What are your feelings about an underwater navigational device?
I think that the current procedures for UW navigation should be improved.
What do you find most difficult about underwater navigation?
Measure distances effectively.
How long have you been diving, and how has your answer to the last question changed as youve become more experienced?
2 years. Not still enougn experience.
When looking for a specific feature at a dive site (cave, wreck, etc
) how often do you have difficulty find it? If youve had difficulties with this, would your rather have a map to look at, or a simple arrow telling you the distance, direction, and depth to the feature?
A map.
Have you ever used any devices (other than a compass) for underwater navigation, and if so, what were your experiences with them?
Only a wirst watch.
How often have you been separated from your dive partner? Of those times, how many times have you easily found them, and how many took longer than you would have liked?
I do not understand the question.
What would be your biggest reason for purchasing a navigation device (safety, better dives, comfort, etc
)?
Comfort in limited visibility.
Do you use a dive computer? If so, what type do you use, how much did it cost, and what made you purchase your particular model?
No. I will buy it in the near future.
How often do you replace your computer, and what will you be looking for in your next one that your current model lacks?
No computer still.
If your next purchase of computer had an option for a practical navigational aid, how strongly would you consider the following features? Please rate from 1= Unnecessary to 5=Important, and add any comments you feel are necessary.
Distance and direction to boat (or dive starting location): 5
Distance and direction to dive partner (or other divers): 3
Waypoints for dive features (caves, wrecks, etc
): 5
Actual map of dive site: 5
A recorded path of your dive (including air usage and swim speed): 4
Some facts about you:
Geographic location (state or country): Argentina - South America
Do you prefer boat dives or beach dives: Boat dives
Favorite dive spot: Still to be defined
I've been thinking of how a GPS could be implemented to track your position UW.
I thought of a retractil antenna with a little buoy that could be deployed in the moment that the position must be known, plus a compass to point the requiered direction. The wire to the antenna should have at least 40 mts to allow a deep dive. Deeper seems to be unusefull, as the time a dive can have deeper is very little, so, not a long distance can be swam.