nilsdiver
Contributor
Peter Guy:
I searched for a program like this a few months ago and did not find anything.
How can you create underwater maps?
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I searched for a program like this a few months ago and did not find anything.
Charlie99
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While you may eventually drag ropes all over the reef (carefully avoiding contact with the reef, of course), for the first pass you can just use kick cycles.
This worked pretty good for a rather complicated shaped reef with a well defined sand to reef outline. I just did a series of straight line approximatons of the reef and recorded bearing and # of frog kicks for each segment. EG: 10k @ 240, 15K @ 200, 8 K @040, 4K @ 090, 12 K at 160.
Back at home I plotted those out, using the XY coordinate info in Photoshop Elements. You could use just about any program for that.
A key check is to cross back and forth across the reef now and then to create "closed loops" or paths. Then you can compare the endpoint when you plot out one set of segments with where you end up going the other path. Just using kick counts I was usually within 5% on final accuracy.
You can calibrate your kick cycles one time with a known distance rope to get the proper distance scale.
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I would make the map, put it in a ziplock bag or laminate it, then go do a dive and check it's accuracy and add in some more features.
Gradually you build up a pretty good map, both on paper and in your mind.
This worked pretty good for a rather complicated shaped reef with a well defined sand to reef outline. I just did a series of straight line approximatons of the reef and recorded bearing and # of frog kicks for each segment. EG: 10k @ 240, 15K @ 200, 8 K @040, 4K @ 090, 12 K at 160.
Back at home I plotted those out, using the XY coordinate info in Photoshop Elements. You could use just about any program for that.
A key check is to cross back and forth across the reef now and then to create "closed loops" or paths. Then you can compare the endpoint when you plot out one set of segments with where you end up going the other path. Just using kick counts I was usually within 5% on final accuracy.
You can calibrate your kick cycles one time with a known distance rope to get the proper distance scale.
--------------------
I would make the map, put it in a ziplock bag or laminate it, then go do a dive and check it's accuracy and add in some more features.
Gradually you build up a pretty good map, both on paper and in your mind.
The Kraken
He Who Glows in the Dark Waters (ADVISOR)
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Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
With a compass, tape measue, depth gauge and a solid grasp of trigonometry coupled with a lot of breathing gas.
Oh, and a good dive buddy, too!
the K
Oh, and a good dive buddy, too!
the K
OP
shoupart
Contributor
Thanks, guys, good stuff! I'll keep you posted on my trial efforts.
travelmadness
Contributor
wow i really wish i had some detailed maps on some of my dives. sometimes i end up wondering where the heck i am!
travelmadness:
Will have something cool to show @ ScubaShow!
I_AM
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