diff --git a/desktop-widgets/divelistview.cpp b/desktop-widgets/divelistview.cpp
index d2685caa2..9d77fb7b7 100644
--- a/desktop-widgets/divelistview.cpp
+++ b/desktop-widgets/divelistview.cpp
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 #include "core/metrics.h"
 #include "core/subsurface-qt/DiveListNotifier.h"
 
-DiveListView::DiveListView(QWidget *parent) : QTreeView(parent), mouseClickSelection(false), sortColumn(0),
+DiveListView::DiveListView(QWidget *parent) : QTreeView(parent), mouseClickSelection(false), sortColumn(DiveTripModel::NR),
 	currentOrder(Qt::DescendingOrder), dontEmitDiveChangedSignal(false), selectionSaved(false),
 	initialColumnWidths(DiveTripModel::COLUMNS, 50)	// Set up with default length 50
 {
@@ -472,7 +472,14 @@ void DiveListView::headerClicked(int i)
 	unselectDives();
 	/* No layout change? Just re-sort, and scroll to first selection, making sure all selections are expanded */
 	if (currentLayout == newLayout) {
-		currentOrder = (currentOrder == Qt::DescendingOrder) ? Qt::AscendingOrder : Qt::DescendingOrder;
+		// If this is the same column as before, change sort order. Otherwise, choose a default
+		// sort order (descending for NR and DATE, ascending elsewise).
+		if (sortColumn == i)
+			currentOrder = (currentOrder == Qt::DescendingOrder) ? Qt::AscendingOrder : Qt::DescendingOrder;
+		else if (i == DiveTripModel::NR || i == DiveTripModel::DATE)
+			currentOrder = Qt::DescendingOrder;
+		else
+			currentOrder = Qt::AscendingOrder;
 		sortByColumn(i, currentOrder);
 	} else {
 		// clear the model, repopulate with new indexes.