Pro tip: I tried two ways to keep my dive log dry and one was a total mess

Last month on a job in Mobile, I used a regular plastic sandwich bag for my dive slate notes. It filled with water and turned my notes into blue ink soup. This week, I spent the $35 on a proper waterproof notebook with the plastic pages and a grease pencil. The difference was night and day. I could actually read my notes and check my bottom times after the dive. Has anyone else found a cheap piece of gear that just isn't worth the hassle?

3 comments

3 Comments

masongonzalez5d agoMost Upvoted

My buddy had the same problem with a cheap underwater camera case he bought online. It looked fine on the surface but flooded at like 40 feet, killed his GoPro. He spent more fixing the camera than a good case would have cost new. Sometimes the cheap option just ends up costing you more in the long run.

kevin_west5d ago

Oh man, you learned that lesson the hard way lol. Did you try the ziploc freezer bags? I thought those were tougher but they still fog up and get water in the seal after a few dives. That proper notebook is totally worth it, I ruined a whole day's survey notes once with a cheap bag. Never going back.

the_aaron5d ago

It's crazy how a few dollars saved can wreck hundreds of dollars worth of gear. Those freezer bags feel sturdy until you actually need them to work. I've had the same fogging issue, it makes everything inside useless. Total false economy. You're right, buying the right tool for the job from the start is the only way to go. What kind of notebook did you end up getting?