WAvES declination method

WAvES...So simple yet so effective and easy to remember! I've heard many mnemonics regarding magnetic declination but this one you just cannot ever forget... Cool one!

Having just spent the summer taking the readings that define the current OS declinations, it’s nice to see the end result!

Just catching up on your back catalogue. Always took a map on a walk but didn’t have a clue how to use it in conjunction with a compass, not much good at reading the map to be honest. 😂 Really learning the basics from your tutorials, they’re excellent. I intend going on one of my regular walks, which I know like the back of my hand, and try a bit of compass and map reading. Thanks.

Excellent video breaking down declination and applying that to real-life land navigation, i.e. map to compass and compass to map. Ditto cypeman's comment. My takeaway from this channel and its videos is that we all need refreshers AND the same topic explained more than once. Why? Because the brain (mine at least) needs the same topic explained from different perspectives before I reach that "ah ha" moment and I finally get it. Thank you for producing these videos and NEVER feel it's redundant material. Even if you're going over previous material it's helpful to hear it again and the audience has the opportunity to to learn something they either forgot or an aspect of that topic that never quite sunk in. This is the learning approach I took two decades ago in the USCGAux marine navigation. Which I loved!

I've been using maps all over the world for more than 3 decades. This is the first time I've heard the 'WAvES' pneumonic. Every day's a school day. Thank you.

I find using the mnemonics more confusing than just looking at the declination diagram on the map. In my area, we have 15 degrees East declination, so I move the bezel in the same direction as the MN arrow, in my case, clockwise. I am using a Cammenga, so 5 clicks clockwise to go from map to compass. When I take a compass reading, I move the bezel towards the grid north arrow, or 5 clicks counter-clockwise for compass to map. This seems easy as I don't need to remember anything, just reference the map.

Excellent video, when pupils understand, it means that the teacher is good.

I'm glad I found your channel. I'm enjoying all of your videos. I was lucky to grow up learning maps and navigation from my father who was a soil scientist. Your presentations bring back many fun memories.

Can Dead Men Vote Twice at Elections? This sounds like questions being asked after the US election.

WAvES is great mnemonic. Thank you. I also encountered a different element that accomplishes the same thing as "the map waves to the compass and the compass waves backwards at the map." It keeps with a nautical theme for waves. Perhaps you know it (as follows)? "Empty Sea Waves," as in "MTC WAvES," as in "Map To Compass, West Add Vs East Subtract" I enjoy these lessons and have learned a great deal from you. Much gratitude!

As usual I really enjoyed this video! I liked it when you said that you only have to remember your declination once you know whether it’s east or west. I live in Maine, USA and I know that I have westerly declination so I have to add. No need to remember all those little sayings!

Over the years I have seen many of these sayings, and all seem hard to remember, until I found this one. It's simple, easy to remember. The rules does not change whether you are going from compass bearing to map, or map bearing to compass. Variation EAST, compass LEAST. Variation WEST, compass BEST. So, if you are in an area of EASTERLY variation, and you want to plot a compass bearing on a map, the compass has to be least, so you add the variation to arrive at the map bearing. If vice versa, you have a map bearing you want to follow, the compass still has to be least, so you subtract the variation. In practice, this is the easiest rule I have seen. For Westerly variation, the compass is best. I probably have made a poor job of explaining this, but if you think it through it will make sense. By the way, thanks for great videos.

Thank you. That's something I was looking for. Simple and easy to remember.

In NSW Australia, we had the Central mapping authority (CMA) - hence (with easterly declination) compass map add :)

Going to use this to help teach land nav for Search and Rescue! Have your pick of whichever mnemonic suits you!

Great way to remember how to set up your declination, thank you

Another great short video. Thanks, this has really clarified things 👍

absolutely brilliant, that's the best example I've heard. never heard of waves before and I've been reading maps a long time. this is very exciting to know due to to 2026 it's all going the change. thanks and subscribed.

Brilliant instruction.... WAvES. So simple. Thank you.👍🏼

best explanation! Thanks from Houston TX