Using a compass for shore diving in Bonaire

[Lorenzoid]

I asked the same questions about one year ago, just before I left for Bonaire and my first shore diving experience. Until then, I had only dived from boats. I was apprehensive about shore diving, especially navigation. But what I found was that diving in Bonaire couldn't be easier. Although a compass could help, we found we didn't need it. We'd walk into the water, dive down following the slope of the reef to some depth we had decided upon, find a distinguishable coral head or something else at that depth that we would hopefully notice on our way back, and then turn left or right--there was rarely any detectable current--and followed the reef. We'd swim for around 30 mins or until air indicated we should turn around, and make our way back. Once we'd swum maybe 20 mins., we started looking for our coral head marker at the depth noted. If we found it, then a compass reading wasn't usually necessary, since we just turned 90 degrees and followed the slope of the reef up--the direction "toward shore" was usually easy to discern. We usually popped up pretty close to our entry point. On occasions when we failed to find our marker, we gave it a few more minutes then turned toward shore. We rarely found ourselves far from the entry point even when we felt we might be. I suppose taking a compass reading and paying more attention to the surroundings would have made our exit even more accurate, but in the end it seemed that my pre-trip concerns had been excessive.

 

[DMDavid]

Pay for my airfare and I will bring an extra compass, be your dive guide, instruct you in Bonaire navigation.....shoot I will carry your tanks too.

I agree with Herman...
I too can be your dive guide but I will not need you to cover my airfare since I have my own way of getting there but I will need a place to stay.
So that makes me the less expensive dive guide.

Pick me! Pick me!

 

[Altamira]

I agree with the previous posts about Bonaire being a great place to practice navigation even though you generally would not need a compass there for daytime navigation. The combination of reef orientation and clear water allow you to notice and correct errors while practicing. However, drift compensation is one area of underwater navigation that is rarely noted in the articles I have read or conversations I have heard concerning UW navigation. Drift compensation probably is not an important consideration most of the time at Bonaire, but could be very important to you when diving in a moderate to strong current in lower visibiltiy waters, especially when the current is perpendicular to your proposed course. Just following a heading without compensating for current drift can put you in a more difficult situation in some dive environments. It is something you might want to put into your planning process for using the compass. Drift correction for the current is something that is too easy to forget if you do not incorporate it into your training thought process.

 

[gbf]

"Drift compensation" in Bonaire is cake.

from your starting point pick out something as far out as you can see on your heading. Swim there. Pick something else out ahead. Swim there. While enroute make sure you dawdle and watch for the interesting shallow water critters. Pretty soon you're where you're going.

Now, if vis was bad or current strong....well, I'd probably bag it and go enjoy a Bright. This approach works really well for me, and I recommend it, but I've become an old wienie diver.

 

[tflaris]

I asked the same questions about one year ago, just before I left for Bonaire and my first shore diving experience. Until then, I had only dived from boats. I was apprehensive about shore diving, especially navigation. But what I found was that diving in Bonaire couldn't be easier. Although a compass could help, we found we didn't need it. We'd walk into the water, dive down following the slope of the reef to some depth we had decided upon, find a distinguishable coral head or something else at that depth that we would hopefully notice on our way back, and then turn left or right--there was rarely any detectable current--and followed the reef. We'd swim for around 30 mins or until air indicated we should turn around, and make our way back. Once we'd swum maybe 20 mins., we started looking for our coral head marker at the depth noted. If we found it, then a compass reading wasn't usually necessary, since we just turned 90 degrees and followed the slope of the reef up--the direction "toward shore" was usually easy to discern. We usually popped up pretty close to our entry point. On occasions when we failed to find our marker, we gave it a few more minutes then turned toward shore. We rarely found ourselves far from the entry point even when we felt we might be. I suppose taking a compass reading and paying more attention to the surroundings would have made our exit even more accurate, but in the end it seemed that my pre-trip concerns had been excessive.

A strobe tied to a small weight with a 5 foot piece of string/line also works great as an exit point.

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[Lorenzoid]

A strobe tied to a small weight with a 5 foot piece of string/line also works great as an exit point.

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I've considered that, but discarded the idea because it's not impossible that I might not find it, and I don't like the idea of leaving junk on the reef. Though it's probable that someone else would soon find it and be all too happy to clean the reef of my strobe, they might leave the weight there.

Another person suggested using a cork--like from a wine bottle--tied to some string and a streamer made of a biodegradeable material. But even though the cork is natural enough for my thinking, I don't know of any suitable streamer material.

In any case, the use of string bothers me. The last thing Bonaire needs is for divers to have to worry about entanglement in strings/lines that people left behind as entry/exit point markers.

 

[pdive]

I've considered that, but discarded the idea because it's not impossible that I might not find it, and I don't like the idea of leaving junk on the reef. Though it's probable that someone else would soon find it and be all too happy to clean the reef of my strobe, they might leave the weight there.

Another person suggested using a cork--like from a wine bottle--tied to some string and a streamer made of a biodegradeable material. But even though the cork is natural enough for my thinking, I don't know of any suitable streamer material.

In any case, the use of string bothers me. The last thing Bonaire needs is for divers to have to worry about entanglement in strings/lines that people left behind as entry/exit point markers.

Excellent point.

 

[pdive]

I've considered that, but discarded the idea because it's not impossible that I might not find it, and I don't like the idea of leaving junk on the reef. Though it's probable that someone else would soon find it and be all too happy to clean the reef of my strobe, they might leave the weight there.

Probable someone might clean the reef of your strobe while you are still submerged as well! I am guessing that to a passer by an abandoned marker looks exactly the same as one that is in use.

 

[reefdiva]

A strobe tied to a small weight with a 5 foot piece of string/line also works great as an exit point.

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Just a reminder to all: it is against Bonaire Marine Park Regulations to put anything on the reef or the bottom. ww.bmp.org/rulesandregulations2.html See number 9, bullet 6.

 

[ronski101]

We have found the compas to be quite useful especially on night dives. Between the compass and start depth you will at least be close to your starting point. The great visibility, turn around points, current considerations and land or is it sea marks all help. Having said that one time we were diving Little cayman and at the end of the dive came up under the wrong boat which had anchored 50 yds from our boat after our descent. It was the same size boat, same dive co. (Reef divers) with a reg hanging over the side at 20'. The only difference was a difference in the color of a weight belt on the reg. Boy was I embarassed. I now pay attention to detail a bit more.