AmRus
Registered
I have completed the necessary dives and passed the courses in order to receive my master dive certification from PADI.
During almost all of my previous dives, I was always part of a group of holiday divers who were closely monitored by locally trained PADI DiveMasters: plan the dive, dive the plan. It's the rule. (Okinawa, Cyprus, Maldives, Red Sea).
What I've found is that now, when I'm allowed to go on my own with my dive partner, and afterward to meet up with a RIB or onto the boat - I can follow the safety stop rules, including for deep dive -I really haven't a clue as to where I am when underwater on boat dives. I attend the pre-dive briefings and take notes, but underwater - it all goes amiss.
On a recent dive trip (live-aboard), my dive partner used up more air than me and I was tasked with bringing the person to a safe dive conclusion. The DM signaled to me to end the dive with my partner and recover via the RIB, while the rest of the group continued the dive. It was a pre-arranged plan and I didn't realize I would have this location problem. I have a sausage for identification, but - seriously - I couldn't confirm where we were on at the time. Safety stop, sausage deployment... no problems. Where we were - I haven't a clue. RIB guy did. DM did (of course): Me? Not a clue.
This is not especially a safety issue: the DM's I have dived with are superb - it's more of an embarrassment. (We were in the Red Sea: had the DM thought there would be an issue regarding dive conditions, we all would have surfaced, but we were in no danger on a calm, clear day and HE knew we were in sight of the boat, which we were when my partner and I surfaced).
I am completely disoriented underwater. I really think I passed the AOW part of navigation only by luck.
I have a Suunto D9 - perhaps I should buy a dedicated compass? Retake the underwater navigation course? I don't talk (much less 'brag') about my certification: I completed all the certs because I really love the sport.
Any suggestions - apart from telling any local DM that I'm a complete git in the water, or not diving again? I'd really like to solve this problem.
During almost all of my previous dives, I was always part of a group of holiday divers who were closely monitored by locally trained PADI DiveMasters: plan the dive, dive the plan. It's the rule. (Okinawa, Cyprus, Maldives, Red Sea).
What I've found is that now, when I'm allowed to go on my own with my dive partner, and afterward to meet up with a RIB or onto the boat - I can follow the safety stop rules, including for deep dive -I really haven't a clue as to where I am when underwater on boat dives. I attend the pre-dive briefings and take notes, but underwater - it all goes amiss.
On a recent dive trip (live-aboard), my dive partner used up more air than me and I was tasked with bringing the person to a safe dive conclusion. The DM signaled to me to end the dive with my partner and recover via the RIB, while the rest of the group continued the dive. It was a pre-arranged plan and I didn't realize I would have this location problem. I have a sausage for identification, but - seriously - I couldn't confirm where we were on at the time. Safety stop, sausage deployment... no problems. Where we were - I haven't a clue. RIB guy did. DM did (of course): Me? Not a clue.
This is not especially a safety issue: the DM's I have dived with are superb - it's more of an embarrassment. (We were in the Red Sea: had the DM thought there would be an issue regarding dive conditions, we all would have surfaced, but we were in no danger on a calm, clear day and HE knew we were in sight of the boat, which we were when my partner and I surfaced).
I am completely disoriented underwater. I really think I passed the AOW part of navigation only by luck.
I have a Suunto D9 - perhaps I should buy a dedicated compass? Retake the underwater navigation course? I don't talk (much less 'brag') about my certification: I completed all the certs because I really love the sport.
Any suggestions - apart from telling any local DM that I'm a complete git in the water, or not diving again? I'd really like to solve this problem.