How useful is a compass and how much is it really used?

[robint]

yes....... as mentioned before, you may never need it UNTIL you really, really need it. We never used ours for a couple of years, then we went on a liveaboard where there is no DM in the water... gotta be able to find your way back to the boat! Then we went diving in Calif where the vis is 30' on a good day and kelp forests block your view, once again we had to find our way back to boat. My buddy/husband has gotten very good about taking a heading as soon as we get in the water now, just in case.

another time you will need it is when diving from a boat or shore and you are trying to locate a wreck, or some other underwater feature. Take a reading at the surface pointing at the bouy, then drop down and swim to that heading underwater.

get the compass.

robin

 

[dkktsunami]

Hi all

I was looking into buying an air/pressure console and was wondering if there is any point in getting one with an integrated compass? How much do people use a compass and is it useful in everyday diving? Any advise would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Paul

A hand held compass that can be held level and out in front of you works best, and yes, I use mine a lot. I consider the compass to lie somewhere between "useful" and "necessary" depending on the condition of the water. On a wreck in poor vis it's easy to get turned around and one glance at the compass can give you direction of bow or stern assuming that you have oriented yourself at the beginning of the dive.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

I'll offer a tropical water perspective: Compasses are often useful even in areas with good visability.

Here is why: Some reef areas do not have a predictable slope (or almost no slope at all for hundreds of yards), and sometimes large stretches of reef can look pretty darned uniform.... not much better than swimming over long stretches of sand as far as "landmarks" you can navigate back home with.

Personal anecdote: I got "lost" 2 weeks ago at a shore diving site here in Hilo I've been diving at for over 30 years. I had a compass on my wrist, but was not using it since I knew the site well, and just used "natural" navigation.... but we had decided to explore a more remote area of the reef, visibility was maybe 50 feet, it was an overcast day, and the reef in this area varied in depth from 50 to 70 feet, with sand areas between large stretches of reef. After swimming for quite awhile, we reached our turn pressure. I turned towards home (I thought) the depth gradually decreased as expected.... but then started to increase. Puzzled, I looked around, thought I understood what was wrong, and changed course, and for several minutes was convinced I was on the right heading (depth was decreasing). Then, the depth began to increase again! I finally looked at the compass on my wrist, noted that I was indeed headed towards shore, but by this time had lost all confidence in where I thought we were (and even doubted the compass) and decided to surface to take a bearing on the shoreline... when I did, I discovered I was about 200 yards aways from where I thought I was!

What had happened was I had been complacent, the reef had an unusual slope in the area I was exploring, and the overcast day resulted in less light penetrating the water thus less visual clues about direction. I had gradually gone off course by following the reef contour in an area of the reef I was not familiar with.

So to answer the original question: A compass is very useful, but only if you use it!

Best wishes.

 

[300bar]

300bar..... You ended our Texas convension... LOL

Darn,now I'll be known as a threadkiller in Texas.:depressed:

 

[redacted]

It all comes down to where YOU dive.
In the RedSea on Curacao or Bali,on MOST dives there was no need for one.Just keep reef or coast on one shoulder, turn and keep the same on the other shoulder.Easy as that.
That said,going in to a large coral garden,you DO need one,if you want to return to the same spot you started.
On our local dives....I would not want to be without one.

Even for diving in places like Bonaire, I always use my compass for the trip from shore to the reef and back. That allows me to return to the entry point even without doing long surface swims. Amazing how much stuff can be found in what looks like mostly empty sand.

 

[300bar]

Even for diving in places like Bonaire, I always use my compass for the trip from shore to the reef and back. That allows me to return to the entry point even without doing long surface swims. Amazing how much stuff can be found in what looks like mostly empty sand.

Don't get me wrong.
So do I.But I've seen lots of divers without one and they came back just fine.
I you're a bottom grazer,like me you do need one for sure.
I never leave home without mine.

 

[Cajuncru Diver]

Okay, this is wild...four Texans in a row answering a question posed from Saudi Arabia!

You are probably just a bunch of oil men, sucking up in case domestic production goes down any more.

 

[diver 85]

Get a cheap(er) one & put it on your wrist.......never know when you can use it---of course you have to be able to use it 1st...

 

[Sinbad the Diver]

I use mine almost every dive, but I'm an old Army grunt so it's like essential life gear to me...

When I descend I get to the bottom and get ready to move out, I take a bearing and set the bezel on the bearing. If I make a turn for some reason and the vis makes it reasonable, I mentaly note the return bearing and a landmark and adjust the bezel to the new bearing. It's worked for me so far. When quary diving I use it on the surface to get general bearings to and from the entry point so that and I try to have an idea where I am in the lake while I dive. Allows me to have an idea what general direction to go to get closer to the entry.

 

[boulderjohn]

For a lot of recreational diving it is unnecessary. You might be descending a line to a wreck. You might be following a guide. You might be drift diving. A lot of people never do anything else.

On the other hand, there are a lot of situations where it is essential, and you really do need to use it and use it well. For that reason, it is good to have one and know how to use it.

I used to have a console compass, but when it eventually broke, I replaced it with a wrist mounted compass. I like that much better. One advantage is that you don't have to carry it on those dives where you know for sure you won't be using it. On the many dives I do where I need it, I like the convenience of having it there and ready to go the second I want it.