SDI Underwater Navigation Course
“We have always been taught that navigation is the result of civilization, but modern archaeology has demonstrated very clearly that this is not so.” Thor Heyerdahl
It could be argued that navigation has held a special fascination for our species since we first walked upright. Certainly, the history of exploration and discovery – the sisters to navigation – would have been a different cloth were it not woven with early attempts at accurate navigation. Long before the arrival of the magnetic compass to Europe, the Vikings guided by nothing more than bravado, a mighty sense of adventure and a rudimentary navigational aid akin to a sundial, sailed across the top of the Atlantic Ocean and made landfall in present-day Newfoundland, Canada. Thor Heyerdahl (a Viking of a different vintage) sailed his balsa-wood raft “Kon-Tiki” from Peru to Polynesia in 1949 using only the stars to guide him. And modern-day adventurers use the network of Global Positioning Satellites and dashboard-mounted receivers to find the nearest Chinese restaurant without moving from the front seat of their Lexus. All instances of navigation’s appeal and usefulness. Experienced divers are intensely fascinated by navigation. It allows them to make their way back to a special spot discovered on an earlier dive. They use the tricks and techniques of navigation to find a safe exit point at the end of a dive without the need for an uncomfortable surface swim. And they draw comfort and reassurance from a reel and continuous line anchored near their ascent line when wandering around on a new and unfamiliar wreck. Your SDI Underwater Navigation Specialty course will help you overcome the obstacles inherent in finding your way underwater. We will show you how easy simple navigation is and how it will help you both above and below the surface. We will discuss natural aids such as sand ripples or reef formations, which can accurately predict your route. Tools such as mechanical compasses are a surprising challenge to the novice but we will help you unravel the challenge and teach the practical skills and techniques you'll need to use them effectively. These days, electronic aids such as a digital compasses and hand-held GPS units can make any of us an accurate navigator. Our travels may never make the history books as Erik the Red's or Thor Heyerdahl's did, but at least we will be able to find our way around a dive site with less stress and challenge! When you are done with the academics of this course, you will meet with Atlantic Scuba. You will take part in a short review of your work here online and then begin the exciting part of any dive course... diving! You will get hands-on lessons in how to prepare yourself and your gear for your first dives into a whole new world of possibilities. What are you waiting for? Get Started Now for £60 (This is deducted from the full course price).
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