Gotta have a compass???

[Grimloc]

Friends,

I have spent a good chunk of change and now have 98% of my own gear. I love gear.....heck....I'd marry it if I could!

Of everything I have.....I do not own a compass. My dive console does not have a ready place to add a compass and my wallet and VISA have just about had enough use for one year (read: wife is looking at me sternly for taking such liberty with our expenses.....hee hee :no).

How vital do you think having a compass is? If I am with a dive buddy...does his/her compass serve us both? Is showing up at the boat without a compass a major no no??

G.

 

[spectrum]

While there are circumstances when you may be OK without a compass diving without one is not wise at all. Relying on your buddy as the sole navigator is a big mistake. In the event that you get separated you will be severely handicapped.

You need not disturb your console. A wrist or retractor mounted unit is fine and wrist is preferred by many.

Pete

 

[Steve_Dives]

Where do you do most of your diving? Most of my dives are in a quarry, and I could find my way anywhere in them without a compass.

In Roatan, you'll be close to shore and on a wall dive. (Hint, the wall is on the island side. Swim towards it if you need land. ) If you don't feel comfortable on the wall and choose to hang out in the shallow water, you might want a compass if you go exploring without the DM or group around. And don't worry about being lost at sea there, you're so close to shore. Now that being said, there are some shore dives you can do. If you surface you might be in a boat channel, and they don't exactly slow down for you. If you're planning to shore dive, it might be very handy (i.e. life saving) to have one.

 

[Buoyant1]

Play it safe....go get one on a retractor or a wrist mount... tell her it's a SAFETY item and your life depends on it (cuz' some day it may!)

 

[El Orans]

Go get yourself a wrist mount...

 

[spectrum]

Play it safe....go get one on a retractor or a wrist mount... tell her it's a SAFETY item and your life depends on it (cuz' some day it may!)

Yes, never underestimate the power of playing the "safety card"

Pete

 

[Grimloc]

Done then.....I'll pick one up. I always follow the Boy Scout motto....Be Prepared.

Thanks for confirming my thoughts that a good compass is always worth your do-re-mi. I was an Infantry grunt before the days of fancy GPS.....a compass and map was the way to go.

G.

 

[String]

How vital do you think having a compass is? If I am with a dive buddy...does his/her compass serve us both? Is showing up at the boat without a compass a major no no??

G.

Depends where you dive, good visibility/tropical then you can get away with out. Here we wont let you off the boat unless you have one.

In low vis conditions a compass is often the ONLY way to orientate yourself with the site.

 

[Kingpatzer]

wrist mount compass works better than a console mount in my view anyway.

as others have said, it matters where you dive as to if you "need" one or not. However, they're never a bad idea, particularly if you find yourself needing to do a search pattern for some reason.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Good choice getting a compass. I have had a few times where I disagreed with the silly little thing only to find out it was pointing in the right direction.