How often do you use your compass?
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I almost never use a compass and rarely wear mine. The directions I mostly need to know (up and down) are not displayed on a compass. However, there are times when they do come in handy. I've been at depth with no visible landmarks (either due to flat terrain or poor visibility) and a compass would have been useful in determining direction to shore and shallow water.
Reel Irie
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Are there any good resources online to learn a little more about navigation?
chrpai
Contributor
Lake Travis diving (Austin, TX USA ) has limited visibility. Boat diving is frequently much like shore diving except that it gives you transportation to a different shore.
Before every dive, I take a compass heading to make sure I know the direction to the "safe" zone. One dive site is an island so you need to be aware of where you as you go around the island because your compass heading to shore will change throughout the dive.
On most dives you keep the "wall" in sight so that you might be "wall right" as you go away from the exit point and "wall left" as you return it. But in the event that you get out away from the wall you need to use your compass to reacquire sight of the wall.
Sometimes I'll drop down a mooring line and then use the compass to travel to the wall. At a couple sites you'll shoot a heading out to the wall, follow the wall and then shoot another heading to come back to a wreck. More of a loop route so it's needed then also.
Before every dive, I take a compass heading to make sure I know the direction to the "safe" zone. One dive site is an island so you need to be aware of where you as you go around the island because your compass heading to shore will change throughout the dive.
On most dives you keep the "wall" in sight so that you might be "wall right" as you go away from the exit point and "wall left" as you return it. But in the event that you get out away from the wall you need to use your compass to reacquire sight of the wall.
Sometimes I'll drop down a mooring line and then use the compass to travel to the wall. At a couple sites you'll shoot a heading out to the wall, follow the wall and then shoot another heading to come back to a wreck. More of a loop route so it's needed then also.
Texasguy
Contributor
The lakes in Texas are pretty bad visibility wise. Deeper you go, less light, less visibility is available. At 10 feet of depth you probably can see 15' on a good day. At 20 feet, you see about 6 feet. At 25 feet, you see about 3 feet ahead. Closer to 30 feet of depth it is almost pitch black night even when it is full sun outside. Thus, a compass is a must.
However, when visibility is almost zero, following a tight direction for a long distance is very hard. On the surface one usually takes a note of an object where the compass is pointing, then you follow that object, not your compass. If you follow your compass, the errors will build up sending you away from your intended destination. Same happens in zero visibility, small course changes really kill the aim.
However, when visibility is almost zero, following a tight direction for a long distance is very hard. On the surface one usually takes a note of an object where the compass is pointing, then you follow that object, not your compass. If you follow your compass, the errors will build up sending you away from your intended destination. Same happens in zero visibility, small course changes really kill the aim.
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Every single dive I take a heading before jumping in, then check my compass a few times during the dive. I would not dive without my compass.
socaljohn
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So Cal shore diving I use mine all the time. Gets me where I want to be and at the end it allows me surface in 8-10 feet of water right in front of the stairs or ramp. Saves long surface swim in. And the gradual ascent makes sure I am well off gassed. 
I use it almost every dive. I always want to know the general heading back to shore/boat/whatever. If there is good visibility and nature navigation aids I may not check it again during the dive, but most dives I rely on it quite a bit. It's common for those who dive in poor visibility to be much more practiced with a compass, as if you always have 200+ vis you can just find the boat, but it's a key skill and every diver should orient themselves before every dive. You never know when conditions may suddenly change, and if you don't know what direction you have been going/need to go, the compass won't be much use at that point.
Reel Irie
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