SDI Underwater Navigation Diver Course

A diver without navigation skills gets turned around. They surface in the wrong spot, miss the reef section they came to see, or burn through their air hunting for a reference point that should have been easy to find. A diver with solid navigation skills enters the water with a plan, covers the site methodically, and returns to the exit point with air to spare.

The SDI Underwater Navigation Diver course builds both systems you need: natural navigation, which uses the environment around you as a reference, and compass navigation, which gives you a precise heading independent of visibility or terrain. Together they cover the situations you will actually encounter underwater, from clear water with visible terrain to low-visibility dives where a compass is the only reliable reference you have.

What the Course Covers

Natural Navigation

Natural navigation uses features of the underwater environment to maintain orientation without a compass. The course covers how vision, light, sound, currents, surge, and waves behave underwater and how each one can be used as a directional reference. Bottom contour reading is central to natural navigation: the slope of the bottom, depth changes, and the position of underwater objects all provide consistent reference points that an experienced navigator reads automatically. You will learn to use these cues deliberately rather than relying on them unconsciously.

Compass Navigation

A compass gives you a heading that works regardless of visibility, terrain, or conditions. The course covers the types of dive compasses available, the difference between analog and digital compasses and their respective features, and how to use a compass to plan and execute a specific heading underwater. Navigation patterns practiced in the course include out-and-back, square patterns, and triangle patterns, first on the surface to build the skill cleanly, then on the bottom in open water.

Estimating Distance Underwater

Without landmarks, estimating how far you have traveled underwater requires a different approach than on land. The course covers two methods: kick cycle counting, where you count fin kicks and calibrate them to a known distance, and time, where you use elapsed dive time combined with your typical swim pace. Both methods are practiced until they become reliable tools rather than estimates.

In-Water Skills

The course runs at Lake Pleasant in open water. Required skills include:

• Equipment setup and pre-dive checks
• Dive planning with a navigation objective
• Surface orientation using compass before descent
• Compass navigation practice: out-and-back pattern on the surface
• Square and triangle patterns on the surface to build compass technique
• Square pattern executed on the bottom in open water
• Triangle pattern executed on the bottom in open water
• Buddy contact maintenance throughout all navigation exercises
• Equipment disassembly and dive log

Where Navigation Fits in Your Training Path

Underwater Navigation is one of the two required specialties in the SDI Advanced Adventure Diver course, alongside Deep Diver. If you completed Advanced Adventure and did the Navigation dive there, that dive counts as one credit toward this full certification. The full Navigation specialty also counts as one of the four required credits toward the SDI Advanced Diver rating.

Who Can Enroll

The SDI Underwater Navigation Diver course is open to certified SDI Open Water Scuba Divers or equivalent. Minimum age is 10 with parental consent, 18 without. Junior divers ages 10 to 14 must participate with a parent, guardian, or dive professional present.

Gear and Equipment

Students are required to own their own mask, fins, boots, and snorkel for this course. Dive gear rental such as BCD, regulator, computer, tanks, weights, and wetsuit is included in the course. If you'd like to purchase any of your own equipment, we carry a full selection in the shop and all students enrolled in a course receive a discount on purchases during enrollment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the SDI Underwater Navigation course cover?

The course covers two navigation systems: natural navigation using environmental cues like bottom contour, light, current, and surge, and compass navigation using a dive compass for precise headings. Distance estimation using kick cycles and elapsed time is also covered. The in-water component includes compass pattern practice on the surface and square and triangle patterns executed on the bottom in open water.

What is natural navigation in scuba diving?

Natural navigation uses features of the underwater environment as directional references instead of a compass. Bottom slope and depth changes indicate direction. Currents typically flow consistently and can be used as a reference. Light is often brighter in the direction of shallower water or the shore. Surge direction can orient a diver to the shoreline. An experienced navigator reads these cues automatically. The course trains you to use them deliberately.

How do you estimate distance underwater?

Two methods. Kick cycle counting tracks how many fin kicks you take and calibrates that number to a known distance, typically measured during the course. Time-based estimation uses your typical swim pace and elapsed dive time to calculate approximate distance traveled. Both are practiced during the course until they are reliable tools.

Is the Navigation specialty required for the SDI Advanced Adventure Diver course?

Yes. Underwater Navigation is one of the two required specialty dives in the SDI Advanced Adventure Diver course, alongside Deep Diver. If you completed the Navigation dive during Advanced Adventure, that dive counts as one credit toward the full Navigation specialty certification.

Does the Navigation Diver certification count toward SDI Advanced Diver?

Yes. The SDI Underwater Navigation Diver certification counts as one of the four specialty credits required for the SDI Advanced Diver Development Program.

Where does the Navigation course take place?

The in-water sessions are conducted at Lake Pleasant. The course runs as a morning lake dive session. Check the current schedule for available dates and register at divearizona.com.

Ready to Know Where You Are Underwater?

Register for the SDI Underwater Navigation Diver course at divearizona.com or call us at (480) 881-4013. We are open Monday through Saturday 11am to 6pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm, at 18618 S 186th Way, Queen Creek, inside The Shooting Range.

For more information and to see course standards, click here!