Navigation made easy (Article enclosed)

[ScubaSarus]

Since the question comes up a lot I want to point to a great article on compass navigation for those new to it. This lesson helped me a lot.

http://www.scubadiving.com/training/basic_skills/compass_navigation_made_easy/4/

 

[WellBelowH2O]

Since the question comes up a lot I want to point to a great article on compass navigation for those new to it. This lesson helped me a lot.

Good article, but the link goes to the last page--if you click through on the link, make sure you start at the beginning or the navigation technique might not make sense. Here's the first page.

 

[CFL]

Thanks for the article. My wife and I just finished our Rescue Diver course, and everyone out there was a little rusty on our compass use! Luckily, the missing diver was an empty BC. We did find "him" on the last missing diver, drill, though, and we've started learning our compass use all over again. It would likely matter the most when you least expected you'd have to use it.

 

[BrianS]

In my opinion, N +4 really isn't much easier to remember than something like 60 degrees. But then I was in the Army and am used to using actual headings.

 

[WellBelowH2O]

In my opinion, N +4 really isn't much easier to remember than something like 60 degrees. But then I was in the Army and am used to using actual headings.

I don't think it's necessarily whether or not N+4 is easier than 60 degrees, I think the true benefit is being able to avoid the math when you're heading is 260 and now I want to go back so I have to add 180 then subtract 360 or subtract 180. Get a little narc'd at depth and suddenly your return heading is 20 or 30 degrees off. Instead, you can just say W-1 and then your return is E-1.

 

[Bretagne]

Let me be sure... do they really say that if you are heading to the East (+2), a turn to the right makes you heading North (+2)?

 

[WellBelowH2O]

Let me be sure... do they really say that if you are heading to the East (+2), a turn to the right makes you heading North (+2)?

That would be a left turn. E+2 for a right turn would be S+2. But I see what you're saying now.. It looks like they screwed up in the article

 

[Charlie99]

In my opinion, N +4 really isn't much easier to remember than something like 60 degrees. But then I was in the Army and am used to using actual headings.

While an officer-of-the-deck on a Navy cruiser I constantly used degrees, reciprocal courses, 60 degrees p/s of course (headings for rudder reversal in Williamson turn), took bearings on radar and peloruses. Even after a few thousand hours of using numerical bearings topside I find myself simplifying underwater bearings to the directions (N, NNW, NW, etc.), or using the 3 ticks right of E method.

Each to his own.

I love the line in the article "The bezel--the part of the compass you can rotate with your hand--is a Band-Aid on a self-inflicted wound. "

Charlie Allen

 

[mark99]

That would be a left turn. E+2 for a right turn would be S+2. But I see what you're saying now.. It looks like they screwed up in the article

When east is west, west is east, on a dive compass. I think this is what makes dive navigation so difficult. On my compass, the needle points north, but the number says "180"- that is looking at the top of the compass. Holding the compass level and looking in the little window on the opposite side you see "0". So as long as you look in the little window, you read the true headings. But looking at the top, along the lubber line, not. So on the top of the compass if you are heading 290 (you see 110 in the window), and you make a right turn, you see 20 on the top (N+2) although you are actually going 340.

So I guess according to the top of the compass, a right turn from E+2 is N+2, but only
if you are actually going the opposite way. Maybe I'm missing something here, but I agree with Brian, give me the numbers, less confusing.

 

[Bretagne]

Yes, it they look onec from the top and once for the side you are right. But if you look both times the same way... I do not see how the arcicle can be correct

For true directions, heading East, turn to right -> heading South.
Now on the top of the compass, you will see West and North. Not East and North.
I think they have done a mess in their explanations. Good way to show it is easy!