How did you learn to navigate underwater?

[orch1ds]

So I've been diving quite a bit in the last six weeks, going through a bunch of classes and trying to become more comfortable diving in general. The thing that is now my biggest struggle is learning to navigate well. We had a dive during my past AOW class on some simple navigation techniques... but honestly, it felt so strict. (going a certain number of kick cycles, going in a square, etc...). I'd like to be able to dive freely without so many restrictions and still not get completely lost in the current or something.

Is that possible? Am I hoping for something that is not possible underwater? I'm clearly not very experienced so excuse me if I sound silly.

I guess I watch my instructor who seem to just go freely when guiding me and I marvel at how well we end up at the anchor line or the float even in the dark and murky water.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[del_mo]

Instructors have a real advantage. If they are teaching in a familiar area, they have a pretty good idea at all times where they are and how to get back. Think of it this way....walking around in your home at night with the lights out. The first night you move in you'll be running into walls. After a while you can do it with your eyes closed.

The best thing you can do is get into the habit of using your compass. Make sure it works correctly (I've seen plenty that stick and are worthless). Check your compass at the beginning of a dive so you know what the reciprocal course will be to get back. And practice. You'll develop a "sixth sense" after awhile, or you'll follow your buddy!

 

[Maui Bound]

It takes time and trust in your compass. I remember when first starting to navigate, I was sure the compass was wrong. Getting lost a few times fixes that.

 

[Rhone Man]

I have always thought natural navigation techniques are learned through experience rather than taught. Keeping your bearing by current, notice, topography and angle of the sun (sorry, Caribbean diver talking here) helps you keep a bead on where you are heading at relative times, and you just develop with experience a sense of how far you travel over time.

But even the most veteran divers get lost and have surface swims from time to time. The instructors at my LDS refer to it as "the peek of shame" coming up to look for the boat.

 

[Wet Zen]

The compass, the feel of current on your body and the angle of shafts of sunlight are useful tools to keep you oriented. I also find that studying the bottom contours on my chart plotter before the dive and planning out a route helps a lot. If you just go down and wander aimlessly it's almost impossible to not get lost.

I did my divemaster training at Looe Key Reef in the Florida Keys. The east side of the reef is very regular spur and groove coral formations and navigating is dead easy; just count the spurs and you know where the boat is. But when I did my test my instructor took me to the west side which is full of twists and turns and forks. I passed but kept that compass in my hand the whole dive.

 

[DOkie]

Navigating was a hard one for me to get. I was quite intimidated by the ease that everyone else seemed to be doing it. That and the fear of looking like an idiot when I couldn't find my way back. Counting kicks, trying to read my compass.... I agree with the suggestions of just getting comfortable with your compass. Take a walk with it in the yard. Another thing that really helped me was to tie off with my reel at the anchor line and let it get a lot of slack during the dive. That way I could work on my navigation skills while still knowing I was going to find my way back one way or the other. As dumb as it sounds, it worked for me because I wasn't so fixated on getting lost. It helps in dark, murky water where there aren't a lot of land marks. It gets easier with time....

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Practice, Practice and then Practice some more. Hoestly I try to use a combination of Compass and land marks to navigate. Helps to pay attention on the way out on the dive to get back.

 

[ianw2]

Well, I cheat!

First, I’m a Land Surveyor in California. I’ve been making maps and navigating by compass since I was very young. Being used to a compass and the idea of headings, reciprocals, angles and the like made the transition to navigating below the surface a bit less difficult.

Second, as I descend, I look for “stuff” on the bottom that will help me find the same point again before I ascend. I look for unique looking items on the way out that I can use as “breadcrumbs” on the way back.

For example, on my dive at Goat Harbor on Catalina this past Saturday, the boat was anchored over a sand bottom. The kelp bed was a certain bearing from the boat and a certain distance. I went down the anchor line, pointed myself to the kelp bed and began to swim. At the edge of the kelp bed, nothing looked terribly unique. I soon took care of that with four empty Wavy Turban Snail shells. I set those in a line about a foot apart, pointing at the anchor. From there, I swam off along the kelp and through the kelp, knowing all I had to do was swim back along the edge of the kelp bed to my Turban Snail pointer before heading back to the anchor.

It’s not really “cheating”. I prefer to think of it as “spatial referencing and thinking”.

And, as del mo said, once you get familiar with an area, you’ll start picking out reference objects that will make it easier to “navigate”.

Of course, now that I've shared my secret with you, I have to come and cut your hose during a dive. So...where in LA ARE you?

Ian

Calif PLS 7010

Dokie: Cool idea! Excellent method, as long as the dive doesn't stray too far from the anchor and thee isn't a lot of stuff to get tangled in!

 

[Doubler]

I rarely use my compass anymore. I use landscape navigation. Note depth at wall, drop over, swim into current about 10 yards stop turn around and see what it looks like coming the other way. Do this about every 50 feet or so. Has gotten me right back to the boat for 20 some years. I have to admit I did get a little freaked in Belize when I looked up saw the boat on the surface, started looking at Jawfish looked up and the boat was gone. That swinging anchor thing is freaky at first.

 

[MattC007]

how I learned was I got really confortable with my compass on land, then began navigating in the water, now even if viz is only like 5 feet I can find my way pretty well. you'll learn, don't worry!