Compass Preference

[Matt Lochansky]

Hi everyone -

I am a new diver (July 2020, 10 dives in) alongside my 12 year old daughter and we need to add a compass to our bag. Are there any recommendations? Does anyone have advice on the placement - Wrist, Hose, Retractable, or add on to my computer console (we dive AL i550c and i300c)?

Anything more cost effective than others? As a quick fix I was looking at the Edge Sport compass.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[Mod63]

Suunto SK7/SK8, preferable with a bungee mount

 

[lowwall]

Wrist if you need to navigate with it. Console is OK if you just need to refer to it occasionally for general orientation. Retractable anythings are aren't ideal, they are considered snag/entanglement hazards and the mechanisms are prone to breakage.

Suunto SK7/SK8, preferable with a bungee mount

Bungee means a wrist mount that uses a pair of bungee cords instead of a strap.

Here's an example: Compass Bungee Mount Combo Kit w/ bungee mount , Piranha Dive Shop |

 

[meesier42]

bungie mount, stored on my arm/wrist when not using it, on the back of my left hand when I am. If it is a casual dive and I am not worried about navigation, then I'll use the electronic compass in the computer.

please don't mount compasses to computers or retractors, both mess skew the orientation (batteries and spings)

 

[Bowers]

The edge sport is good and i teach my students in them. If you want to up the performance the pro version has higher tilt tolerance. On the arm or hand is my preference. I put it on right arm because my light mounts on my left hand and i need to be able to shine my light onto the compass for night dives.

 

[Matt Lochansky]

Thanks everyone. The bungee strap is one I did not really understand until I saw all the comments and researched further. Especially as I am diving with a 12 year old, I want to keep things as frustration free as possible. I went with the Hog Pro Bungee Mount Wrist Compass

 

[Dark Wolf]

Suunto SK8. Bungee mount. In low vis, or if I need precision, it rides the back of my right hand.

DW

 

[Vitesse2l]

Bungee mount, as everyone says, and OP agrees.

And some practice on dry land!

For me, part of shore dive planning involves deciding which bearings we'll follow beforehand. At least try to remember what gets you back to the beach! Going by time rather than fin strokes too.

Personally I really struggle to visualise the orientation of a site once under water, trying to picture a map and translate to the compass comes hard so having the bearings already worked out beforehand is best. Limited bandwidth.

 

[happy-diver]

This has a few options the edge, including bungee with no more to spend I like it
You see wrist mounted allows the masses to pretend technical, like a slung pony
I also like to compass at the end of a long hosed console for accurate navigation

Footloose and wrist free

If I can squeeze through on the way in without unclipping the console from my chest
If I can not squeeze through on the way out without unclipping the console then I can

Yeah, I'm always leaving the bungee a bit too tight on my wrists and giving myself DCS

 

[fisheater]

I'm a big believer in Suunto SK7 or SK8, in a bungee mount (and on the left wrist). That's what I've used for years and what I purchased for my son as soon as he was certified.