A search that comes back empty rarely means the record is gone or was never saved. DivePilot's search follows a few strict rules, and a name typed a little differently from how it is stored finds nothing. Check the rules below before you create the customer or booking a second time.

How names are matched

The top bar search and the search fields on Customers, Bookings and Documents all match names the same way:

  • One word is looked for inside the first name or the last name. ross finds Rossi; capital letters do not matter.
  • Two or more words are read as a first name and a last name, in either order. Only the first two words count, and the rest is ignored.
  • Accents must match. Muller does not find Müller, and Jose does not find José.

For a customer with the first name Anna Maria and the last name Rossi:

You type Result
Rossi, Anna Rossi, Rossi Anna or Maria Rossi Found
Anna Maria Not found: Maria is not in the last name
Anna Maria Rossi Not found: only Anna and Maria are used

The same applies to a last name with a space, such as De Luca. Typed alone, De Luca is read as a first name and a last name, and usually finds nothing. Type Luca, or the first name followed by De.

What each search looks at

Search Matches Good to know
Top bar Search Customers by name or email, bookings by customer name, booking number or date, boat trips by boat name or date, users by name or email Needs at least two characters
Customers Name or email Each tab searches only its own list
Bookings Customer name or booking number The type and status filters still apply, so set them back to All types and All statuses
Documents Customer name or waiver title Waivers of archived customers are not listed

None of these searches look at phone numbers, certification numbers or notes. Search for the name instead.

Only five results per group

The top bar shows at most five customers, five bookings, five boat trips and five users, with no link to see more. Bookings and trips come newest date first, so an older booking of a regular guest is pushed out by newer ones. Customers come in no fixed order. When a common name finds exactly five, search on the Customers or Bookings page instead, which pages through every match.

Dates and boat trips

Boat trips are found only by the boat's name or by their date, and only in the top bar. Type the date as 2026-09-17 or 17.09.2026, with both digits for day and month. Other forms such as 17/09/2026, 17.9.2026 or 17 Sep find nothing. The same date also finds the bookings for that day. To browse trips by day, use the calendar or list under Boat trips.

Archived and anonymised customers

  • A customer someone deleted is on the Archived tab of Customers, which has its own search. The top bar never lists them as customers, but their bookings still come up.
  • An anonymised customer's name and email are erased, so no search finds them by their old name or email.

See Archive, export or anonymise a customer.

Still two records?

If a search finds the same guest twice, that is a real duplicate, not a search problem: online bookings and self-registrations always create a new customer. See Merge duplicate customers.

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