Compass
FUNCTION
It is an instrument that allows you to follow a certain direction when you have no reference points, for example, when diving in very murky waters, or when diving is carried out at night. It also serves to position dive sites, removing azimuths to fixed and detached points on land.
COMPASS TRADITIONAL VERSION
In the traditional form, the compass consists of a movable magnetic needle, which rotates over a quadrant graduated in degrees and which always positions itself in the North-South direction.
COMPASS NAUTICAL VERSION
In most nautical versions, instead of a moving needle is the quadrant that is mobile and is sympathetic to a magnet (magnet), always positioning itself correctly in relation to the cardinal points.
This quadrant is located inside a sealed box filled with liquid to cushion oscillations and shocks. In the box is drawn a line that passes through the axis of the quadrant, the line of faith, which is used to indicate the direction (direction) to follow. The longer the line of faith, the easier it is to follow the correct course.
ELECTRONIC COMPASSES
In this type of device the quadrant appears represented on the display and the direction indication is digital. These compasses have no movable crown, but in return memorize an appreciable number of previously planned directions that the diver activates along the route.
COMPASS USED IN DIVING
The compasses used in diving are almost all of the second type, presenting different configurations, and the graduated quadrant can have the form of disc or default, more or less spherical, and allowing different forms of reading. Almost all dive compasses have a graduated movable crown, which allows memorizing the desired course, matching the crown’s zero with the north of the quadrant. It thus becomes very easy to follow the desired course, keeping the needle in that position.
The compass can be used on the wrist or mounted on the console. There are also those who pin the compass to the board to type, where you can record the sequence of directions to follow.
CARE
It is essential that the compass be used away from magnetic masses, so as not to give wrong readings. The compass should also not be stored near magnetic masses or electromagnetic fields, which may cause changes in their magnetism.
MAINTENANCE
At the end of each dive, like any equipment, the compass should be washed with fresh, dry water in the shade or with a cloth and stored in a suitable place.