Compass issues

[Roatan Joe]

There is never a total absence of visual reference. Tiny particles are always floating around you. Use them. Make use of the available options, there is never a situation where there are no options. You just need to find them.

cascas or Storker,

Sorry, just noticed this thanks to the above post.

Unless you tell me otherwise I think you guys above all seem to be ocean divers. Unless you tell me otherwise, I don't really think you appreciate how limited the vis is around here in some of these fresh water quarries.

Again... I really think you guys aren't getting the picture here. Muck diving around here (4 or 5 ft. vis this past weekend) doesn't afford you the luxury of projecting your straight line over objects between you and the final destination. A lot of the muck diving around here is like diving in a cloud or a fog that almost prevents you from seeing your buddy directly next to you.

Again, in REAL fresh water muck diving you have to keep your nose to the compass and keep the needle pointed the correct direction. Additionally, the bottom of some of these quarries around here have barren/lifeless bottoms or are covered in hydrilla. There's not really anything to focus on and swim to, even if you could see beyond a few feet in front of you. Sure there is floating particulate in the water, but there's no way to focus on one particular particle. There are thousands of them. Around here, saying to focus on a particle is like telling someone to focus on a water droplet while driving through a thick fog. Ain't gonna happen..

If one of you guys ever come to the DFW area, please contact me. We can go diving and you can show me how to swim from particle to particle..

 

[lowviz]

...//... In any event, I only had a question about the comment about swimming in a circle because that just didn't make sense to me and I was afraid I was missing something.

It is exactly that. One of your legs will be stronger or have a more effective kick. You cannot swim in a straight line without some reference. Worse yet, it will always feel like you are swimming in a straight line. Lapenta did this in his rescue class, shallow mostly unused back quarry. No vis. Breath-hold underwater swim. Students end up all over the place. Quite comical.

More than one WWII sub sank itself with its own torpedo that missed the intended target. Same effect, perfect circle.

If you have an occasional reference (like poorly following a compass), you will miss your target to one side or the other while always *generally* progressing in the intended direction with respect to the Earth's magnetic poles.

 

[cascas]

cascas or Storker,

Sorry, just noticed this thanks to the above post.

Unless you tell me otherwise I think you guys above all seem to be ocean divers. Unless you tell me otherwise, I don't really think you appreciate how limited the vis is around here in some of these fresh water quarries.

Again... I really think you guys aren't getting the picture here. Muck diving around here (4 or 5 ft. vis this past weekend) doesn't afford you the luxury of projecting your straight line over objects between you and the final destination. A lot of the muck diving around here is like diving in a cloud or a fog that almost prevents you from seeing your buddy directly next to you.

Again, in REAL fresh water muck diving you have to keep your nose to the compass and keep the needle pointed the correct direction. Additionally, the bottom of some of these quarries around here have barren/lifeless bottoms or are covered in hydrilla. There's not really anything to focus on and swim to, even if you could see beyond a few feet in front of you. Sure there is floating particulate in the water, but there's no way to focus on one particular particle. There are thousands of them. Around here, saying to focus on a particle is like telling someone to focus on a water droplet while driving through a thick fog. Ain't gonna happen..

If one of you guys ever come to the DFW area, please contact me. We can go diving and you can show me how to swim from particle to particle..

How about less than 3 feet ? Trust me it works.

 

[Roatan Joe]

How about less than 3 feet ? Trust me it works.

Trust you? Haha.. Just PM me when you arrive at DFW International Airport...

 

[cascas]

Trust you? Haha.. Just PM me when you arrive at DFW International Airport...

Or you at Schiphol airport.