Underwater Navigation. Where to start.

[riffdiver]

Hello everyone. This might be not a "NEW" per se, but I need some info on "Where to start" with Underwater Navigation. There are quite a few articles on the web, I have read a lot of them. But there might be some books that are GOOD in view of expirienced divers, that could help me. I would apreciate your input.

Thanks.

 

[hvulin]

Taking a course is allways a good start...

If you don't wan't to take a course try getting just the books... More diving with expirienced divers will also help (talk to them about it)...

 

[shakeybrainsurgeon]

PADI's AOW manual has a good chapter on nav for the associated course...available at PADI LDS

 

[riffdiver]

Taking a course is allways a good start...

If you don't wan't to take a course try getting just the books... More diving with expirienced divers will also help (talk to them about it)...

I'm getting sertified in the next couple of weeks. My check-out dives start in two weeks, so I would like to be at least ON the subject. There is not much in OW certification in SSI or PADI cources. (I'm SSI). Next will be a specialty cource, wich I have signed up for, but very "General" .

 

[Cacia]

when you dive, practice always taking a heading, even when you think you don't need to.

Pay attention to natural features like sand patterns, surge and currents to augment your compass readings.

Good luck. Oh, practice the box in the parking lot before you dive and if you can do that easily, it helps a lot.

 

[Charlie99]

I'm getting sertified in the next couple of weeks.

Most newly certified divers are working so hard on the basics of breathing, swimming, and staying at the same depth that they can't spend much time on navigating or paying attention to where they are going. My recommendation is to dive with a good buddy or divemaster, and for the first 5 or 6 dives at least, not to bother worrying about navigation.

Then, as you don't have to work so hard on the very basics of diving, then you will start paying more attention to your surroundings. Things like where is your buddy and any others diving with you. That's when it make more sense to starting paying more attention to compass headings and natural features.

Navigation is mostly experience and a few short articles (or threads on SB) or the chapter on navigation in the AOW coursebook should have enough information. What is needed then is practice, practice, practice.

http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=1152138&postcount=2 and
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=148747 should give you enough information to get you started on navigation once you get certified.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Read Scubaboard and Practice....

 

[markr]

If your problem with navigation is using a compass you can practice on land. It's easier to concentrate on learning to hold the compass level and centered on your body etc. when you're not getting distracted by things like remaining air, maintaining depth, where your buddy is. Once you can use the compass well on land then move to the water.

As part of the Underwater Navigation dive for AOW we had to swim a square box 100' on a side. You can practice doing the same thing on land. Find out how many paces it takes to walk 25'. Multiply this number by 4 to get how many paces for 100'. Using the compass take a bearing and while looking at the compass walk the number of paces you calculated. Turn 90 degrees and walk again. Repeat until you 've completed the box. Even on land a lot of people have a problem getting back within 10' of their starting point.

 

[jpcpat]

PADI's AOW manual has a good chapter on navigation. It's not the kind of thing you can learn from a book. You need to practice..lots. That means getting lost now and again.

Even after a lot practice, I find that I can navigate pretty well by compass, but only if I devote most of my attention to it. On a shallow reef dive, get some landmarks near the up line and check to see what the BOAT looks like. Then dive. At 1500 psi, surface and shoot a bearing back to the boat. Follow it roughly, and it's pretty easy to find your way home.

Until you get it down, practice your excuses! When come up next to the wrong boat, ask the captain what his schedule for tomorrow is! you werent lost, you just wanted to check.

 

[JahJahwarrior]

Hello everyone. This might be not a "NEW" per se, but I need some info on "Where to start" with Underwater Navigation.

Usually on a boat dive you start at the anchor line. If you are shore diving, you might snorkel out and descend at the same spot. If you dive there often, maybe swim to about the same spot, once down, find a rock or something that you have marked and start from there. Quarry dives are simple, start from something that was sunk near where you descended, from what Iunderstand there is usually an airplane, car or elvis somewhere on the bottom and probably near you. You could always descend at a dock or something and start navigating from there instead, treat it like your anchor line.