Description
This article is from the Scuba Diving
FAQ, by njs@scifi.maid.com (Nick Simicich) with numerous
contributions by others.
30 Can you use a GPS while diving?
GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It is a system that was
launched by the US Government to use in military applications.
Additionally, For more information, see
http://www.utexas.edu/depts/grg/gcraft/notes/gps/gps.html, or do a
yahoo search on the word GPS.
An ordinary hand held GPS, with a directly attached antenna, will not
work under water. The frequencies and signal strength of GPS are such
that they will not penetrate more than a very thin layer of water.
GPS accuracy is usually only a couple of hundred feet. It is affected
by a number of factors including intentional fuzzing of the signals
used by civilian units called Selective Availability or SA (since
precise positioning is considered to be information that has military
value), variations in the speed of light as signals pass through the
atmosphere, and other similar sorts of things.
There are a couple of useful things that you can do with GPS regarding
diving:
1. You can use it to position the boat near the dive site. You may
not be able to actually drop an anchor after doing GPS
positioning.
2. You can use it to log your dives if it will hold enough waypoints
and has some capability to enter alphabetics.
3. You can play with it during the boring trip to the dive site.
4. There is a military GPS unit that has a floating antenna. It is
designed to be used for combat swims.
5. You could keep it in a waterproof case and use it and your hand
held marine radio to report your position to the Coast Guard after
you drift away from your boat.
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sport, scuba, diving, snorkeling, dive travel, underwater activities. safety, equipment, certification
