 In contradistinction, a diver's logbook, or the electronic equivalent, is primarily evidence of range of diving experience.The Diving Certification model originated at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) in 1952 after two divers died whilst using university-owned equipment.The then President of the University of California, Robert Gordon Sproul, restricted diving to those who had been trained through the program at SIO and thus "certification" was born.