Tips for navigation?

[jonhall]

I'm such a lazy diver, I count on a guide to get me where I need to be! The only thing I do today is note the direction of the shore before going under.

I used to teach a little orienteering in my science classes and would have students follow and make maps using compass headings and distance (distance being replaced by something else underwater.) It made using a compass, for me, easier underwater as I had a lot of practice on land. The hardest part underwater was/is keeping the compass level.

A few of my first shore dives were out and in, so just to practice staying on a straight line was helpful, especially when there was a little current trying to throw you off.

Finding a nice dive site where you already know the topography/landmarks (as already mentioned) to practice can be helpful.

How cool the Teric sounds and looks - easier than keeping a compass level?? Looks like you still have to use basic skills as with regular compass, but that it might keep you on a heading more accurately??

 

[Vitesse2l]

Practice, as others have said.

The first few times leading a dive I found I had no capacity for much else other than the navigation.

It gets easier.

 

[Dan]

How cool the Teric sounds and looks - easier than keeping a compass level?? Looks like you still have to use basic skills as with regular compass, but that it might keep you on a heading more accurately??

Yes, Teric doesn’t need to be in compass level.

I usually turn OFF the AI (for reading pressure transmitter) and Compass at the end of my diving trip to save battery power during storage, between dive trips. Then, at the night before the next dive trip, I turn on the AI & Compass and Outer Ring to Show.

Teric manual is very very easy to read and follow.

https://www.shearwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Teric_Operating_Instructions_metric.pdf

To turn ON the Compass, just press the Menu (bottom-left) button to show the menu. Then scrolll down through the menu by pressing the down-arrow button (the same bottom-left button as the Menu button) until you see Settings, then select it by pressing the Select (top-right button). You are now in Settings menu, Then scroll down to Compass (it should show in OFF mode). Turn it ON by pressing Select button twice to show the selection menu OFF and ON and scroll down to ON and select it.
Before you leave the Compass menu, you want to make sure that the Outer Ring is set to Show. If it’s on Hide, scroll down to the Outer Ring,select Show. Then press Home (bottom-right) button to go back to Home display.
When you’re in Dive mode, you should now be able to see the red arrow moving around on the outer ring, showing the north direction whenever you rotate the display.

To mark your destination, just point Teric’s 12 o’clock position to the destination and press the Select button twice (first press to popup the compass display, second press to mark the destination). You would then see the green dot pointing to your destination.

Once you reach your destination and you want to return to where you started, orient the green floating button to Teric’s 6 o’clock mark. Start finning back to the home base direction while maintaining the green button on the 6 o’clock mark. After about similar outbound time lapse, you may start seeing your home base (anchor line for example).

 

[Jake 10]

Great question !
Great answers !
It takes practice. You'll get there, just takes time.

 

[_Ralph]

Thank you all for the replies. My husband does not use a compass on most dives, or at least not as his main navigation - he uses "natural navigation" and takes note of the terrain, will turn around and look at the boat/anchor as we are going out to see what it looks like coming back, etc. I tried that a couple of times and it was confusing and I didn't see good landmarks. But I will keep trying.

I think I will also inquire how much to take a class in navigation with an instructor.

Careful with a class...

It might be handy... it might be an utter waste of time...

I’d personally seek out someone who is really good at navigation, and not someone who just dives the same site weekend after weekend.. and get some mentorship.

Otherwise, you’ll likely find the wrong way to use a compass underwater.. and swim a square and be told ‘you can navigate! Here’s your card’


_R

 

[BoltSnap]

I think I will also inquire how much to take a class in navigation with an instructor.

Make sure that you discuss with the instructor that you want the training and competency transfer much more than a c-card. Unfortunately, some instructors BS their way through courses and the only thing they actually give to the students are the c-cards and not much else. He should cover various navigation patterns with compass, natural navigation, keeping track of depth and buoyancy while navigating, navigating when diving from boat and shore, compensating for currents while navigating, navigating during night dives and whatever else the instructor will add to the mix.

 

[BoltSnap]

Careful with a class...

It might be handy... it might be an utter waste of time...

I’d personally seek out someone who is really good at navigation, and not someone who just dives the same site weekend after weekend.. and get some mentorship.

Otherwise, you’ll likely find the wrong way to use a compass underwater.. and swim a square and be told ‘you can navigate! Here’s your card’

Do you mean that using a compass the wrong way or whatever else wrong will only come from an instructor not the "expert" mentors? She should find a competent and experienced instructor who will actually transfer knowledge and skill to her to meet her needs.

 

[hedonist222]

Fortunately the diving here is along a coast that is almost parallel to North.
So I always know that if I'm disoriented, I simply need to head West (280 degrees) - back to the shore. Not saying I can always swim to the shore because sometimes dive sites are a fifteen minute boat ride. But heading towards the shore is better than heading towards international waters and nearby Iran .

If I'm exploring a seabed reef and want to venture out and explore - I'll take note of both the time I started and the direction I'm heading in and mark the reverse if I decide to back track. Assuming theres no current, I should be back at my starting point in less than the time it took me to go out. Because on return I will most likely be heading straight back without exploring.

 

[BoltSnap]

heading towards international waters and nearby Iran

Why not? You will be making an international dive in some very hot waters, not too many people get to do that

 

[TMHeimer]

Most of my boat dives have been wreck dives, so natural navigation was pretty easy. Only thing is, don't forget exactly where the anchor line is so you can ascend on it.
For my shore diving I don't use the lubber line. I can do all that fancy stuff having taken the UW Nav course. But it's way easier to just look at the compass to see what direction (ENE?) I want to go out and maybe which way is the shore exit point--(WSW?), which I check after surfacing.