Craptacular dives on a beautiful day

[Chavodel8en]

My instructor always told me if you have to revert to your compass you’ve already ****** up.

I had a group on a boat a couple years back where we specifically said during the briefing compasses are pointless in this location. If you lose visual reference shoot an SMB abd surface immediately.

Naturally the big swinging dick dive leader did exactly the opposite, lost visual reference and tried to get back to the reef using his compass (entirely pointless in very strong current and no visual referenc).

We picked them up about a km away.

Annoyingly they had an awesome dive (although some were petrified) as they got a lot of attention from Oceanic White Tips as they were drifting south.

Main message: in general try to navigate without a compass. Even in low viz environments it’s usually possible. Just find the next stone or whatever.

Importance of a compass depends on the situation and conditions. A general rule "in general try to navigate without a compass" simply wont work for many (most) situations. Honestly, this rule seems just wrong, and I would recommend anyone reading this thread to examine it critically.

For shore dives in Carmel/Monterey, navigation by compass is an absolute must. The visual references are generally far apart enough -- beyond the viz -- that you must use the compass in between them or you will get lost. Yes, you should also use other tools (known navigation points, depth, etc), but the compass is probably the most important resource for navigation.

I would imagine a quarry is exactly the place you would want to be able to navigate by compass. No current to deal with, low viz, and there may be little in the way of visual references. I've never dived in a quarry, so I will let quarry divers chime in on whether a compass is a tool you should use.

And I think the OP's further descriptions of the dives demonstrates the importance of good navigation skills, including the use of a compass.

 

[Carl_F]

I've been at that quarry and have had some squirrely readings on my compass. I suspect there is a magnetic anomaly in the surrounding rock that throws it off (unless you've done this navigation successfully several times before.) It's a great site and I've enjoyed it!

 

[2airishuman]

You can navigate a compass course in midwater, maintain your depth, and count kicks with no visual references. It takes practice. The comparison to IFR flight is apt. You have to scan, and you have to believe your instruments and ignore your sense of movement.