When I finished my OWC we had an optional dive for navigation. Well, I really did bad! I 'm not sure what all went wrong but I was no where near where we were supposed to be. I'm thinking of getting my advanced Cert but I really need to learn to navigate. Anybody have tricks for navigation?
Navigation
- Thread starter Luv2dive
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It's easier to show ya. We'll work on it at Lake Travis if you want to.
Main thing is to trust your compass, lock it in place to your body and keep it steady.
Main thing is to trust your compass, lock it in place to your body and keep it steady.
ScubaScott
Guest
Try a simple course in your yard or a parking lot. Get to a point of find your starting point - get comfortable on land and I think you'll find things underwater a lot easier navigate. Practice makes perfect.....
SS
SS
The best advice I can give is always trust the compass. Also, learn to use everything such as current, landmarks underwater if possible and never trust your instincts for direction. There are some good books on underwater navigation published by the agencies. Also, take a speciality class from a good instructor. Navigation is one of the top 3 skills to master. Right up there with Bouyancy and a good kick.
One way to practice is to find an empty parking lot, set your compass on a fixed object, cover your head so the only thing you can see is the compass and practice. It helps to have a buddy with you to keep you from running into something.
Scott
One way to practice is to find an empty parking lot, set your compass on a fixed object, cover your head so the only thing you can see is the compass and practice. It helps to have a buddy with you to keep you from running into something.
Scott
One of the most common errors in using a compass is keeping it level. If not close to level the needle quits floating and then you will think you are following the course when you are really wandering left or right of your intended course.
JustAddWater
Guest
In agreement with the above posts, navigation is a must learn skill that will lead you to become a more competent and confident diver. I found that practicing compass skills on land (navigating through a course) helped familiarize headings, turns and reciprocal headings.
Good luck and trust your compass.
Good luck and trust your compass.
Welshman
senior member
Trying out the skill on dry land is a good idea. Once you've mastered that try it out in the water, preferably to start with somewhere where ther is'nt any current. Then try it with a current, when you will learn to adjust your heading to take account of drift. If you want an example of what I mean look up at any light planes you may see overhead. Do you notice how they sometimes seem to be flying "crabwise". The truth is that they are flying straight but the effect of drift makes them look as if they're flying across the wind.
Given our three dimensional environment it is hard to navigate well if you are to busy diving. Dive first navigate second. Go slow, stay neutral and use natural references along with the compass. Practice. You will never be perfect learn to use intentional error.
dvleemin
Contributor
I've always been poor at navigiation as well. A large part of it is that the vast majority of my dives have been guided boat dives, so I really don't pay much attention to my compass.
So lets say that you were doing a shore dive. You surface swim to 200 yards (which is North in this example
), and then descend. You then swim out North for a bit more, and then turn East and swim for while. How do you navigate back to the shore? Do you have to try and keep track of the number of kicks? If there's a current, that would be ineffective, so do you take a guess?
Thanks,
Darryl
So lets say that you were doing a shore dive. You surface swim to 200 yards (which is North in this example
), and then descend. You then swim out North for a bit more, and then turn East and swim for while. How do you navigate back to the shore? Do you have to try and keep track of the number of kicks? If there's a current, that would be ineffective, so do you take a guess? Thanks,
Darryl
Welshman
senior member
You're right about the need to know your own kick rate. You are taught this on the AOW Navigation course. Knowing how far you travel for a given number of kicks/in a given time enables you to calculate approximately how many kicks/how much time it should take you to reach a particular point. As for direction in your example it would depend on how far East you had travelled. Turning and heading South might not return you to the shore at an acceptable point - for example you might return to a cliff. You might therefore need to head West for the same amount of time as you swam East allowing for current before turning South and back to the shore.
However, this is all part of planning the dive before you get in the water. You need to assess all the conditions including the possibility of current as part of the planning. You should not be planning how to get back to shore when you're 200+yards from shore and there is a current taking you out to sea. You are putting yourself and potentially others in trouble.
Plan the dive and dive the plan.
However, this is all part of planning the dive before you get in the water. You need to assess all the conditions including the possibility of current as part of the planning. You should not be planning how to get back to shore when you're 200+yards from shore and there is a current taking you out to sea. You are putting yourself and potentially others in trouble.
Plan the dive and dive the plan.
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