The Neptune Warrior

This last weekend I worked with a few vets on underwater navigation. For me this is a huge skill in the menu of diving skills.  When time allows, I really try to ensure my private students get an extra dose of work with the compass.

The history of the compass is complex. It was even held as a military and trade secret. Passages that provided economic or tactical advantages were kept close to the chest. In some militaries even to this day, the use o a compass is restricted to officers. The evolution of the compass as simply knowing where north is located to the advent of 4, 8, 16, and eventually 360 points has its own history.

But a compass doesn’t tell you where you are. Other than establishing where north is, they don’t even tell you what way to travel. You as the diver are responsible for setting the direction and then following the direction. As a diver unless you have a chart, map, or at least a starting point, you can’t tell where you are going.

A compass is also susceptible to mistakes. Get to close to metal, let it bounce around in a dive bag and it gets a bubble, navigate with it while your buddy has their compass out, or get it to close to a dive computer and you can swim in circles. Forget to keep is level or twist your wrist while you hold it, you can quickly be off course.

There are times I’m in zero vis and just pull out my compass and swim in a general direction to see what I can find. Starting from a known object like a platform or feature, I will set a direction and swim. If I wind up just as lost, then I swim back on the reciprocal or back azimuth. If adventurous I will swim a square pattern. It’s a way to explore while still being able to come back to my starting point.

The compass however is best used with a chart, map, or at least basic diagram with bearings on a slate.

Now put that into our daily lives. How is the compass a metaphor in your life? Do you have a direction or chart you are following or are you just using the compass to explore things you want to discover?

For me it happened a few years ago. On the verge of a divorce I knew I was going to travel but I was also saddled with about $60k in debt. My “map” had the end point of wanting to do more dive travel and not have it on a credit card to just add to the debt. On that “map” I had certain places I had to navigate first. Reducing credit card debt, increasing revenue, paying off student loans, etc. were all places to go to. My “compass” was the guide that got me there, not eating out, picking up second and third jobs, not being stupid stuff, doing more meal prep, and evaluating my monthly expenses. Together my “map and compass” helped me knock out $60k of consumer and student debt and reduced my monthly expenses by $2k a month. It also led me into a new gig as a financial coach to help others do the same thing.

Guess who is now doing more dive travel?

What is your destination and what are you using as a compass?