Basic diving skills in PADI diving courses: Compass Navigation

During your diving on Koh Tao you will be always suggested to use a compass navigation on the dive sites.

All of us had an introduction to underwater navigation with using dive compass during our PADI Open Water Diver course, but on fun dives, most of the divers prefer to follow the divemaster, whereas knowing exactly where you’re going, where you’ve been and where you are at any given time underwater. It definitely makes diving on Koh Tao a lot more enjoyable and stress-free.
Compass navigation underwater is a piece of cake, just follow few simple rules:

1). Point the long line on your compass (the lubber line) in the direction you want to swim and make sure your body is pointed in the same direction.
2). Rotate the bezel on the top of the compass until the two hatch marks meet the North arrow. As you swim, watch to make sure the North arrow stays between those marks.
3). Keep the compass flat and in line with your body at all times. If you get off-course, turn your whole body, not just the compass, until your heading is back on track.
4). Look up and around periodically to keep an eye on your surroundings. If there is a current or heavy surge, you can be pushed off-course, even if your heading stays true.
5). To return to your starting point, turn your body until the North arrow points at the single hatch mark on the other side of the bezel.
6). Trust your compass. If there is a discrepancy between what you feel and what your compass is telling you, go with the compass. You may not know exactly where you but your compass can point you in the right direction until you recognize one of those land marks you saw on the way out.
7). Get some training. Like every other skill in diving, practice will make you a first-rate navigator, which will open you up to a wider variety of diving possibilities.

And a great way to learn these skills is by taking PADI Underwater Navigation course on Koh Tao or Samui, which provides hands-on training, both on the surface and underwater, and allows you to practice with an experienced navigator (your instructor) on Koh Tao’s dive sites