Backup Compass and Depth Gauges

[Kharon]

My other thought is I may not even need a compass - the lakes I am talking about are not huge open bodies of water. Any thoughts on this setup?

Unless the lake site you are diving has a decent drop off I wouldn't think about not having a compass. Small lakes especially have long stretches of bottom with verry little or no discernable slope. Perfect for getting turned around.

I have an Mares Icon and it has a compass screen. I find it hard to use because it is entirely too sensitive. I just bought a DGX Delux Pro ($60) to use as my main compass and the Icon compass will now be for backup only.

 

[rjack321]

If you're getting lost in a small lake I think you got problems a compass wont fix

 

[EireDiver606]

If you’re not using your old analog pressure/depth gauge you could always pop the depth gauge out of the console and put it in a bungee mount and stick it anywhere convenient

Manufacturers advise against taking gauges out of the console or boot.

 

[rsingler]

If you're getting lost in a small lake I think you got problems a compass wont fix

That's very unfair.
Why surface to get your bearings if you get silted out and turned around near a mud bottom? It happens! And it complicates your offgassing risk if you ascend, check, redescend to continue your dive and make a second ascent.
Instead, just use your compass and (pre-established) bearing to swim until you know where you are again.

 

[rsingler]

Manufacturers advise against taking gauges out of the console or boot.

With all due respect, we don't pay much attention to what manufacturers say, here on the Board.
Sure, if you want time and depth and tables for your backup, throw an old gauge in your BCD pocket. Cheap backup if you're doing NDL dives and want to fit in one more dive after your computer goes belly up.

 

[rjack321]

That's very unfair.
Why surface to get your bearings if you get silted out and turned around near a mud bottom? It happens! And it complicates your offgassing risk if you ascend, check, redescend to continue your dive and make a second ascent.
Instead, just use your compass and (pre-established) bearing to swim until you know where you are again.

First the primary compass on the predix has to "fail".
Then you have silted out the bottom...

Yes the battery compartment could flood or it could have a dead battery. If that's the case why are you screwing around on the bottom of this lake anymore at all? Just go up, use your backup depth gauge to do a safety stop. Surface and swim home. There is no need to re-descend or continue the dive at all. In fact you are probably better getting the battery out of the predix before it leaks anymore acid and makes repairs harder.

Yes there needs to be some redundancy for solo diving. A redundant compass in a small lake isn't needed and is just clutter.

 

[rsingler]

Fair enough. I was thinking more about carrying a redundant depth gauge to do a second dive on tables rather than have to go home.
I took your post to mean that a diver in a small lake has no need for a compass at all. If I misunderstood, then I apologize.

 

[73diver]

I am planning on solo diving after I get sidemount training. Any thoughts on this setup?

Great idea. In my opinion all divers should obtain solo training even if they never intend to use it. I won’t try to tell you how to dive but I’ll tell you what I do. I switch between sidemount and backmount with two and sometimes three tanks, so I prefer analog gauges and no air integration or transmitters etc. I prefer the gauges that have white luminous background; best for reading in low light. As I was trained, I carry a dive computer on my right wrist and a dive timer either in a pocket or on my left wrist. Sometimes the compass is in the left wrist if navigation is required. I don’t carry a backup compass and may not carry a primary compass. However following this discussion I may add a small one to a pocket. I learned to dive in northern California where fog could settle in during a beach dive. A compass was sometimes helpful in navigating back to the entry point.

 

[Dives4Fun]

Thanks again everyone for all the info and advice. I just got my XDeep Stealth 2 Tec rig and signed up for the sidemount course in early July. I now have 2 transmitters for my Perdix AI and 2 SPG's as backups. I got a second dive computer from a clearance as backup. I am on the lookout for a spare compass as backup - something that I can stuff in my pocket as was suggested. I also got a backup prescription mask which I may make my primary mask - its one of those ScubaPro Synergy 2 ones - I have never felt such a soft seal on a mask before (I just hope it doesnt leak).