Navigation

[mrgonz]

This is embarrassing but needed.

I know as much about compass navigation as rocket science, and trust me I am far from a rocket scientist.

Does anyone know any resource to learn this before I go diving?


Thanks,
Gonz

 

[Xman]

Your best bet is to find someone (instructor, divemaster, friend or buddy) that knows what they are doing and is willing to explain. You could purchase the PADI Navigation specialty book.
Whatever you do to learn it, the key is to practice to comfortable and natural with how things work while on dry land.
Compass navigation in itself is not difficult, but it can be confusing when being explained rather than just shown.
My other advise is to get a good quality (Suunto or Uwatec) compass that has a reasonable amount of float. Always make a conscious check that the compass is being held as level as possible before relying on the bearing.

Last bit of advice- once familiar with navigation- trust the compass. Some people second guess what direction they think they should be going in rather than trust their instrument. The compass is usually right and the instinct wrong.

 

[ICY ICE]

1. Go buy a good dive compass, you can pick up a cheaper one to practice with.
2. Get ready to read
3. You can practice in a park, in a few hours you'll have a better understanding on how navigation works.


A few links:

http://www.learn-orienteering.org/old/

http://www.hammerheadpress.com/Media/PDFS/compass.pdf

http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Falls/9200/navigation_map_compass.html

 

[horsemen]

PADI Navigation specialty can you take this before aow i am just ow but want to get confey before i go aow but i would like to be able to look around and find my way back to wear i started at

 

[Divesherpa]

All I know is that I need more cowbell!

 

[The Kraken]

A used Boy Scout Handbook.

the K

 

[pete340]

PADI Navigation specialty can you take this before aow i am just ow but want to get confey before i go aow but i would like to be able to look around and find my way back to wear i started at

The Navigation specialty requires OW certification, so that's not a problem. On the other hand, AOW includes a navigation dive, so if you do the specialty first you'll end up out of sequence. Don't know if that matters to you...

 

[toodive4]

Are you kidding? You didn't get basic navigation in your open water course? I'd ask for a refund

 

[horsemen]

Are you kidding? You didn't get basic navigation in your open water course? I'd ask for a refund

well they had use one at a time swim mm 20 kicks in a straight line turn around and come back and checked on how close we got back to our original start positing but who going to dive only go in a straight line and not go left or right a lil to look at something so i would say no navigation in my mind

 

[mrgonz]

Thank you all!

Gonz