Can you fail the Navigation adventure dive?

[beetitan]

It may be a dumb question but I'm taking my aow course in 6 days and I'm wondering if I can fail my nav dive or if I just have to complete it, I don't know why but thinking about it makes me nervous

Thnks
Blair

 

[RonFrank]

It would be very difficult to fail the AOW dives. If you do the dives, you will likely pass regardless of how bad you screw them up. If you can not complete a dive, you will have to retake that portion of the class (well I would HOPE your LDS follows that minimum rule), but failure is not generally an option, and IMO it should be! :blinking:

If your Nav skills are poor, practice. Go outside, and attempt to navigate to a destination until you can do so without visual references. If you can not do it topside, you have no chance of success UW. If you don't own a compass, buy one. My favorite is the Suunto SK7. I use a DSS wrist mount vs. the wrist boot that comes with that compass. They are on the high end price wise, but we are talking $65 or so, IMO not much. Unless you loose it, or run over it with a truck, it is a once in a lifetime purchase.

 

[beetitan]

Ah I see thnks for taking the time to post I'm ok at nav I'm just nervous about it,so I think I'll take ur advise and practice

Thnks Blair

 

[fisheater]

My advice:

Read and re-dead the navigation chapter in the Adventures in Diving book (assuming PADI, otherwise read the appropriate material for your agency).

Practice on land. First without and then with a towel over your head.

Tell your instructor about your apprehension. After all, if your instructor's job to teach this stuff and yours to learn it. If you're both engaged in the process, you're bound to succeed.

Lastly, have fun with it. Knowing where you are underwater, even when you're in low vis or at night, really is fun. Not knowing where you are underwater, isn't.

 

[Brandon]

Just show up, you'll be okay =p

IIRC (for PADI anyway), you just need to go out and back, a triangle, and a square. Simple stuff.

-B

 

[Diver0001]

It may be a dumb question but I'm taking my aow course in 6 days and I'm wondering if I can fail my nav dive or if I just have to complete it, I don't know why but thinking about it makes me nervous

Thnks
Blair

I hope for your sake you can. Maybe not fail it but possibly fail to get it right the first time and have to repeat a dive. If the instructor is setting the bar so low that anyone is guaranteed a first-time pass then you're probably getting a "tour" as opposed to "training". Training is about learning how to do things, not learning how to pretend to do them... at least the way I see it.

That said, it's not difficult but nevertheless, it's something that you should go into prepared to do the dive(s) a couple of times if necessary.

R..

 

[AndyNZ]

I have to agree with Diver0001 here - if this is something you are "nervous" about, then it seems to indicate that you're not confident witha compass - does "passing without reaching the standard" actually improve your compass skills?

Ask your instructor exactly what the skills are you need to do, get hold of a compass and practice on land until you can do the compass skills required - then on the dive, all you need to worry about is your buoyancy control (you shouldn't be touching the bottom at all throughout the whole dive) and diving, rather than stressing about the compass.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

I hope for your sake you can. Maybe not fail it but possibly fail to get it right the first time and have to repeat a dive. If the instructor is setting the bar so low that anyone is guaranteed a first-time pass then you're probably getting a "tour" as opposed to "training". Training is about learning how to do things, not learning how to pretend to do them... at least the way I see it.

That said, it's not difficult but nevertheless, it's something that you should go into prepared to do the dive(s) a couple of times if necessary.

R..

1+

Navigation is a critical skill, and not enough time is spent on it (in my opinion). Do take the time to practice on your own as others have said. IF you do not have a lot of experience using a handheld compass, you need to get totally comfortable with it on land first.

AOW just gives you a "taste" of navigating, and very simple in-water nav exercises to perform. Don't worry about passing the AOW Nav Course... DO worry about being able to actually navigate in the "real" world.

Best wishes.

 

[ReefHound]

I suppose you could fail it but the instructors I assist for generally give the student a target, i.e. complete a square and return within 15 feet of start point, and lets them loose for better or for worse. Then will assess after the dive what the student perhaps needs to work on. If they miss badly then the instructor tells them why and has them try it again, perhaps coaching them a little closer (remind them to keep compass level, watch their depth, etc.), and that makes it pretty hard to miss badly. Then another post drill briefing to ensure the student understands what he did right or wrong. I don't think the purpose is as much flawless execution of the skills as it is awareness and understanding of the skills.

I find these dives really fun and challenging as a DM as my job is to keep track of where we *really are*, making the mental adjustments between the intended and actual course headings and distances. Makes me feel real good when the student stops and (assuming they missed) I can point the way and lead them straight to the target.

 

[pengwe]

Probably depends on the instructor. I got lost on mine (didn't know how to use the compass) and my instructor just shrugged.