Love:Hate relationship with Compass

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Trailboss123

Divemaster
Scuba Instructor
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Is it just me or does anyone else have a love/hate relationship with their compass?
I love my Suunto and I definitely rely upon and need a compass for my diving.. but I am getting so frustrated with durability and reliability issues. In the last 6 years, I have gone through 3 of these and at $100+ it is so frustrating to keep replacing.
Latest one is now not working and needs to be replaced. Has a water bubble in it. Does anyone have a wonderful compass that has been lasting the test of time? After the first one going bad and getting flooded, I have babied and handled the last two as if they were my first born and still..... Is 1-2 years and 100 to 150 dives a year just the general lifespan for a compass? Would love to hear what kind of compasses others are using and your experiences.

Suunto SK8 Compass
 
If I remember correctly, @Wookie has a favorite compass he has recommended before. I'd trust his opinion on most anything Scuba related. I played with the electronic compass on the Oceanic ProPlus X at DEMA and was impressed that it held its bearing at any angle and did not hang up...even upside down. I assume all electronic compasses are as good so maybe Santa leave one under the tree a little early.

Good luck,
Jay
 
I have an Oceanic compass that came with my Pro Plus 3. No issues whatever with it. I also had an Oceanic compass that came with my Pro Plus 2. The compass outlasted the computer !!

Divegoose
 
Suunto makes the very best analog compasses, and as far as the longitivity of the compasses goes, they take care to make sure that your compass is always almost new. What more could you ask for?

Michael
(who before switching over to Shearwater Petrel II computers, always had a spare SK7 in his divekit.)
 
Had the same experience with Suunto. Switched to "high tilt" Pelagic 8 years ago. Still works fine. I bought this Genesis/Sherwood one because there's no stupid logo to clutter up the view.
Sherwood-Wisdom-Dive-Compass-Big-1.jpg
 

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I expect my SK8 to last a lifetime. Because it sits in a box at home. Once I bought a Shearwater Teric, I don't bother with an analog compass anymore. If I dove in conditions where having an analog backup would be a good idea, I might take it along. But the compass on the Teric is so sweet that I don't see a need to have a large, bulky analog compass on me.
 
said it time and time again, make one of these. Infinitely better than wrist compasses, easier to navigate with, gives you a place to make a map, write out important bearings, etc. and if the compass fails, you can replace the compass for $20 on Amazon. If I'm using it for relative bearings, then the compass on my computer is great, but if I'm doing any actual navigation work when I need to be on the compass for more than about 10 kick cycles, I use these


this compass
https://www.amazon.com/SUUNTO-A-10-...s=map+compass&qid=1553786999&s=gateway&sr=8-8
 
I'd really like to find an awesome well-built compass in the style of the old Princeton Tectonics/ScubaPro/Uwatec depth gauges. It's bombproof (the one I have is actually from Little Creek. Even has the number engraved into the side), large, and you can beat a shark off with it. If someone made a compass in a similar style and construction, I'd definitely pick one up.

But realistically speaking, if I'm actually doing any navigating, it's with a nav board like the one posted in the video above. Much more convenient, easier to keep track of data, etc.
 

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