PADI Underwater Navigation & Skills 4

Question 1

What is the main advantage of using a bottom contour (terrain) as a navigational reference over a compass?

Accepted Answer

Terrain features are immediately visible and require no instrument, making navigation intuitive

Answer

Natural terrain references like ledges, slopes, and sand ripples provide instant, instrument-free directional cues that are easy to follow.

Question 2

Sand ripples on the ocean floor can serve as a navigation aid. What do they generally indicate?

Accepted Answer

They run parallel to shore and perpendicular to predominant wave direction

Answer

Sand ripples are formed by wave action and typically run parallel to the shoreline, providing a consistent directional reference.

Question 3

During a PADI Navigation specialty dive, a student consistently ends up to the left of her target. What is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

She has a dominant right kick that pushes her left, or her compass is misread consistently to the right

Answer

A lateral body asymmetry, like a stronger kick on one side, is the most common reason for consistent directional drift during underwater navigation.

Question 4

What is 'dead reckoning' as applied to scuba diving?

Accepted Answer

Estimating your current position using known speed, direction, and elapsed time from a fixed starting point

Answer

Dead reckoning combines heading, kick-cycle count (speed estimate), and time to calculate estimated position without visual confirmation.

Question 5

When a diver plans a navigation dive with a heading of 045° (northeast), what is the return heading?

Accepted Answer

225°

Answer

Adding 180° to 045° gives 225°, the reciprocal heading for a direct return to the starting point.

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