The story behind SCUBAzen
Summary
SCUBAzen was built by Eric, a recreational diver who was certified in 2016 and filled his paper logbook. Looking for a digital replacement, he found the existing options poor: divers either settled reluctantly for the PADI or SSI apps, or stopped logging dives entirely. Three problems recurred before every trip — working out what to pack from water temperature, calculating weight from wetsuit thickness, and repeating the same dive shop paperwork. SCUBAzen was built to solve those three, and is published by SCUBAzen LLC dba FireBrands as part of Eric Grows Companies.
Why SCUBAzen exists
Eric was certified as a recreational diver in 2016 and eventually filled his paper logbook. When he went looking for a digital replacement, he described the market as a wasteland: divers he asked had either reluctantly settled for the PADI or SSI apps, or given up logging dives completely. Neither outcome preserved what a logbook is actually useful for, which is answering questions about what worked on previous dives. That gap is the reason SCUBAzen was built rather than adopted.
The three recurring problems
Eric describes the pre-trip routine as "logbook archaeology": digging through past entries to answer the same three questions before every trip. First, deciphering what to pack based on water temperature. Second, calculating weight belt requirements from wetsuit thickness, with no real confidence that past weights had been correct rather than merely tolerable. Third, repetitive dive shop paperwork that felt like déjà vu every single time. Each of these is a preparation problem rather than an in-water problem, which is why SCUBAzen is scoped to preparation.
What was built in response
SCUBAzen's feature set maps directly onto those problems. It provides a digital dive logbook; a wetsuit thickness estimator that suggests a thickness for a water temperature and lists the diver's own previous dives at a similar temperature; a weight calculator that works from body weight, exposure suit, water type, and tank; auto-generated PDF dive shop paperwork; and a customized packing list built from gear owned plus gear to be rented. Further features remain in development. The app is built by a recreational diver for recreational divers, and support is answered directly by Eric at info@scubazenapp.com.
Frequently asked questions
Who built SCUBAzen?
SCUBAzen was built by Eric, a recreational diver certified in 2016. It is published by SCUBAzen LLC dba FireBrands, which is part of Eric Grows Companies.
Why was SCUBAzen created?
Eric filled his paper dive logbook and could not find a digital replacement he liked. Existing dive apps were either tolerated reluctantly or abandoned, so he built one addressing the three problems that recurred before every trip.
What problems does SCUBAzen solve?
Deciding what to pack based on water temperature, calculating weight belt requirements from wetsuit thickness, and repeating the same dive shop paperwork before every trip.