Tips for navigation?

[John C. Ratliff]

That's a plausible scenario where factoring declination is required. However wouldn't a SMB secured to the found large object be a better way to mark the object? Your home declination is about the same as mine here RI except in the opposite direction.

That kinda depends upon whether you want all the divers to know the location, or want to to be less known. Also, your SMB may not be there next time you’re out (storm, someone else taking it, etc.).

SeaRat

 

[NothingClever]

@Janie88 -

First, I’m going to suggest we bring this back down to the basics. What SeaRat brought up (mag declination, intersection, etc) is great info but probably advanced for what you’re after right now. I think you’re interested in foundational skills. You asked for tips but what would probably be more helpful is a course that gives you foundational information AND tips.

Second, I agree with @AfterDark - I’d jump on @Jim Lapenta ‘s course. The price is a real bargain, IMO, and he’s focused on TRAINING rather than hustling you towards a worthless certificate. I think he’ll provide the quality of instruction for the skills you desire.

Third, I have a lot of training in navigation in all climates. I tried to write a well-organized primer and it just ended up being a wall of text (even broken into paragraphs). It probably would’ve only served to make you say, “I really need to take a course.” If you jump on Jim’s course, he’ll be able to tell when you’re getting it and when to spend a little more time unpacking a topic. It’s really difficult to develop UW skills from reading snippets in a forum.

Until you get to a course, know this - there are four situations in which you find yourself that require navigation.

Further, there are fundamentally two methods of navigation to choose from for those situations.

Some situations require one method or the other. Some situations require (or the diver may feel most comfortable choosing) a blend of the two navigational methods.

Pulling the details of the dive profile (the situation) out of the DM/guide will help alleviate apprehension, focus your mental energies on selecting the right method of navigation (based on your training) for the situation and help you prepare before you splash.

Good luck and let us know how you get along.

 

[Janie88]

I'm about 2 1/2 hours from you just south of Pittsburgh. I teach an UW Nav course that I wrote myself after determining the majority of courses by every agency including the ones I've certified through, are not very well set up to provide a solid foundation if taught by the book and to the standards of the course. They have objectives that are unrealistic for divers not familiar with navigation and don't require enough time. They are 3 or 4 dives, one was actually only two (YMCA but it assumed they had YMCA OW which spent some time on Nav.), and the exercises are really not set up for lower vis and other challenging conditions.
The course I offer is 6 dives with realistic goals and time to achieve them through repetition and builds on each skill. It also uses lines and reels, has students creating a map, works on buoyancy and trim as well as using strict buddy skills to share the task loading.
It's not cheap. 275.00 per for a 2 person team or 375 for a private class. Not including gear, quarry fees, etc.
But you will get an education and have a solid foundation to work with.

Where do you go to dive, what quarry? Is this a weekend class? I think we are about 3hrs east of Pittsburgh if my "navigation" is correct haha. Can you go on the Juliet and teach the class there? HA! That would be the perfect scenario

I would like to do this, can you PM me more information. I have the upcoming October trip on Juliet, and then possibly a couple of days I can take off work after that. Or it may have to wait until next spring. My work has gotten super busy lately. I do appreciate the offer and maybe I can work it out.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

I know that this is an old thread and I didn't read all of it so maybe some of this is already covered...

When I was actively instructing, as part of my OW class we would go the football field outside of the school pool we used and bring our reg sets (including consoles with compasses) and two towels each to play the Nav Game... The drill was to drop one towel on the grass, drape the reg set so it's hanging around your neck, then put the other towel over your head so you can't see where you're going....but can see your compass. The game was to first walk/nav out a 100 paces, stop, and then turn a few circles and then do a reciprocal back and see how close you could end up to the towel you dropped at the starting gate... We then would move up to standard square's (90 degree turns) and triangles (120 degree turns)... and then Naving around an obstacle on reciprocal. Might sound silly but it was a great non-stressed, safe and fun way to demonstrate just the very basics of "beginner" compass work.

When diving someplace like Bonaire then nav is pretty simple.... and when navigating from an anchored boat in low vis Puget Sound....it gets a lot more complex...

I love being able to bring my friends literally right back to the flipping tailgate in Bonaire and for some reason they think I have some awesome skillset....but really it's just a trick. All I do is kick out on my back till we get to the blue water (usually about 25-30 fsw). I then point my lubber line right at the truck and set my bezel to N. Then descend and memorize a rock or coral formation in 25-30 ft. Then descend on down to 60-80 feet, hover for a moment and then turn up current. Spend about 1K psi out bound and then another 1K slowly drifting back as we slowly ascend. Once we are back up to 30 feet or so and about where I think we should be I look for and find my memorized "feature". From there I just set my bezel to S and then follow the lubber line right back to the truck...

 

[tursiops]

I know that this is an old thread and I didn't read all of it so maybe some of this is already covered...

When I was actively instructing, as part of my OW class we would go the football field outside of the school pool we used and bring our reg sets (including consoles with compasses) and two towels each to play the Nav Game... The drill was to drop one towel on the grass, drape the reg set so it's hanging around your neck, then put the other towel over your head so you can't see where you're going....but can see your compass. The game was to first walk/nav out a 100 paces, stop, and then turn a few circles and then do a reciprocal back and see how close you could end up to the towel you dropped at the starting gate... We then would move up to standard square's (90 degree turns) and triangles (120 degree turns)... and then Naving around an obstacle on reciprocal. Might sound silly but it was a great non-stressed, safe and fun way to demonstrate just the very basics of "beginner" compass work.

When diving someplace like Bonaire then nav is pretty simple.... and when navigating from an anchored boat in low vis Puget Sound....it gets a lot more complex...

I love being able to bring my friends literally right back to the flipping tailgate in Bonaire and for some reason they think I have some awesome skillset....but really it's just a trick. All I do is kick out on my back till we get to the blue water (usually about 25-30 fsw). I then point my lubber line right at the truck and set my bezel to N. Then descend and memorize a rock or coral formation in 25-30 ft. Then descend on down to 60-80 feet, hover for a moment and then turn up current. Spend about 1K psi out bound and then another 1K slowly drifting back as we slowly ascend. Once we are back up to 30 feet or so and about where I think we should be I look for and find my memorized "feature". From there I just set my bezel to S and then follow the lubber line right back to the truck...

I wouldn't call this a trick; I'd just call it good navigation.