Underwater Compass Use

[Brian Robinson]

Me and my dive buddy need to get really good at using our Dive compasses. Not that I don't appreciate the dive guides supplied by the Dive boat, But I just hate not knowing where the Heck I am and most importantly having No Idea where the boat is. Any Advise on good online teaching resources.

 

[tep]

I'd think about an underwater navigation class - there's enough to study there.

Depends on the agency (PADI/SSI/etc) but the class should cover
1. basic compass functions
2. setting and following a course
3. navigation back to a starting point (triangular course, etc.)
4. distance measurement - kick counts, distance by underwater feature and terrain

It's a worthwhile class. You can learn all this yourself, but actually doing the work, doing some training dives, etc can really help.

 

[northernone]

I'd recommend an online learning website land based compass skills. But more importantly reread your manual on environmental navigation. Learn to notice currents, distance travelled.

 

[blac86]

Working a compass and basic navigation (,heading and reciprocal, circumnavigation) can be done on land, but some things like adjusting for current and practice holding the compass level only come with time and experience.

As others have said the underwater navigation (and search and recovery) specialties will get you where you want to be.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Do you have good dive maps in your area with compass readings? If you were in this part of the country, we do. I think the main thing is to practice with them. If you haven't taken AOW, the nav (required) and night (optional) adventure dives will give you some practice.

 

[RayfromTX]

The trouble I have is when in low viz and with no visual reference, when I hold my arm directly in front and my computer based compass aligned with my direction of travel it places me in a bit of an odd position that I haven'e gotten used to yet. I end up feeling like I'm swimming in a curve to stay in a straight line. This doesn't happen at all when I dive with visual references and intermittent calibration with my compass. I have to get used to separating my finning from my arm position. It's so frustrating to be challenged by something so simple but it is what it is. If I just trust the compass I end up where I'm supposed to be but it feel s odd getting there.

 

[tbone1004]

watch this and build one. Learn how to do some compass nav on land. It's the same in the water. Lot's of more advanced techniques for navigating with a buddy, but you need something easy to use and accurate. Easiest way to practice is get in a lake/quarry and do reciprocal navigation to known points. Start SHORT, like 30ft away short. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to drift around with poor technique. As you get better at it, start going to farther points. When you get real good, add in "blue water" where you are maintaining a depth well off of the bottom so you have to use your depth gauge as a reference instead of bottom composition

 

[Neilwood]

What I have tended to do is set my heading, find a landmark on the bottom/wall near to it and head for that, rinse and repeat as required. Then do the same with the reciprocal course. This tends to be a lot easier than watching the compass all the time.

If you have a buddy, get them to do the distance (by fin kicks or by minutes on that heading) while you do the direction.

 

[blac86]

watch this and build one. Learn how to do some compass nav on land. It's the same in the water. Lot's of more advanced techniques for navigating with a buddy, but you need something easy to use and accurate. Easiest way to practice is get in a lake/quarry and do reciprocal navigation to known points. Start SHORT, like 30ft away short. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to drift around with poor technique. As you get better at it, start going to farther points. When you get real good, add in "blue water" where you are maintaining a depth well off of the bottom so you have to use your depth gauge as a reference instead of bottom composition

Zip Ties, Brass Clips, off center lubber line, it's like this dude has never gone diving.

 

[Diver0001]

Me and my dive buddy need to get really good at using our Dive compasses. Not that I don't appreciate the dive guides supplied by the Dive boat, But I just hate not knowing where the Heck I am and most importantly having No Idea where the boat is. Any Advise on good online teaching resources.

I like the first two posts and I would recommend both. Land based compass use is much more involved because you learn how to triangulate your position on a map using geographical features etc. but the fundamental use of a compass is similar and learning how to use a compass on land will give you more time to become competent using the tool.

For diving purposes, in my opinion, you should take a navigation specialty. Really take the specialty, not the adventure dive, and you MUST take this specialty with an instructor who is passionate about it and a GOOD navigator themselves.

The standard (imo) provides a decent starting point for a specialty. What it misses is the element of navigating in task loading situations and/or assigning team members different tasks in order to lower task loading for everyone. This is where most things in diving start to go wrong (losing situational awareness, losing buoyancy control, losing buddy contact, getting lost) etc because of juggling too many tasks at once.

This omission is something that I believe is missing throughout most non-technical diver training. As a PADI instructor I can't go too far with this but I can, for example, do some "blue water" (or in our case "green water") swimming so the students need to maintain depth, tempo, buddy contact AND direction at the same time. This is something I'm particularly good at so I offer these as "extra" experience dives once the student has achieved the certification requirements.

Last year, after doing this with one of my students I was cleaning up after the dives and overheard them telling the shop owner that he had gone from being completely dependent on a guide to being (in his words) a "real diver" in the span of 6 dives. All of that was based on his new navigation skills and learning a bit about diving in a team in a non-trivial setting.

So yeah, take a navigation specialty but look for an instructor who is passionate about teaching it.

R..