David Strike wrote:

> > I've done compass bearing swims in shallow water, no current,
> > featureless, 90 degree corners, counting fin strokes. I, and my
> > colleagues, all came up not remotely near where we started.

> Ah!  No current, you say?  In that case you really do need to practice
your
> compass navigation - and pay a little more attention to your kicking
> techniques and the affect that they have on your overall movement through
> the water column!  :-)

Hmmm, I'm inclined to agree, but I've got no reason to gloat.  I don't dive
in very low visibility and have little experience in navigating without the
benefit of visual references.  I like to think I could follow a series of
compass headings which would bring me close to my desired end point, as I
had to do in at least one of my certification courses, but I would not bet a
lot on my ability to be real precise without visual references.  I would not
want to even guess the distance I cover per fin kick.  The last time I
checked was with very different fins, with equipment with considerably more
drag and with considerably worse trim.

Another interesting issue comes from Christian's statements.  If the
visibility is so low that you can't tell if you're moving in a straight
line, how would you know if there is current or not?

Lee