Confessions of a newbie - My U/W Navigation Stinks!

[Steve_Dives]

I logged dives 11 & 12 today, with the assistance of a supportive buddy who logged # 50. I have to confess, my underwater navigation skills stink.

Does anyone have suggestions, games, or things to practice? (My searches weren't yielding anything obviously navigation related.)

Today we did squares, reciprocal, surface-sight-submerge-swim (max depth was only 27 feet, and we were surfacing from ~15). Some I would hit, some I missed (vis = small quarry + two OW classes). Keep doing the same?

 

[terrasmak]

My nav is still rough , it takes time and practice and a lot of it for some.

 

[Jim Ernst]

I logged dives 11 & 12 today, with the assistance of a supportive buddy who logged # 50. I have to confess, my underwater navigation skills stink.

Does anyone have suggestions, games, or things to practice? (My searches weren't yielding anything obviously navigation related.)

Today we did squares, reciprocal, surface-sight-submerge-swim (max depth was only 27 feet, and we were surfacing from ~15). Some I would hit, some I missed (vis = small quarry + two OW classes). Keep doing the same?

steve, keep on practicing, when i started i was the WORST ever, i was so bad i led gf and i into the shipping lanes, even though we were getting deeper and should have been getting shallower,lol, i was horrible at navigation, i have learned a lot from trial and error!! it is normal when you first start, one of my biggest problems was that i have great directional knowlage on land , and so i refused to trust my compass in the water!! big mistake that took me a long time to overcome!!

 

[TxHockeyGuy]

I logged dives 11 & 12 today, with the assistance of a supportive buddy who logged # 50. I have to confess, my underwater navigation skills stink.

Does anyone have suggestions, games, or things to practice? (My searches weren't yielding anything obviously navigation related.)

Today we did squares, reciprocal, surface-sight-submerge-swim (max depth was only 27 feet, and we were surfacing from ~15). Some I would hit, some I missed (vis = small quarry + two OW classes). Keep doing the same?

Everyone has problems with UW navigation at the beginning. If you are just trying to follow the compass my biggest suggestion would be to make sure that your compass is level, this is the biggest mistake people make. If you don't keep it level, it won't work. Another suggestion I would make when doing navigation is cheat as much as possible. By this I mean if you know there is a way to use natural navigation techniques, do so. For instance, if there is a particular item I know that is at a certain depth in a quarry along a shoreline I will shoot way short of the item and then follow the depth until I find it. Also, if you find yourself getting disoriented underwater try to keep an idea as to which way is north at all times. If you can keep a picture of the area in your mind and keep yourself more or less oriented you'll find it much easier to get around.

There are several articles on this over at www.scubadiving.com under training. Go check them out.

 

[do it easy]

Most important -swim slowly- rushing only magnifies the error. Also, like Jim mentioned- learn to understand what the compass is telling you.

If I can see the bottom, I'll reference it to maintain depth. I will also get my heading, look ahead and line up a reference- it could be a leaf on the bottom, a twig or just a spot of algae. I'll swim to the reference and then line up the next reference.

If I have to do the mid water thing (no references), I keep an eye on my depth and use my peripheral vision to line up my direction of travel. I can see the particles in the water moving past, so I make sure that they are moving parallel to my intended direction.

Lastly, go practice or at least work some compass time into your dive profiles.

 

[ShakaZulu]

Practise top side, and then take it underwater.....always keep a reference to north. Slope of the bottom, direction of shore, will help to keep you oriented.

 

[spectrum]

Start some place simple to build confidence and skill. Plan to do a simple reciprocal course, in and out.

I usually take a heading on the beach where I can get a nice perpendicular vector from shore. Hold your compass with the lubber line inline with the heading, make sure you are level so the card indicates true orientation. Rotate the bezel so the point is on north.

Keeping N on the point will take you away. Putting N in the V will get you home as will putting S on the point. From there dive left or right. You can always rotate the compass to confirm north as you visiualize the site in your head.

Seldom do you need to be fixated on your compass. Dive slow and use visual cues. See a rock 10 feet ahead, swim to that and the the next rock. Swimming to fixed object will negate currents.

Never move the bezel on your compass once the dive begins. You don't wan't to confuse or corrupt the route home.

If you come up to take a return heading just note where it falls on the compass , descend and swim the heading.

Before long you will making 90% of your dive without surfacing and you will arrive at or near your exit.

Learining sites and natural features like wave ripples in the sand all works together.

This link may be helpful:
http://www.scubadiving.com/training/basic_skills/compass_navigation_made_easy/0/

Do not navigate while pulling a dive flag, if you can help it. The drag of the flag off to your side will tend to pull you in and arc, even if your body is inline with a heading. Distribute the task loading.

Pete

 

[The Kraken]

My main suggestion, GO SLOW!!

It's very easy to get off course if you're going to fast. All it takes is just a few kick cycles to get you way off course, especially in low visibility water.

the K

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

Get a big beach towel and a buddy who can use a compass. Go to a park or someplace where there are lots of things around. Have your buddy write how many steps and a compass heading to various objects. Have buddy make the course to zig zag so that you rely on the compass on the not land direction like walking in a square. Have buddy write the number of steps to each object. Put your towel over your head and keep your eyes on the compass. Try this in different locations until you can get it on land and feel you have mastered it. Buddy can name objects to make it fun or you can post a paper with a number of small object at the base of a tree.

I was practicing with some folks and we made fun names for cars and dumpsters and so forth. We also placed objects to represent obstacles that you would run into if you did not follow the course.

Also, make a map of the site yourself and have buddy check to see if you are able to write down info and headings that others can follow.

Have fun. I am still working on it but getting better.
Leah

 

[andydiver06]

Use a slate to note your headings and timings.Plan you headings on surface and it becomes easier uw.Reciprocal headings are easier to follow. Later practice a square profile . Its funny that most experienced divers hardly use compass (maybe just for some reference) for direction and come back to the exit point without any problem. They rely more on natural navigation.