Navigation

[mala]

good post bob.

the compass is probably the least useful tool you can have for nav.
think of it a last resort in case there is absolutely nothing else to look at.

no current
no sand ripples
no reef
no wreck
no nuthin.

be nosey and look around-its amazing that ladies seem to struggle with nav when on land they are much more inquisitive then men.

use the depth ,your watch and your spg.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I dunno about the gender thing ... my ex-wife was better at underwater nav than I was, even though on land she could get lost coming home from work in the evening ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[mala]

I dunno about the gender thing ... my ex-wife was better at underwater nav than I was, even though on land she could get lost coming home from work in the evening ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

i know what you mean.

 

[boulderjohn]

Are you talking about a situation such as you find in Key Largo, where the boat moors in he middle of an area and tells you to be back in 50 minutes? You roam all over the place for a while, then somehow have to find your way back? If so, here's a technique that can be helpful.

When you descend, take a really good look at your starting point (under the boat or the mooring line) to make sure you can recognize it. Then look at the farthest landmark you can see in the distance. Take a compass heading on it. Then roam around, looking at all the cool stuff in that general direction. Every now and then make sure you can still see that landmark. Eventually get to it. You can tool around it for a while. Then get right to it and look at your compass. Take the reciprocal heading and find something on that line. Roam around for a while until you get to that new landmark. Repeat that process until you are back at the boat. Then look around for something in the distance in a new direction and repeat the process however many times you have time for.

You can do other variations of this in different situations. The only compass skills you need are the ability to set a heading on something and the ability to spot something on the reciprocal of that heading. Both skills are taught in the OW class.

 

[Quero]

its amazing that ladies seem to struggle with nav when on land they are much more inquisitive then men.

In my experience teaching divers and leading dives, men struggle no less with underwater navigation than women do. They are just less willing to talk about it or to admit to not knowing where they are. The relative anonymity of forums like SB is wonderfully liberating as it allows people to make this admission and get practical tips (like Bob's and John's ones above) without losing that man-face.

 

[debajo agua]

Not having opt for a nav course, I'm still learning on the fly. What I am figuring out about shore dives, is my heading is important, but my depth is just as important. Boaters can use a GPS, which will put them in the same spot time and time again. Shore divers have to use landmarks and reference points to get into the general area of a dive site. If I over shoot my intended dive site, and I'm heading out into the abyss, my computer depth is the first indicator that somethings not right. Whenever in doubt, remember that if you're on a West Coast beach, just head East and it will bring you back to the beach; likewise, if you're on the East Coast, then heading West will bring you back to beach... Piece of Cake.

 

[diverrex]

Not having opt for a nav course, I'm still learning on the fly. What I am figuring out about shore dives, is my heading is important, but my depth is just as important. Boaters can use a GPS, which will put them in the same spot time and time again. Shore divers have to use landmarks and reference points to get into the general area of a dive site. If I over shoot my intended dive site, and I'm heading out into the abyss, my computer depth is the first indicator that somethings not right. Whenever in doubt, remember that if you're on a West Coast beach, just head East and it will bring you back to the beach; likewise, if you're on the East Coast, then heading West will bring you back to beach... Piece of Cake.

Out here in Southern California even though on the west coast many of our dive sites have south facing beaches so heading east means you are going parallel to the shore. Of course you can usually figure that out because your depth isn't changing much. Navigation doing shore dives with a sloping beach is easier than boat diving on a relatively flat site. Mix in a kelp forest that blocks navigation landmarks and dive in a very random squiggly pattern in and out of kelp and navigation can be a challenge.

Someone mentioned using kick cycles. How many people really do that? First there is no way I want to count kick cycles for a 60 minute dive plus I know I don't kick consistently during dive. I watch time much more to guage distance.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Someone mentioned using kick cycles. How many people really do that? First there is no way I want to count kick cycles for a 60 minute dive plus I know I don't kick consistently during dive. I watch time much more to guage distance.

I've always considered that one of the less useful "skills" taught in a typical dive class. Nobody counts kick cycles after the class is over. Why would they? That would be like counting RPM's to figure out your car's gas mileage ... it can be done, assuming certain variables as constants. But you've got way more practical tools at your disposal and way better uses for the mental bandwidth.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

---------- Post Merged at 03:38 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 03:35 AM ----------

In my experience teaching divers and leading dives, men struggle no less with underwater navigation than women do. They are just less willing to talk about it or to admit to not knowing where they are. The relative anonymity of forums like SB is wonderfully liberating as it allows people to make this admission and get practical tips (like Bob's and John's ones above) without losing that man-face.

Yup, guys don't like asking for directions ... we'd rather stay lost and pretend we're exploring. Thank God for the Navigator on my phone ... now I'm never lost. Of course, it's still a woman's voice telling me where to go ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)