Developing navigation skills

bigsnowdog · Jan 1, 2010

My first season of diving was great fun, and I look forward to this year. I realize a huge weakness I have is navigation skills.

Do you have any ideas on strategies or drills to use to most effectively learn navigation skills? Thank you.

drydiver · Jan 1, 2010

Do you have anywhere to practice with landmarks (preferably buoys) and without current, like a quarry or lake? One exercise I did a lot at my local quarry was to take a reading on land and then dive to that location.

D

ScubaSteve · Jan 1, 2010

Situational awareness is one of the most important things with navigation. Even if you can expertly take a compass bearing, seeing where you are and what is around you will always help out. Pay very close attention to what your surroundings are on top of learning to use a compass.

Compass navigation really is quite simple and just really requires someone to teach you in person. It can be learned on land and then applied to underwater. Again, I am a believer that even with the compass knowledge, you must learn your surroundings.

MauiScubaSteve · Jan 1, 2010

Where are you going to do the majority of your diving? Lots of beginning divers learn navigation very well in the ocean, because of the current and surge.

Jim Lapenta · Jan 1, 2010

One of the real keys to successful navigation in addition to compass skills and situational awareness is excellent buoyancy control and trim. Antisilting kicks and the ability to make precise turns
(helicopter turns) will also add to successful results. If you cannot hold trim and depth, swim a straight line without tearing up the bottom, and make a good turn, those skills should be addressed during, or even better before, working on Nav skills.

bigsnowdog · Jan 1, 2010

draleigh:
Do you have anywhere to practice with landmarks (preferably buoys) and without current, like a quarry or lake? One exercise I did a lot at my local quarry was to take a reading on land and then dive to that location.

D

Most of my diving in the summer is in quarries in the midwest, so yes. I had the good fortune during Thanksgiving week to dive for a week in Bonaire. So I got to experience currents and observe coral leaning from current.

bigsnowdog · Jan 1, 2010

Jim Lapenta:
One of the real keys to successful navigation in addition to compass skills and situational awareness is excellent buoyancy control and trim. Antisilting kicks and the ability to make precise turns
(helicopter turns) will also add to successful results. If you cannot hold trim and depth, swim a straight line without tearing up the bottom, and make a good turn, those skills should be addressed during, or even better before, working on Nav skills.

I think I am doing well on those things. Perhaps a single skill I need work on is swimming along, simultaneously observing the compass and also keeping some notion of where I am.

drydiver · Jan 1, 2010

all great advice here, when I finally hit the ocean without a DM, I took a peek behind me to help with land navigation, those coral heads never seem to look the same on the way out as on the way back

Garrobo · Jan 1, 2010

When I first started diving I hired a DM to go with me for a couple dives a day for two days and did nothing but navigation. Cost me 60 bucks and helped me out a lot.

Mopar · Jan 1, 2010

That is the good thing about a local quarry in my area. It has a navagation course set up and you can practice. The name of the quarry Loch Low Minn.

Developing navigation skills

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bigsnowdog

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Wow.....what a DB

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