we gathered our troops, our scuba gear, and our sense of adventure, and went off to work on new plans, new products, and new content for our fans, away from the distractions of daily life and the deep freeze of Canadian winter.

We had some serious work to do, so we chose a place a little bit off the beaten path: Montezuma, near the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. It’s a small town with some great beaches, amazing waterfalls, lush jungle, and, of course, diving nearby.

Getting there is, as they say, half the fun. We flew into Liberia, packed ourselves into a rather rough-looking 4×4, and hit the road for the 4 ½ hour drive.

The dusty road from Liberia to Montezuma, Costa Rica. 

Things started smoothly, the paved highway almost empty as we headed out early on a Sunday morning. The paving didn’t last, though, and we soon found ourselves on rough, rocky dirt roads with a few precarious drops and many, many construction stops.

Dusty but excited, we arrived at Casa Maya, a pretty swanky house just up the hill from “downtown” Montezuma. The internet was strong, the garden lush and lively, and the plunge pool inviting. It was perfect.

We quickly settled into a routine of early mornings, inspired brainstorms, and twice-a-day trips to the beach to play in waves, snorkel, and explore. It’s the kind of rhythm that digital nomads like us love… an easy, natural lifestyle with lots of room for work and play.

The area offers lots to explore. One memorable morning involved a hike to the famous Montezuma Waterfall, followed by a swim in clear, cool waters.

Dive Logz founder, Peter, stands by the beautiful Montezuma waterfall. 

Another found us at the small pier in nearby Cobano, where fisherman sell their daily catches. But mostly, we could be found at the beach, where the waves rocked or rolled us, depending on the day.

Eating is one of my favorite things, and Costa Rica, it turns out, is a great place to do that. In fact, the Nicoya Peninsula is one of the world’s five “Blue Zones” – where people commonly live past the age of 100. A Costa Rican 60-year old is more likely to reach the age of 90 than anybody else in the world. Fruits, vegetables and fish abound, and the local cuisine showcases them in simple, delicious ways.

We did our part by making starfruit ginger jam with the fruits growing in the yard.

Making starfruit ginger jam in the kitchen of Casa Maya in Montezuma. 

The sun, the sea, the flavours, the pace… we love it all. We were happy. And then, one day, we weren’t.

We’d been in Montezuma about 10 days when two friends from Toronto came to join us. They brought the party, arriving with tons of luggage and some duty-free booze from the airport. We celebrated by going out for dinner – something we hadn’t done yet, since night falls fast and early in Montezuma, and we’d gotten into the habit of working at night so that we could enjoy the beach during the day.

The Dive Logz crew + friends out for dinner.
Little did we know what would happen next…!

We returned, laughing, two hours later. We were piling into the kitchen, pouring night caps, when Peter, suddenly said “where are all the computers?!” We’d left them secured in the safe. But he was standing in front of the safe and the door was jacked open. The computers – four of them in total – were gone. So were the cameras, a phone, an iPad, and some cash. We’d been robbed!

Turns out a safe isn’t really a very safe place to keep your valuables after all. 
We kicked into action immediately, texting the property manager, running upstairs to check the bedrooms, then waiting for the cops to show up, which they did in droves throughout the night. The municipal police came. The “special private investigator” came. The property manager came, then her husband, then her son. The cleaning lady and the pool guy came. It was a circus with a symphony of languages going – English, Spanish, and French – as we all tried to understand each other and make sense of what had happened.
The property manager, police, and others descended on the house the night of the robbery,
taking statements and soothing our fears as best they could.

When everyone had finally gone, we were left in the stillness of a crime scene, with instructions not to touch anything before the police returned the next morning to take fingerprints. They needn’t have worried – we retired to our respective beds, and spent the night sleepless but still, alert to every sound. When the sun finally rose around 5, we’d already been up for hours.

The next morning, Peter and I headed to the police station to make another report. By the time the police followed us home to take fingerprints, we figured the worst of the experience was behind us, and started to relax into the new, unexpected reality that we’d now have no choice but to just be on vacation.

If you’ve ever been robbed, especially in a faraway land where policing is…uh… relaxed, you know that there’s no hope of getting your things back. We had to let go of the “stuff” we’d lost, and so we did, right after a frenzied day or two of changing passwords and securing accounts.

Harder to let go was the emotional side of being robbed – the feeling of not being safe, of not knowing who to trust, of being vulnerable at every turn. We began, without meaning to, to sleep in shifts, so somebody was always awake to the noises in the house. We stopped staying home alone, naturally falling into a high-alert buddy system.

But we also reached out for community, not just with each other, but with the people we’d met, the property manager, the Americans next door, and the very welcoming community of retired expats in Montezuma. We allowed ourselves to be taken under their wings, consoled, and cared for.

We recognized that in a country where poverty is rampant, we’re lucky that we have such valuable things to steal. And while the theft certainly disrupted our lives for several weeks, it’s probably nothing in comparison to the daily lives of people who feel like stealing is their best option.

We decided that the best revenge – and the path to redemption – was to laugh. So that’s what we set out to do.

We started with a bang, chartering Montezuma Crew’s private yacht for a day on the water. It was the perfect antidote to the harrowing days we’d had. They thought of everything and handled all the details. All we had to do was relax.

The Dive Logz crew and friends with our new buddies at Montezuma Crew.
A private yacht day was just what we needed to put the break-in behind us. 

As the crew shared with us, Costa Rica is a great place to learn to dive. So, we sent our intern, Jolene, out on her first dive that day. You can read about her magical experience with Miguel here. Peter got a dive in, too, and even logged his dive in our new waterproof dive log, which was a big hit with the crew.

From there we left Montezuma and the drama of it all behind, and headed to Santa Theresa where we booked into a little hotel in an enclosed compound with security. Finally sleeping again, we were able to enjoy the beach and really drop into the vacation vibe at last.

The beautiful beaches of Santa Theresa, Montezuma. 

We ended our trip 10 days early and headed home to set ourselves up again with computers, and phones, and all of the other gadgets we’d lost. We’re oddly both more and less relaxed than we might have been if we hadn’t been robbed, but we’ve certainly learned a great deal about resilience and how laughter and love really do conquer all.

 

In the end, we still had each other. And isn’t that all that really matters?
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Packing Light for Your Next Dive Trip: Our Top 4 Packing Tips

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Packing Light for Your Next Dive Trip: Our Top 4 Packing Tips

We’ve all been there. Despite the anticipating excitement of your upcoming dive trip, the packing part can be stressful. But it doesn’t have to be. We’ve prepared these top 5 tips to help the packing process:

1. Packing Clothes:You need space, and you have already taken out all the non-necessary items and your now down to the bare essentials. But you still need space in your suitcase or bag. Here’s a revolutionizing packing technique that will change your life: military packing. It’s an army hack that you never knew you needed. It’s the rolling fold technique. Overall, by rolling you reduce wrinkles and can have a more organized travel bag. Check out this great video to learn how to roll

2. Replace the Heavy with the Light: A lot of times you can dupe some of your heavy scuba gear for something more lightweight. If you can, you should. Many companies like Cressi offers scuba gear in a lightweight and travel-friendly form. For example, Cressi offers BCD’s that have the same features as a traditional one but you can have an easier time travelling with it.

3. Is It Collapsible or have Multi-Functions? If you can get the collapsible version for non-essentials, you should. If you can get one thing that can do many, you absolutely should. These items are great for the small but necessary items for your trip. Collapsible water bottles, passport wallet,  travel adapter with duel dual USB ports and more!

4. Is it Travel Friendly? You know what they say, size isn’t everything! Put aside some of your regular sized items and replace them for something that’s durable, lightweight and travel-friendly. Checkout Dive Logz travel friendly and waterproof logbook that can fit into any bag, and be durable against the elements.

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Custom Branded Dive Logs For Your Dive Shop, Resort Or Club

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Marketing and brand awareness are like oxygen for any business – and your dive shop, resort or club is no different.

As a former Marketing Manager for several large international corporations, Peter Alfermann, Founder and Creator of Dive Logz, understands how integral branding is to your marketing plan. “Your brand connects you with customers, helps you stay top of mind, and is the foundation for the loyalty that keeps people coming back.”

Putting your shop, resort, or club logo on merchandise is a great way to get your brand out there and spread awareness. And it doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, with Dive Logz, you can customize any scuba log book design with your logo FREE with a minimum order of just 50 pieces.

But that’s just the beginning!

Scuba diving log books can be customized in lots of ways, inside and out. And the impact is high, since divers tend to carry their log books wherever and whenever they go diving, keeping you on their mind and putting you on the radar of other divers.

In addition to adding your dive shop or dive resort logo to the front or back cover of a dive log, you can also customize the inside of a log book to turn it into a powerful marketing tool that builds brand awareness while giving your divers a unique, high-value piece they’ll be thrilled to carry and use. For example, you can:

  • Create a unique, log book cover with your own exclusive artwork or photography to appeal to your divers and make them feel like part of a family;
  • Add special, custom pages – in color or black and white – like maps, guides, safety tips, promotions, fish ID, tear-away coupons, and more. You can do this on your own, or collaborate with local businesses and/or attractions to cross-promote to divers on vacation in your area.
  • Customize log pages with your own categories, icons, or additional fields.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CUSTOMIZING A DIVE LOGZ SCUBA DIVING LOG BOOK

The possibilities for how you can use a customized scuba log book in your business really depends on what kind of dive shop, resort, club, or organization you are. You’re only limited by your imagination! Read on for some ideas to get you started…

Custom Dive Logs Help Build Customer Loyalty for Urban Dive Shops

Urban shops that offer scuba certification courses tend to have more than their fair share of new divers, as well as forward-thinking divers who are preparing for upcoming trips.

A custom, branded scuba log book is a great way of staying top of mind with your clients, helping to make your shop synonymous with diving in their minds. It also supports and reinforces good logging behavior for new divers.

In our years of business, we’ve seen lots of divers pick up our unique log books for family dive trips or scuba adventures with friends as part of building the excitement for their upcoming trip. Customizing our covers with your dive shop logo on the front or back is a great way to spread brand awareness through your clients’ networks.

Want to take your customized dive log to the next level? Add coupons, promotions, or advanced training pages to the inside to keep people coming back and trigger follow-up visits to your shop.

If your shop organizes dive trips, hosts dive clubs, or leads diving excursions, you can also use a cool, customized, branded log book to as a gift, give-away, or sign-up bonus. Include trip information pages, fish ID, and more to make it a memento they’ll use and keep.

Build Brand Awareness for Your Destination Dive Shop with Custom Scuba Log Books

Scuba shops in dive destinations tend to see a lot of revolving traffic as travelling divers come into and out of their area. That can be both a challenge and an opportunity.

Travelers love keepsakes, and a unique, branded dive log is a great one. It can also help spread the word, as eye-catching designs are great conversation starters (“hey, cool log book – where did you get it?”) that give divers a reason to share the experience they’ve had with you and your crew.

Make it even more special by customizing the inside pages of the dive log with information that traveling divers are hungry for, like local fish and marine life ID, dive sites, wrecks, topography, conservation information, restaurant and hotel cross-promotions, maps, and attractions. That will turn your custom scuba log book into a practical, valuable tool that people will use throughout their trip and keep afterward.

Upgrade Your Customer Experience with Custom Logs for Your Dive Resort

Scuba divers are a passionate bunch, and for many a stay at a dive resort or on a liveaboard is literally a dive dream come true.

That’s why a branded, custom log book is such a perfect gift or on-site purchase – it keeps the dream alive, and reminds divers of their amazing experience every time they grab their log book.

It can also be a great way to communicate key information to your dive guests, such as resort details and services, safety, local fish varieties, currents and topography, favorite dive sites, packages and specials, VIP dive experiences, promotions, and more.

The best part? Custom scuba log books feel high end and exclusive, but don’t have to cost more than regular, unbranded books.

Don’t have any in-house creatives? No problem – Dive Logz does! We’ve worked with prestigious resorts including Sandals, Beaches, Southern Cross, and Wakatobi to create beautiful, exclusive, custom scuba log books. We’d love to do the same for you!

Not a full-fledged dive resort but want to show divers you’re serious about your scuba services? A custom scuba log book is a great place to start.

Work with Custom Dive Log Experts to Create the Right Marketing Piece for You

Dive Logz creates unique marketing pieces for dive shops, resorts, and dive clubs around the world. We’ve even created special books and binders for highly specialized dive teams, like the Dive Rescue Team of the Milwaukee Fire Department.

Whether you want to customize a dive log with a simple logo on the back or front of one of our existing designs, develop your own custom covers, or create fully customized dive log pages for your shop, resort, club, or crew, the experts at Dive Logz will help you bring it to life.

Learn more about our customized dive logs here, or contact us now to get your project started.

 

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