Learning how to use a dive compass properly can keep you from making a life threatening mistake underwater. Many diving schools will gloss over the basics of using a compass and treat it as unimportant, but most real life diving scenarios are nothing like what you are exposed to in a diving school environment.

First, check out your compass on dry land to get a feel for how it works. Unlike a regular compass that you have for hiking, for example, the diving compass is set up in a counterclockwise position. This is because many diving compasses are worn on your wrist or are mounted to your gear and it is hard to rotate them.

Second, become familiar with your compass in clear water settings. Nothing will be more terrifying than to get lost in murky water and not know how to make your compass work for you. Next, become familiar with how your compass reacts to changes in your position underwater. Many diving school exercises involving a compass will only do straight line dives, but in real life your dive may have many twists and turns and you want to be able to orient yourself underwater after a series of turns.

A diving compass, when used properly, can truly be a life saver when you find yourself off course on a dive. You may think that you have enough experience that it will never happen to you, but better to be safe than sorry when it comes to being lost underwater. Take a little time and learn how to properly use your diving compass. It could save your life.