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

[soamelt]

I just started using a compass about 6 months ago, mainly for finding my exit point on beach dives. I do "ok". Last night I did a beach dive at night in rough seas, good current that seemed to change at least once and poor vis. We would have never stayed on the reef if I didn't keep checking my bearings. I would go north, turn my head ever so slightly to check something out and swim check my compass a minute later and I'm going west towards the beach. I made a lot of right turns on that dive. It felt like we were swimmng in ciricles the whole time. We weren't, but if I didn't have a compass, we wouldve never know where we were without surfacing. It was tough enough to stay on the reef with a compass, I can't imagine what it would've been like without one.

 

[DBailey]

On every boat dive, I take a compass heading to the closet land mass. If the boat needs to leave for an emergency, or the boat drifts away, or if a storm/fog rolls in, I want to know which way I need to start swimming to get to land.

On every anchored boat dive on a wall, I will start my dive at the anchor. Take a heading from the anchor to the wall, us a bit of natural navigation to mark the spot. Upon retuning to that spot, I can get back to the anchor. I had a few dives where the surface winds blew the boat to a different spot from where we started the dive, and I missed it since I used the stern as my starting point.

Low vis has been hit on.

Many time, local divers can tell you that Uber-rare-sea-creature can be found northeast of some landmark underwater. Or if you go due east from the bow of the boat, you can see some of the cargo that fell overboard during the sinking.

 

[Not so Blue]

Well all very interesting and useful info. I have just started diving and am looking into buying my kit. I have the aeris manta computer, but it doesn't have integrated air, nor a digital compass. I thought about buying just a SPG, then thought about building in some redundancy and getting it with depth as well. Then thought about maybe a compass on the console. Anyhow, where i am diving at the mo I don't need one as vis is generally good and there is not too much to see so we usually stay along the wall, turn and head back. Its a mixed bag really. I am not drawn to diving in low vis, not yet anyway. May be an option to upgrade the computer to include a digital compass so as not to have the extra unnecessary weight of a larger console. Or maybe buy a cheap wrist mount that I could use only when needed. Thanks for your thoughts.

Paul

 

[tk trekers]

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

Not really, but but with our great viz on the majority of the lakes around here, there is a reason they call us Swampers and that makes us uniquely qualified to answer compass questions!

It was kind of funny that several of us answered the question at the same time though.

 

[300bar]

Paul

Take a look here aswell,same question same situation (OW diver)
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/301128-how-do-you-use-compass.html
Hope it helps.

 

[ligersandtions]

Well all very interesting and useful info. I have just started diving and am looking into buying my kit. I have the aeris manta computer, but it doesn't have integrated air, nor a digital compass. I thought about buying just a SPG, then thought about building in some redundancy and getting it with depth as well. Then thought about maybe a compass on the console. Anyhow, where i am diving at the mo I don't need one as vis is generally good and there is not too much to see so we usually stay along the wall, turn and head back. Its a mixed bag really. I am not drawn to diving in low vis, not yet anyway. May be an option to upgrade the computer to include a digital compass so as not to have the extra unnecessary weight of a larger console. Or maybe buy a cheap wrist mount that I could use only when needed. Thanks for your thoughts.

Paul

You're not missing much with a non-AI computer or a digital compass....all the fancy, "high-tech", expensive stuff doesn't make it the best. Stick with whatever computer you have, get a plain old SPG, and a wrist-mounted compass. You'll be happy with that and so will your bank account.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I do a lot of shore diving, and a compass helps me get back to the place where I started the dive ... locally I NEVER dive without it.

When I scooter, I also have a compass permanently mounted on my ride ... it's just a lot easier than trying to use the one on my wrist.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MichaelBaranows]

If you don't get one be sure you are going to need it. I had one on my console but when I switched to a wrist computer I sure did miss my compass. So I have on that is on a retractor now. Comes in real handy. Cause I don't need it all the time so I can just clip it on if I think I might need it. If I am rig diving no but lake diving for sure.

 

[Notso_Ken]

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

An absolutely essential piece of equipment.


Ken
Navigator extraordinaire

 

[Rhone Man]

Most of my dives are on sites I am pretty familiar with, and so I rarely wear a dedicated compass (my computer does have a crappy electronic one as a backup though).

However, more often than I care to admit I wish that I had taken one. Each time I admonish myself to always wear one, and my good intentions last until the start of the next dive.

Following on from the OP's implied question though: you don't need to get one integrated into the console - I would tend to steer you away from that and suggest you look at wrist mounts anyhow, if that helps you on the consolde conundrum.